Associate Dean - Science Outreach & Program Leader for Forestry and Natural Resources Extension

Oregon State University (OSU), an internationally recognized public research and land grant university, seeks an Associate Dean for Science Outreach & Program Leader for Forestry and Natural Resources Extension in the College of Forestry. OSU's College of Forestry is one of the world's premier education, research, and outreach institutions that focuses on broad areas related to forest resources. The College has been educating students for over 100 years, offering a breadth of undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students for a variety of careers in the public and private sectors. Our programs are ranked among the very best in the world. Our world-class facilities, combined with remarkable access to local forests and wood products industries, makes us the educational program of choice for the best students.

As a member of the senior leadership team in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, the Associate Dean is responsible for leading, administering, and growing innovative and relevant Extension, science outreach, and continuing and professional education programs that foster and solidify the College’s standing as a leading academic institution. This position is charged with providing executive and policy leadership for oversight of College forests and will guide and support Extension and outreach efforts to address a changing environment and contemporary needs.

The Associate Dean will work in a close team environment demanding flexible, daily engagement in multiple activities while also being accountable for progress on priorities that require cooperation and collaboration with multiple internal and external stakeholders. The Associate Dean will coordinate efforts to continuously integrate science into outreach and Extension. This senior leader will share responsibility with all members of the College in fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive place of work and study, including in our outreach activities and Extension programming. 

In the Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Program at OSU, our Extension Agents and Specialists work every day to learn about the latest techniques in natural resource management, and then, through educational programs and materials, transfer this knowledge to our client groups, such as forest owners, foresters and other natural resource managers, Educators (PreK-12), Christmas tree growers, loggers and forest workers, etc. Our marquee programs include the Master Woodland Manager, Citizen Fire Academy, Women Owning Woodlands, Tree School, and more. It is our mission to be the state's leading provider of research-based knowledge and problem-solving educational programs designed to foster new ways to manage and use Oregon's forest resources wisely.

The Associate Dean also has oversight of the OSU College of Forestry's 15,000 acres of research forests across the state where students learn, study and work. Timber sales from the forests are used to support the College and its mission. Cutting-edge research on trees, streams and other ecosystems is also conducted throughout the eight individual forests.

The need for direct, active and honest attention to equity, inclusivity and diversity is as urgent today as ever. Our world faces social, economic and environmental challenges of unprecedented complexity and scale. The College of Forestry is committed to addressing those challenges in the realm of forestry and natural resource management - whether it be through education, research or public engagement. We intend to draw fully and inclusively on the power and force of human imagination, experience and creativity to meet the needs of today’s world.

We invite you to explore OSU and the College of Forestry, ask questions, and get to know us. We look forward to welcoming you into our community!