Director of the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) invites nominations and applications for the position of director of the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences (SEEMS). Reporting directly to the dean of the College of Sciences, the director will be responsible for setting the strategic, operational, and financial direction for SEEMS. The College seeks a dynamic leader who will work in concert with faculty, staff, and students to promote a culture of excellence. The director shall create and carry out a vision that leads the School to greater prominence in the Valley and beyond, as well as, establish a visionary process for program development and enhancement with an interdisciplinary focus. We seek applicants who are dedicated to serving UTRGV’s diverse student body as the SEEMS director beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year (start Sept 1, 2023).

Diversity and inclusion are part of the UTRGV and SEEMS’ core values and as such, we encourage applications from women and members of underrepresented groups in the sciences. It is our commitment to elevate the lives and economic well-being of the Valley community by offering first-rate education in the STEM fields. We value applicants who can understand and have overcome race, gender-based, and ability-based barriers, and who can bring with them the wealth of worldview, perspective, and experience that is critical to an innovative and accessible educational environment. As a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution with a student population that is over 90% Hispanic, UTRGV is committed to preparing its students to succeed, contribute and excel in an increasingly diverse, global, and interconnected world. Applicants who identify with this mission are strongly encouraged to apply.

UTRGV was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas and is the second largest Hispanic Serving Institution in the United States. The majority of its students are bilingual and bicultural. UTRGV is located in a growing, vibrant region on the border with Mexico, which boasts many diverse cultural, ecological and recreational activities. UTRGV campuses, strategically located throughout the Valley, offer a unique opportunity to unify the SEEMS’ programs amongst the different locations – Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen, Port Isabel, and South Padre Island.

The mission of SEEMS is to provide students with an integrative education and training experience that prepares them to meet the challenges and opportunities in the multiple dimensions of contemporary earth, environmental, and marine sciences. This experience includes providing cutting-edge research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students that generate new knowledge and formulate effective solutions for a sustainable RGV and beyond. SEEMS promotes collaborative, multi-disciplinary research and seeks participation of other sciences and disciplines interested in applying interdisciplinary perspectives to understanding earth-environmental systems and their interactions with society (i.e., integrating biological, chemical, physical, and geospatial sciences with engineering, economics, social science, and policy).

The director of SEEMS will oversee the School, faculty and student productivity and development, research, external relations, and multi-disciplinary collaborations within the university and with the external community. The SEEMS director will advocate for the School and will recruit and retain diverse faculty, staff, and students. The director is expected to promote the regional visibility of the college’s programs, foster research and creativity, and work closely with college leaders to ensure that their graduates have the knowledge and skills to be successful after graduation.

SEEMS currently has 29 tenured/tenure-track faculty members and four lecturers distributed over its two main campuses in Brownsville and Edinburg, as well as Port Isabel and South Padre Island. Faculty research programs include earth science, ecosystems processes, marine and coastal sciences, agriculture and food systems, environment and sustainability, conservation science, soil science, ecology, along with environmental social science and economics. The School is currently home to over 250 undergraduates pursuing B.S. degrees in Marine Biology, Environmental Science, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems and 76 graduate students pursuing M.S. degrees in Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Science; and Agricultural, Environmental, and Sustainability Science. An immediate priority of the School is to design and advance an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program.

Professional Qualifications and Leadership Skills

The successful candidate must (1) possess an earned terminal degree (Ph.D.) in a discipline closely related to those represented in SEEMS, (2) have demonstrated leadership abilities in administration, personnel management, and budgeting, (3) have an excellent track record in research, teaching, and service, and (4) meet the requirements for tenure and appointment at the rank of Full Professor. Associate Professors who meet those requirements are encouraged to apply.

The next director will clearly value interdisciplinary approaches to environmental problem solving and be a tireless advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration and integrated science. Preferred leadership skills include demonstrated success in growing enrollment at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as effective skills in advancing, implementing, and sustaining undergraduate and graduate degree offerings.

The full position profile can be accessed at https://greenwoodsearch.com/current-opportunities/.

 

How to Apply

Greenwood/Asher & Associates, LLC is assisting The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in this search. Applications and nominations are now being accepted. For a full application package, please submit a cover letter, CV, and list of five references. Confidential inquiries, nominations and application materials should be directed to Greenwood/Asher & Associates. Submission of application materials as PDF attachments is strongly encouraged. The search will be conducted with a commitment of confidentiality for candidates until finalists are selected. Initial screening of applications will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. Initial screening of applications will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. For best consideration, applications and nominations should be provided by March 31, 2023.

 

Salary will be competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Details on benefits can be found at https://www.utrgv.edu/human-resources/benefits/index.htm

 

Inquiries, nominations, and application materials should be directed to:

 

Betty Turner Asher, Founder, Greenwood Asher & Associates

E-mail: bettyasher@greenwoodsearch.com

 

Julie Schrodt, Senior Executive Search Consultant

E-mail: julieschrodt@greenwoodsearch.com

 

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. It is the policy of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to promote and ensure equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or protected veteran status.