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Hiring: Permaculture and Community-Engagement Lecturer – UMass Amherst

The Sustainable Food & Farming Program of the University of Massachusetts Stockbridge School of Agriculture invites applicants for a 75% Lecturer position focused on the area of permaculture and community engagement. The position is a 9-month appointment with a starting salary of $40,000, designed as 50% teaching and 25% student advising and support.

The person in this position will teach four classes in support of students focused on permaculture and community engagement in the rapidly growing Sustainable Food and Farming major, serve as academic adviser, internship sponsor, and recruit students in this area of the major, and provide leadership for the Food Forest project at the UMass Agricultural Learning Center.

We seek an outstanding candidate with leadership, advising/mentoring, community engagement, and teaching skills. The successful candidate will be expected to generate interest in permaculture and related classes within the Stockbridge School of Agriculture amongst current students as well as prospective students. The candidate will partner with other members of the faculty to advance the reputation of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture as a national and international leader in the field of permaculture and community engagement. The candidate will serve as a resource for campus permaculture programs. The candidate will help promote and communicate Stockbridge School of Agriculture’s academic programs within the UMass community and at outside conferences.

The minimum required academic qualification for the position is a Master’s degree in landscape design, regional planning, permaculture or a related field. Demonstrated experience teaching permaculture principles and design in higher education is required, as well as strong communication skills, the ability to work independently, to be a team leader and to work as a team member. Experience  growing food using permaculture techniques, managing a small-scale permaculture farm, and providing leadership for community engagement in support of social justice and diversity is preferred. The successful candidate must be able to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and to work with shifting priorities and schedules. The successful candidate must be able to develop and execute new programs, develop syllabi, and initiate new classes within an academic setting.

To Apply: Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of their teaching philosophy, samples of representative course syllabi, and contact information for three people familiar with their teaching efforts online at: http://umass.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=82373

Review of applications will begin June 1, 2017, and continue until the ideal candidate is identified. The position start date for the successful candidate is September 1, 2017. All potential applicants should visit the Stockbridge School of Agriculture website (http://stockbridge.cns.umass.edu/). Questions may be directed to the Search Committee Chair, Sarah Berquist (sbberqui@umass.edu).

The Stockbridge School of Agriculture is committed to increasing the diversity of the faculty, student body, and curriculum. The University seeks to increase the diversity of its professoriate, workforce and undergraduate and graduate student populations because broad diversity is critical to achieving the University’s mission of excellence in education, research, educational access and service in an increasingly diverse globalized society. Therefore, in holistically assessing many qualifications of each applicant we would factor favorably an individual’s record of conduct that includes students and colleagues with broadly diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds in educational, research or other work activities. Among other qualifications, we would also factor favorably experience overcoming or helping others overcome barriers to an academic career or degree.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity-Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members.

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