Oregon State: Assistant Professor (Practice)

Written by MANRRS National Office | Mar 20, 2024 4:53:15 PM

Position description:

The Division of Extension and Engagement and the Extension Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Program invite applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Assistant Professor of Practice position. Reappointment is at the discretion of the Department Head. This position is based at the OSU Extension Service Columbia County Office in St Helen, Oregon.

This is a fixed-term, Assistant Professor of Practice with an academic home of the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agricultural Sciences serving Columbia County. This Assistant Professor of Practice reports to the Regional Director assigned to the Coastal region. Reappointment is at the discretion of the supervision team which includes the Coastal Regional Director, the Extension Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources Program Leader, and the Department Head of Horticulture. Active contributions to scholarship are required (refer to the scholarship section, below, for details).

This faculty member will be responsible for assessing needs, teaching, facilitating, and evaluating educational programs in community horticulture. The incumbent will be responsible for training, managing, and supporting active groups of Master Gardener volunteers and developing education programs in integrated pest management, community food systems, and other community horticulture related needs of the public.

This position may participate as a member of the statewide Small Farms Program team, contributing to design, delivery, evaluation, and continual improvement of education, outreach, and applied research programs, both current and new. The Small Farms Program is a statewide team of Extension faculty who use a combination of applied research, extension teaching, outreach, and engagement to learn with and support the goals of a wide variety of small-scale farms and ranches that use sustainable, ecological, organic, and humane production practices and sell into local and regional markets. Program faculty also serve non-commercial, small-acreage producers and collaborate with a broad range of nonprofit organizations, public agencies, businesses, and others involved in sustainable agriculture and local and regional food systems.

POSITION DUTIES:

70% – Extension Teaching and Other Assignments

a) Extension Teaching

Utilize Oregon State University’s six principles of teaching excellence that include audience consideration, planning, enhanced engagement, teaching, assessment, and reflection to provide a high level of non-credit teaching for extension audiences.
Conduct on-going needs-assessment activities to determine the educational needs specific to this position’s audiences.
Following a prioritized needs assessment, develop, facilitate, and implement a comprehensive Extension program that includes horticultural and field crops to meet the needs of conventional and biological farming systems for agricultural producers and home gardeners in assigned counties.
Lead efforts to recruit, train, and enable Master Gardener volunteers to deliver relevant and timely educational programs related to community horticulture.
Provide opportunities for advanced training and recertification for Master Gardeners.
Deliver Extension non-credit educational programs that may include demonstrations, workshops, field tours, and field days, as well as the use of multiple methods of digital communications, including websites, publications, video conferencing, hybrid teaching, all PACE formats, and other digital/online methods for internal and external collaboration and/or information dissemination as appropriate. Provide educational programs to community horticulture clientele that includes current information on integrated pest management, best management practices, and ecological gardening and landscaping.
Use effective Extension teaching methods that meet clientele needs, with materials, methods, and outcomes shared with peers in the state, region, and/or nation.
Design Extension programs that can be offered centrally or online to maximize client participation across the designated counties.
Design or adapt a clear evaluation protocol to evaluate and to report Extension program impacts locally, regionally and/or internationally.
Use technology as a tool to increase the reach and impact of program delivery for constituents including participating in Ask-Extension and using the division’s customer relationship management system.
Develop and maintain efficient methods for addressing high volumes of topically repetitive clientele inquiries through scholarly outputs like Extension publications, videos, and other digital communications and engagement tools and strategies.
Follow OSU and division brand guidelines, digital publishing standards and digital contact management data integrity practices for programmatic communications, marketing and engagement.
Extension teaching also includes individual contact teaching through one-on-one consultation and providing technical advice through digital communication tools and phone communication.
Engage and contribute to equity, inclusion, and diversity as part of teaching, educational delivery, advising, research, Extension, service, and/or scholarly outcomes. Outputs and impacts of efforts to promote equity, inclusion, and diversity should be included in promotion dossiers.
Conduct and coordinate local pesticide recertification efforts for stakeholders as well as answer any pesticide related questions from the public.
Maintain Oregon Department of Agriculture Pesticide Consultant License throughout employment to stay up-to-date with the science of pesticides and answer pesticide related questions.

b) Partnerships/Collaboration/Networking

Develop networks of formal and informal interest groups in subject matter areas where appropriate. Utilize partnerships with diverse interest groups to provide advisory support and to enhance program quality and delivery. This will likely include appropriate commodity and/or producer organizations.
Contribute to program development and enhancement of the statewide Master Gardener program.
Determine Extension program needs and priorities through use of local advisory groups, commodity commissions and other stakeholder groups, and meetings with growers and industry leaders. Evaluate effectiveness and impact of Extension education programs and refine to meet changing needs.
Further identify program needs and priorities by engaging commodity commissions. Collaborate with other researchers and Extension faculty and public and private agencies to develop relevant science-based solutions to address prioritized challenges and opportunities.
Engage with community-based and regional organizations to support innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development within local, regional, or state boundaries as appropriate.

