Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost
Institute on the Environment:
Position Description of the Founding Director
The University of Minnesota, with its five campuses, is one of the most comprehensive universities in the country and ranks among the most prestigious research universities in the world. It is both a major research institution, with scholars of national and international reputation, and a state land-grant university, with a strong tradition of education and public engagement.
The Institute on the Environment was created by the University of Minnesota as part of a bold and exciting institutional transformation to move into the very top ranks of the world’s leading public research universities. As part of the University’s strategic positioning goal to be one of the top three public research universities within a decade, this new, world-class institute is dedicated to problem-solving research on the major environmental problems of our time.
This competitive center of excellence will bring together multidisciplinary research teams to work on global environmental issues that have regional significance. These research teams will enable the Institute to develop the depth necessary to address all aspects of these problems—from generating new knowledge and developing innovative solutions to environmental challenges, to addressing the social and policy implications of these problems and solutions. Research on these issues will therefore cover the spectrum from natural and physical sciences and engineering to social sciences and the humanities to law, policy, public health, design, and management. The work of the Institute will integrate basic research, translational research, policy, implementation, and public engagement.A second function of the Institute is to create a community of environmental scholars that engages the larger University community and external constituencies.
The University of Minnesota is in a unique position to establish a world-class
Institute on the Environment. The University is a comprehensive university combining basic research and a Land Grant mission for public service in a setting rich with natural resources at the confluence of the Great Plains, the Great Northern Forests, the Great Rivers, and the Great Lakes. The University of Minnesota is one of the few universities in the country to have a complete portfolio of academic programs, including basic sciences and engineering, agriculture and natural resources, social sciences and humanities, as well as a full suite of professional schools including Business, Journalism, Law, Medicine, Public Health, Public Policy, and Veterinary Medicine. Exceptional faculty and unique facilities exist across the entire system of campuses that will contribute to the success of the Institute. Most importantly, the University has a culture of solution-driven research and commitment to public engagement.
RESPONSIBILITIES: The founding director will be charged to move the Institute into the very front ranks of environmental institutes worldwide. The director must have an international reputation for scholarly excellence and leadership. Experience leading interdisciplinary research projects and in inspiring collaboration across a wide range of disciplines including the natural and social sciences, engineering, and policy is critical. It is important that the director have a record of successful fund raising, including large research grants. Fostering an organizational and educational climate that promotes and celebrates interdisciplinary excellence is an important priority. The director will exercise University-wide leadership in formulating policies and providing educational programs that engage the University of Minnesota in responding to statewide, national, and international environmental issues.
The Institute’s director will lead the Institute through a period of remarkable institutional transformation. The successful candidate must have the ability to provide innovative leadership and vision, management skill and insight, and an adroit ability to manage relationships across a wide spectrum of institutions and intellectual disciplines and will provide intellectual leadership and guidance to help assure that the Institute focuses on its mission of discovering and implementing innovative solutions to major environmental problems that confront the globe. The director will be expected to work closely with non-profit and for-profit sectors, government and other educational organizations in shaping and fostering the outreach programs of the Institute. This will include helping to translate scientific findings to policy making, application, and practice and the ability to articulate environmental science and policy findings in public forums. The new director must have a demonstrated commitment to building an organization that values and practices diversity, affirmative action, and equal opportunity. The Director, in consultation with the External Advisory Board and in cooperation with the Institute Fellows, will be responsible for developing a comprehensive five-year strategic plan for the Institute.
QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must have an advanced degree in a relevant field and a significant record that combines interdisciplinary research and scholarship activity with administrative or managerial experiences. In addition, candidates must demonstrate credentials that warrant a tenured full professorship in a college or colleges within the University and present evidence of professional distinction and international recognition in their field or fields.
APPOINTMENT: The position reports to the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost and is a University of Minnesota senior administrative appointment, classified as a professional and administrative position. Salary, faculty rank, and tenure are negotiable based upon qualifications and experience. A faculty appointment may be included in the position, depending upon the acceptability of the academic credentials to the relevant department.
APPLICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS: Individuals wishing to nominate candidates for this position should submit a letter of nomination that includes the position, address, and telephone number of the person nominated. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as received, but will be accepted until the position is filled. Applications and nominations should be sent to:
Institute on the Environment Search Committee
University of Minnesota
234 Morrill Hall
100 Church Street S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Attn: Jon Binks
binks001@umn.edu