Department Head Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Colorado State University
Position Description: The Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology in the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University seeks to fill their Department Head position. The Head serves as the lead department administrator and is responsible for leadership and administration of teaching, research, extension, and service activities of departmental personnel. This is a full-time, 12-month appointment. The Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Department is one of five academic Departments in the Warner College of Natural Resources. The other Departments are Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Geosciences, and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. The Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Department has a major in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, with three concentrations: Wildlife Biology, Conservation Biology, and Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. The Department has M.S. and Ph.D. programs as well as a coursework-intensive Master of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology (MFWCB) degree offered on campus and online. Faculty also advise students in the interdisciplinary Graduate Degree Program in Ecology. The Department has over 500 undergraduates, including 58 Honors students, and approximately 50 graduate students. The Department is transdisciplinary, conducting impactful research at local, national, and international scales in conservation biology, ecology (behavioral, community, disease, evolution, landscape, population, social, spatial), ecosystem services, ecotoxicology, endangered species, fish and wildlife management, global environmental change, habitat management, human-wildlife conflicts, invasive species, and restoration ecology. In addition, the Department is a recognized leader in analytical methods development and their application across disciplines in the natural resource and ecological sciences. The Department is home to the Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (CCFWRU) and the Larval Fish Laboratory, and has strong partnerships with state, federal, and non-governmental organizations. The Department currently has 17 tenured and tenure-track faculty, including two endowed chairs, three CCFWRU faculty, two advising/instructional faculty, and two research faculty. The Department mission is to serve students and varied constituencies through learning, research, and service/outreach. Students graduating from our Department have the skills to think critically about environmental issues, and are scientifically and ecologically literate citizens with the training to be successful in graduate school and diverse careers. Outreach efforts contribute significantly to life-long learning by assisting individuals and agencies to solve complex environmental problems and to be good stewards of our world’s natural resources. The Warner College of Natural Resources is also home to several interdisciplinary centers and programs, including the Center for Collaborative Conservation, the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, the Private Lands Initiative, and the Colorado State Forest Service. Warner College is one of eight academic colleges at Colorado State University. The Department and College are active participants in programs and courses at CSU’s 1600-acre Mountain Campus. The Department has also taken a leadership role in providing high impact learning opportunities at CSU’s new Todos Santos Center in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Colorado State University is a land grant university with about 33,000 students located in Fort Collins, Colorado. Fort Collins is home to a wide range of state and federal natural resource agencies, including major centers for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, USGS, USDA APHIS National Wildlife Research Center, National Park Service, US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, and Centers for Disease Control, all of which provide excellent opportunities for collaboration. Fort Collins residents enjoy a high quality of life, a moderate cost of living, and the City is often rated as one of the best places to live in the United States. The city is a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community with a vibrant downtown, and is adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park, with easy access to many outdoor activities. Minimum Qualifications: 1. Earned doctorate in fish, wildlife, conservation biology, or related field. 2. Experience with education, research, and outreach. 3. Accomplishments that meet the requirements for a tenured, full professor or a commensurate level of relevant experience and accomplishments. Additional Desired Qualifications: 1. Demonstrated success in administrative duties, budgeting, and programmatic development and growth. 2. Demonstrated interpersonal and leadership skills in communicating with and mentoring faculty and staff. 3. A record of scholarly contributions to knowledge in fish, wildlife, and conservation biology, with demonstrated expertise in these areas. 4. A record of excellence in teaching and mentoring at the undergraduate and graduate level in a fish, wildlife, and conservation biology program. 5. Demonstrated commitment to and experience in managing successful professional degree programs in fish, wildlife and conservation biology or related fields. 6. A demonstrated understanding of the full breadth of programs in the Department, and the vision to fully develop the unique opportunities the Department presents. 7. A record of success in working collaboratively with government and tribal fish and wildlife management agencies, the private sector, and other conservation and scientific organizations. 8. Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion through research, teaching and outreach with relevant programs, goals and activities. 9. Demonstrated success in creating and fostering community and collaborative environments, creative initiative and problem solving, and conflict resolution efforts. 10. Experience conducting development activities and a willingness to lead Departmental development efforts. 11. Demonstrated ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary leadership team. Responsibilities of the Department Head Include: • Creative, facilitative leadership in cooperatively defining and implementing goals, objectives and strategies of the Department and in communicating its aspirations, abilities, and achievements to all relevant internal and external constituencies, while fostering positive relationships. • Serving as a key member of the College’s leadership team, and working collaboratively and effectively with the College Executive Committee (composed of Department Heads, Associate Deans, and Dean) to shape and further the goals of the Department, the College, and the University. • Preparation of, administration of, and adherence to the Departmental budget. • Providing leadership for developing and strengthening curricula, recognizing changing societal values and technical advances in the profession. • Management of the Department to promote student, staff, and faculty achievement and development. • Advancing the Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion among students, faculty, and staff. • Working effectively with Departmental committees to address governance, curricular, human resource, and physical resource needs. • Fostering an atmosphere of collegiality and cooperation within the Department, and College, and across the University. • Conducting formal and informal personnel evaluations, including mentoring of Department faculty and staff members. • Providing leadership in faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions. • Working effectively with alumni, the Dean, and the College Development Office to attract and allocate development funds. • Proactively pursuing interaction and developing working relationships with other Departments and programs in the College and across the University, state and federal agencies, professional societies, and other organizations. • Interacting with prospective and current students and diverse audiences. Salary: commensurate with qualifications and experience. Benefits: Annual and sick leave per University policy, group health, life, dental, disability, and retirement benefits. For more information, please visit CSU’s Benefits website. Application Procedure: Applicants should submit: • A letter that addresses the candidate’s experience, performance, and vision in light of the job qualifications, position criteria, and Departmental context. • A curriculum vitae. • The names, addresses, and phone numbers of three to five references who will be contacted only after the short list of candidates is established and candidates have been notified. Application materials of semifinalist candidates, including letters of reference, will be made available for review by the entire faculty of the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. CSU, the Warner College of Natural Resources, and the Department are committed to faculty diversity and encourage applicants from underrepresented groups. Submit above materials to the following site by 30 November, 2017 for full consideration: http://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/50697. Questions about the position should be directed to: Dr. Linda Nagel, Search Committee Chair, linda.na...@colostate.edu; 970-491-2840. Deadline: For full consideration applications should be received by 30 November, 2017.