c) Accountability

Develop annual plans of work that address educational needs as well as evaluate the quality and impact of Extension educational and applied research programs materials and digital communications.
Measure and report regularly on program impact in the Faculty Success online platform.
Implement fee-based programming and cost-recovery practices to support and enhance program delivery.
This position is expected to solicit peer teaching evaluations and citizen evaluation of teaching.
Serve as a team member of the field crops, vegetables, and home horticulture related Extension working groups, as well as other workgroups related to the duties of this position.
Keep records and provide necessary reports to Extension Administration, the department and/or college, including plans of work, narrative reports, impact statements, statistical reports, and reports of accomplishments.
Report outputs and outcomes to Extension regional directors and elected officials (where applicable) in the areas served.
Provide community and statewide opinion leaders and decision makers relevant, science-based topical information when requested.
Utilize appropriate and effective methods of communication to promote Extension programs and market Extension across Oregon and nationally.
Attend training opportunities to build basic knowledge and consistent skills to use digital communications, marketing, and engagement technologies relevant to position duties.
Travel is required to provide these Extension educational programming and services throughout assigned counties.

15% – Applied Research

Conduct applied research activities that supports Extension programming as well as demonstration trials to develop or confirm management practices for field crop production in areas of specific need and clientele interest. Collaboration is expected with colleagues in other supporting disciplines such as weed sciences, entomology, soil sciences, and plant pathology. Other applied research may include activities that support home horticulture programming, in particular, gardening demonstration projects in areas of specific need and clientele interest that emphasize multi-tactic practices, management, and novel technologies as needed.
Evaluate and document applied research and Extension impacts of programs and communicate the results to target audiences.
Collaborate with professional colleagues, industry members, and field representatives to develop and implement applied research programs in field crops.
Communicate applied research progress and results to relevant audiences using peer reviewed publications, professional meetings, commodity group presentations, extension events and other digital communication and engagement tools and systems.
Design or adapt a clear evaluation protocol to evaluate and report applied research program impacts.
Individually and as part of teams, secure outside grants, and contracts and/or service fees to support and enhance position-appropriate educational and applied research programs and service activities. The faculty member will be expected to meet all reporting requirements of the funding sources, department, college, and university.
Keep abreast of, and interpret scientific, technological and industry developments and trends at state, regional, national, and international levels.

10% – Scholarship

Assigned duties for this position are expected to result in scholarly outcomes. Refer to section V of the OSU Faculty Handbook on Promotion and Tenure: https://facultyaffairs.oregonstate.edu/faculty-handbook/promotion-and-tenure-guidelines#Practice
Discover new knowledge and develop creative solutions and applications for problems related to aspects of field crops production and marketing and other agriculture/horticulture areas to meet community and commercial needs.
Research discoveries should be communicated to the scientific community, Extension audiences, and practitioners using innovative and contemporary tools in both oral and written venues, including web-based formats. Communication may include refereed journal articles, Extension publications, presentations to state, regional, and national commodity and professional groups, media, and other outlets as appropriate.
Scholarly and creative work is intellectual work whose significance is validated by peers and that is communicated. Emphasis in scholarship should be placed on outcomes that recognize activities as a professional practitioner in community settings as defined by the incumbent’s position description. Refer to Oregon State University promotion guidelines for Professor of Practice for more details.

Best practice is to ensure an inclusive scholarship:

Including diverse perspectives on the research team, particularly among co-principal investigators.
Emphasizing diversity to address broadening participation in grant proposals.
Writing articles and books that address issues of diversity/social justice.
Presenting conference papers on issues of diversity/social justice.
Increasing the diversity of students who serve as research assistants.

5% – Service

Be actively involved in regional and statewide Extension programs that promote engagement with communities across the state.
Cooperate with agencies and organizations in the Coastal Region and other relevant locations of the Pacific Northwest.
Work with the Oregon Seed Certification Service on seed certification issues that arise in your assigned region.
Serve on College, Departmental, and/or Extension committees. Maintain active membership and involvement in professional organizations.
Attend training opportunities to build basic knowledge and consistent skills to use digital communications, marketing and engagement technologies relevant to position duties.

equal employment statement:

Oregon State University is committed to a culture of belonging and collaboration. We envision collaborative and respectful environments that are safe, inclusive, and welcoming. All employees are responsible for achieving this commitment. This commitment includes, but is not limited to, complying with Civil Rights and Language/Visual Access regulations. In addition, this individual will design, develop, maintain and/or carry out Extension programs to ensure that educational programs and outreach activities serve diverse populations, including those that have been historically marginalized/excluded from participation.

OSU Division of Extension and Engagement’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/about/diversity-equity-inclusion

Apply: https://apptrkr.com/5099717

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