3 Sustainability Studies & Global Environmental Equity faculty positions
and Environmental Program Director position
University of Vermont
Deadline, January 5 2015

The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (RSENR) and the Environmental Program of the University of Vermont invite applications to fill three tenure-track positions within a broad theme of sustainability studies and global environmental equity. The positions are expected to complement existing faculty strengths in three areas of expertise:

1) sustainability policy and/or behavior with a focus on energy, climate, transportation, food or interrelated arenas
2) sustainability values, community/social aspects of resilience, health, and well-being
3) sustainability education and communication

We especially seek candidates who think across disciplinary boundaries, using theoretical, applied, and/or community-based approaches to address environmental challenges where sustainability is the goal. A high priority is scholarly work with commitment to social and environmental justice and their relation to equity, power, and privilege. Successful candidates will demonstrate interdisciplinary research of the highest quality and the capacity to seek extramural funds to support their scholarship.

We seek colleagues with innovative teaching methods that promote engaged learning in the 21st century and a commitment to teaching in the interdisciplinary undergraduate Environmental Studies program as well as the RSENR graduate program. Candidates will demonstrate the capacity to develop a highly productive graduate research program for both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Natural Resources. As part of this cluster hire, we are also seeking applications from senior scholar-teachers with administrative experience and commitment to interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship for the position of Environmental Program Director, to be hired at the associate or full professor rank. The Director provides internal program leadership as well as external leadership in relation to campus-wide undergraduate environmental education, with oversight for program staff, curriculum initiatives, cross-campus coordination, and the UVM Natural Areas. Environmental Studies, a campus-wide major shared by two colleges in addition to the Rubenstein School, is the second largest major at UVM, with over 500 majors and minors pursuing a wide range of interests. The faculty includes eight tenure-track members with appointments of 25-100% teaching in the Program and three full-time lecturers. In this period of continued growth for our nationally acclaimed program, we seek a Director who can provide inspired vision and collaborative leadership to support high quality learning opportunities and student engagement. The Director reports to the Dean of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.

The University of Vermont is located in Burlington, the largest city in Vermont, with an increasingly ethnically and culturally diverse population. The mission of RSENR is to understand, nurture, and enrich the interdependence of people and healthy ecological systems. RSENR has 45 tenure-track, research, and teaching faculty, 35 staff, 600 undergraduates, and 100 graduate students in both Master’s and Ph.D. programs. RSENR is based in the LEEDPlatinum certified Aiken Center and also includes the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, Aiken Forestry Sciences Laboratory, and Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory on Lake Champlain.

Candidates must have earned a doctorate by the time of appointment, and teaching experience is preferred. Of these positions, one will be hired at the assistant professor level, one at the assistant or associate professor level, and one at the associate or full professor level to serve as Director of the Environmental Program. Preference will be given to candidates with: 1) a strong record of scholarly achievement, external funding, and publications; 2) experience with university-level teaching, high impact experiential learning pedagogies, academic advising, research and internship mentoring, and curriculum innovation; 3) experience working across disciplines and diverse perspectives; and 4) strong communication and collaboration skills.

The University of Vermont is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. The Rubenstein School and the Environmental Program are committed to increasing faculty diversity and welcome applications from underrepresented gender, ethnic, racial and cultural groups as well as veterans and people with disabilities. UVM is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching, and/or service. Applicants are encouraged to address how they will further this goal in their application materials.

How to apply
The search committee will give Initial consideration to applications received by January 5, 2015, but applications will be considered until there is a sufficiently diverse pool. Candidates applying specifically for the Program Director position should highlight their qualifications in a supplementary letter of intent. These are university-year appointments expected to begin on August 24, 2015, with the Program Director position beginning on July 1 if possible. Application materials for each of the three positions should be uploaded under posting #F099PO (titled Assistant Professor) and include the following materials:

1) letter of interest
2) curriculum vitae
3) statement (2 pages maximum) on scholarship and teaching experience, including impact of work and how these efforts can be successfully integrated (for those applying for Program Director, please also include administrative experience in this statement)

Note: References will be contacted immediately by UVM for letters upon submission of application.
For further information, see the Rubenstein School and Environmental Program websites or contact co-chairs, Stephanie Kaza and Ernesto Mendez.