Co-director, Leadership for Sustainability

~ The University of Vermont has earned a national reputation for the strength of its faculty and interdisciplinary offerings in sustainability studies. ~

UVM's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics is a hub for transdisciplinary scholarship, comprising diverse faculty, students, and collaborators worldwide.

The University of Vermont is located in Burlington, the largest city in Vermont, with an increasingly ethnically and culturally diverse population. The mission of Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (RSENR) is to understand, nurture, and enrich the interdependence of people with 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 LEED Platinum certified Aiken Center and also includes the Aiken Forestry Sciences Laboratory, and Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory on Lake Champlain. 

Position Overview 

RSENR is launching a new distance learning Master's program designed for emerging leaders who are committed to deepening their capacity to catalyze change and transcend boundaries. This Master's of Science concentration in Leadership for Sustainability (MSLS) will offer intensive residential short courses and online learning experiences delivered in a two-year, 30-credit program.

The program features a network of distinguished professional affiliates and visionary thought leaders from around the world who will partner with UVM's faculty to offer mentorship and an applied curriculum that integrates academic inquiry with professional leadership skills.

This program will cultivate leadership practices inspired by the organizing principles of healthy living systems and grounded in a critical inquiry of the patterns of power and privilege that underlie traditional leadership structures. Students in the MSLS concentration will choose one of two specialized tracks in either Ecological Economics or Ecological Leadership (Click here to learn more.)

RSENR invites applications for a Co-director of this newly developed program, with specific responsibilities and oversight of the Ecological Economics track. This 12-month, non-tenure track, teaching faculty position will carry the rank of Lecturer or Senior Lecturer.

The successful candidate will provide leadership in the implementation and delivery of this track, which will include teaching core classes, building a network of online contributing affiliates, and developing organizational partnerships. The successful candidate will also offer at least one residential course each year in the campus-wide Environmental Studies program complementing their area of expertise. 

• We seek an individual who can bridge the gap between academic theory and professional engagement.
• A successful candidate will have demonstrated interdisciplinary expertise and scholarship in sustainability, leadership, environmental studies, social justice, organizational learning, education for sustainability, or related natural and social sciences.
• We seek candidates with experience developing innovative and engaged learning environments that can support emerging leaders to increase their capacity to catalyze change and transcend boundaries.
• This is one of five positions that the Rubenstein School is searching for in Spring 2014, with an overall goal of enhancing research, teaching, and service that focuses on sustainability in the context of global and domestic environmental equity. Candidates with a demonstrated record of activity addressing cultural, ethnic, race, gender and/or socio-economic class as a part of shaping a sustainable society are encouraged to apply. 

Primary Responsibilities 

• Teach MSLS core courses and teach or coordinate Ecological Economics Track requirement courses;
• Advise graduate students;
• Facilitate a cohesive student cohort experience;
• Provide leadership in student recruitment and development of partnerships with sponsoring organizations and professional affiliates;
• Conduct programmatic assessment;
• Contribute to RSENR academic community through undergraduate and graduate teaching, service, and outreach; and
• Conduct professionally-engaged scholarship.

Qualifications 

• Commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion, and intercultural competence in educational and research experiences;
• Doctoral degree in Leadership, Sustainability, Ecological Economics, or a related applied field;
• Academic and applied professional experience with leadership, ecological economics, ecological/systems thinking, and/or sustainability;
• Record of scholarly activities that would qualify for membership in UVM's Graduate College (Click here to see criteria);
• Demonstrated written and oral communication, facilitation, and teaching skills;
• Experience providing interdisciplinary student mentoring/advising and facilitation of community-based learning experiences;
• Willingness to participate in creative and innovative academic and professional projects/endeavors;
• Evidence of cross-sector collaboration, and applied professional experience;
• Experience managing complex partnerships and projects;
• Demonstrated experience and/or interest in innovative online pedagogical methodologies; and
• Strong professional network among the fields of sustainability leadership/ecological economics. 

To Apply 

• Please click below: "Apply Here!" to submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, a statement on their philosophy of education, a sample agenda/syllabus of a workshop/class developed and delivered by the applicant, and names and contact information of three references.  
• The University of Vermont 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 requested to include in their cover letter information about how they will further this goal. 
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Inquiries may be made to Dr. Matthew Kolan, Chair, MSLS Co-director Search Committee.
• Review of applications will begin February 2, 2015, and will continue until the position is filled.