Director of the Institute of Agriculture

Buena Vista University is seeking candidates for the Director of the Institute of Agriculture. The position will collaborate and engage with members of the BVU campus community as they develop a long-range vision for the agriculture programs, lead existing programs, seek external funding, and establish partnerships with regional agricultural businesses for the continued growth of BVU’s agriculture programs and to help BVU become recognized as a national private college leader in agricultural education.

The Director of the Institute for Agriculture will have the following responsibilities:

• Collaborate with campus stakeholders, including administration, faculty, and students to develop and implement a long-range vision for BVU’s agriculture programs
• Partner with the Admissions Department, Academic Deans, and faculty to assist in recruiting students to study in the institute programs.
• Network with and coordinate outreach efforts to regional high school agriculture programs like Future Farmers of America and 4H.
• Create a supportive environment to attract and retain students in the agriculture programs
• Partner with the Director of Marketing and Communications to assist in marketing the institute and its programs.
• Partner with the deans and faculty in business, science, education, and liberal arts to help with the ongoing development and continuous improvement of strong academic majors, seminars, and other programs with an agricultural focus.
• Coordinate with the agriculture experiment station land manager to provide quality learning experiences for BVU students.
• Assist the Vice President for University Advancement and the University President in fundraising for the BVU Institute for Agriculture.
• Network with regional agricultural businesses and financial institutions to establish student internships and professional and academic partnerships with Buena Vista University.
• Represent Buena Vista University at regional workshops and meetings of relevance to the institute.
• Work with community college partner institutions to develop articulation agreements for agriculture-based degree completion programs.
• Assist the academic deans and provost/VPAA with identifying and hiring faculty to teach in the BVU Institute for Agriculture programs.
• Manage the budget for the Institute of Agriculture
• Willingness to work flexible hours and the ability to travel, including some evenings and weekends, is required.
• Oversee the coaches for Archery and Livestock Show and other agriculture-related student organizations.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualified candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree, experience working in an agricultural profession is strongly recommended, experience managing a budget, fundraising, and grant experience a plus, and experience working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders.

A strong candidate for the Director of the Institute of Agriculture will think creatively with a broad vision for the Institute, maintain an informed commitment to the ideals of liberal arts and professional education commensurate with BVU’s 10-year Strategic Vision, be a collaborative individual with an inclusive leadership style, and sensitivity to the needs of all campus community members, have varied interests, a fresh perspective, and balanced judgment, a professional demeanor, excellent interpersonal skills, highly organized, and the ability to relate easily to a wide range of groups and individuals, excellent oral and written communication skills, and the ability to represent BVU in a variety of settings positively.

This position is not eligible for an employer-sponsored visa and all applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. A background check will be completed on the final candidate.

Buena Vista University is an EOE/ADA/Smoke-Free Employer and especially welcomes applications from individuals who will contribute to any aspect of the university’s diversity.