Individuals wishing to apply should go online to jobs.vt.edu and search for Job # 514607.
Review of applications will begin on February 15, 2021 and continue until a suitable candidate is selected.
Applications should include:
- The completed on-line application;
- A formal letter addressing the applicant’s interests, qualifications, management and leadership experience, and vision for the Director role of an off-campus; Agricultural Research and Extension Center;
- A 1-2 page statement of leadership style and values;
- A 1-2 page statement of the vision of an integrated research and Extension program for the future (by 2030) of an off-campus Agricultural Research and Extension Center;
- A current curriculum vitae which includes a biographical sketch, service, administrative/management experience, and a complete list of research and Extension publications and grants; and
- three (3) names and contact information of references who can assess the candidate’s qualifications for this position.
For Questions Regarding the Search
Contact Information:
Susan E. Duncan, Ph.D., R.D.
Associate Director, Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station
Professor, Food Science and Technology
Director, Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture
Virginia Tech
duncans@vt.edu
Contact Information:
Tony Wolf, Ph.D.
Director, Alison H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Professor, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Virginia Tech
vitis@vt.edu
Tidewater AREC typically operates Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Director is responsible for insuring that livestock, crops, and facilities are cared for and maintained outside of normal work hours by appropriate scheduling of responsible staff. Some seasons require longer times in the field and some travel and coordination of programming and field days will be required. Travel to other meetings (Blacksburg (campus), other ARECs, professional meetings) is a part of this role.
The TAREC is located in a rural setting 11 miles west of Suffolk, Virginia, a city of about 91,000 and recognized as the largest city by acreage in Virginia. Suffolk is one of the seven cities stretching along the Chesapeake Bay and Southeastern Virginia coastal region, a region of 1.8 million people, and is 37 miles from Virginia Beach.
The TAREC, one of 11 ARECs in the VAES system, pursues a vision of excellence in discovery, development, evaluation, and extension of technical information critical to profitability and sustainability of field crop agriculture and commercial swine production in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond. In addition to the Director, TAREC has 6 tenure-track faculty positions and 8 hard-funded staff positions plus additional soft-funded staff. The center includes 465 acres, lab facilities and farm buildings, graduate student housing, and an office complex to support research and Extension, primarily focused on cotton, peanut, and soybean, corn, sorghum and small grains and related disciplines of entomology, plant physiology and pathology, as well as a swine reproductive physiology and management facility. TAREC faculty actively engage in the CALS Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture, in which the Virginia Tech SmartFarm Innovation NetworkTM is a principal research platform.
Through its mission of research, teaching, and extension, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (www.cals.vt.edu) has been instrumental in helping agriculture and other life science industries make significant strides in improving people’s lives. Today’s College is adapting to society’s expectations and needs by focusing its resources and efforts on improving human health and nutrition, sustaining agriculture and the environment, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels, and developing cures for devastating and debilitating diseases. Nearly 3,000 students are pursuing degrees in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. CALS is administered by the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Associate Dean and Director of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies and Director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, the Associate Dean and Director of CALS Global Programs, and the Associate Dean of Academic Programs. The College has 9 academic units, 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (ARECs) and a presence in every county in the Commonwealth through Virginia Cooperative Extension. Today, in addition to two‐year associate degrees, the college grants bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Virginia Tech also engages in cooperative work with Virginia State University in Petersburg.
About Virginia Tech