The Division of Extension and Engagement invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Assistant Professor of Practice position with the Oregon State University Extension’s Forestry and Natural Resources Program. Reappointment is at the discretion of the regional directors, program leader, and the department head.
This fixed-term Assistant Professor of Practice position is with the Division of Extension and Engagement’s (division) Extension Forestry and Natural Resources program and will be based at Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center (SOREC) in Jackson County, Oregon. This position serves Jackson, Josephine, and Curry counties. The academic home for this position is in either the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management or the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, to be decided within one year of start date. This academic faculty member reports to the Regional Director assigned to the Oregon Southern Region. Decisions regarding this position are in collaboration with the supervisory team, which includes the Southern Regional Director, Coastal Regional Director, Department Head, and the Extension Forestry & Natural Resources Program Leader.
This Assistant Professor (Practice) carries the general and specific responsibilities of an academic faculty member described in the Division of Academic Affairs’ Faculty Resources. These include the development of Extension non-credit education programming, service contributions and active professional development. Active contributions to scholarship are required (refer to the scholarly outcomes section below for details).
This Extension Forester is part of the Extension Forestry and Natural Resources team that provides non-formal education on forestry and natural resource issues to a wide range of audiences. “Non-formal” refers to off-campus, non-credit learning opportunities such as workshops, field trips, property tours, and demonstrations, as well as indoor presentations, narrative communications such as blog posts and other social media, videos, and articles. This position is responsible for planning, developing, delivering, and evaluating Forestry and Natural Resources related non-credit educational programs for a variety of audiences in the service area. Providing non-credit educational services to other regions of the state is also encouraged in the incumbent’s area of expertise. Typical audiences include woodland owners and community members within the wildland-urban interface, professional natural resource managers such as foresters and forest workers, collaborative conservation groups and watershed councils, policymakers, forest products firms, tribes, youth, and economic development officials. Focus areas include forest health, private forest land management, reforestation, invasive species, wildfire, biomass and bioenergy, water resources, forest productivity, forest restoration, and collaborative conservation.
This position is responsible for designing, developing, maintaining and/or carrying out non-credit educational programs and outreach activities to serve broad and diverse populations in an accessible, inclusive, equitable, and socially just manner. This includes complying with civil rights and language/visual access regulations.
The division has built the capacity and expectation for employees to use digital communications and technologies in the modern-day workplace. This reflects our demonstrable commitment to using digital communications tools and changing technologies as a primary way to raise Oregonian’s awareness of and engagement with our organization, programs and resources. These activities will be included in the annual plan of work, impact statements, and summary of accomplishments/achievements.
The FNR team relies on active and effective communication with colleagues, staff, partner organizations, and stakeholders. This position will require traveling/driving to various sites in the assigned counties.
About Extension Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) Program:
The Division of Extension and Engagement’s Extension FNR Program focuses on programs that promote sustainable and productive forest and natural resources management in urban and rural settings. This is accomplished by faculty, volunteers, program coordinators, and support staff, who organize and conduct educational experiences in group settings and through multimedia.
OSU Research Forests, managed by the College of Forestry, are comprised of ten research and demonstration forests located throughout Oregon. The incumbent is encouraged to use the Collins Demonstration Forest, located in Jackson County, to provide learning opportunities. The incumbent will have the opportunity to collaborate with OSU regional and statewide specialists with a range of expertise including fire, silviculture, urban forestry, watersheds, and more
About the Division of Extension and Engagement (division):
The Division of Extension and Engagement (division) is core to Oregon State University’s mission. The division helps create real solutions and positive impact across Oregon and beyond. The division is aligned under the leadership of the Vice Provost for Extension and Engagement. To learn more about our division and its core units and initiatives, visit the division’s website.
Oregon State University strives to ensure that all educational programs, services, activities, and materials we offer to the public are identified, developed, delivered, and evaluated in an accessible, inclusive, equitable, and socially just manner. OSU division’s educational programs, services, activities, and materials are available to all people. OSU division prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials. All employees are responsible for and expected to comply with Civil Rights obligations and actively work to expand access to all eligible populations.