Sustainable Development Assistant Professor in Agroecology

Position Title
Sustainable Development Assistant Professor in Agroecology

Tenure Status
Tenure Track

Position Number
087771

Department
Sustainable Development - 265450

Minimum Qualifications

The Goodnight Family Sustainable Development (SD) Department at Appalachian State University seeks applications for a full-time, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor, beginning August 2023. We seek a dynamic teacher and scholar whose work addresses the intersections of ecological agriculture, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, social justice, and community-based development (locally, regionally and globally).

Required Qualifications : Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent in agricultural science, agroecology, soil or crop science, animal science or range science, agroforestry, ecology, or related natural science. Applicants must also demonstrate experience or interest in integrating their agricultural and ecological research with work on social justice and critical development studies. The applicant must be able to teach existing courses in agroecology and develop new courses related to their specialty. Applicants should have a strong record of interdisciplinary research examining how agricultural lands and processes can be used regeneratively to support people and ecological integrity. We seek candidates who strengthen our department’s commitment to improving intercultural competencies and working across differences for positive social and ecological change.

Areas of Interest (No Minimum Level Required)

Additional qualifications include applied farm experience; engagement and outreach with food system stakeholders, including farmers and under-represented populations; and interest in integrating their teaching and research with the Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm and other sites globally.

License/Certification Required

N/A

Description of the Department or Unit

THE FARM : Appalachian State University’s Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm, located 16 miles from campus in Fleetwood, NC, provides a base for educating students in sustainable agriculture and integrated crops/livestock/agroforestry research. The SD Farm has 35 acres of crops and pasture within the Blackburn Vannoy Estate, which includes more than 300 acres of forest and is part of the Blue Ridge Conservancy. Using relatively limited financial resources, our farm team manages annual crops, flowers, and herbs; berries and a small orchard; fenced pastures for grassfed livestock and laying hens; and woodlot swine. The farm also has two greenhouses and a hydroponic system, as well as food handling and classroom areas for workshops, demonstrations, and teaching. The farm produces pastured meat chickens and has a mobile unit for poultry slaughter. We follow ecological and organic principles, building soil fertility and avoiding the use of synthetic chemicals. Fresh produce and meat are sold to ASU Food Services and donated to local food security organizations. In addition, the SD Garden, located on campus, showcases biointensive production and student-initiated learning in urban agriculture.

THE DEPARTMENT : The Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Department is a critical development studies department integrating theory and practice across the agricultural, natural, and social sciences and humanities. We function as a collaborative, transdisciplinary team of scholar-practitioners with backgrounds in agroecology, forestry, ecology, anthropology, geography, history, environmental humanities, and political science. We are committed to teaching and research for community-driven development and transformative social change. Community engagement–locally, regionally, and globally–is an important part of our work .


We have approximately 300 undergraduate majors who concentrate in one of four degree programs: a B.S. in agroecology and sustainable agriculture; a B.S. in environmental studies; a B.A. in environmental studies; and a B.S. in community, regional, and global development. The Department’s mission is to prepare students to engage in leadership positions in the social, economic, and environmental transformations necessary to create thriving, equitable, and sustainable communities within an ecologically healthy world. Additional information about the Department is available at sd.appstate.edu .

Appalachian State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East) and Moneton peoples and is committed to the sovereign rights of all of North Carolina’s tribal nations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Assistant Professor will teach three courses per semester. The applicant must be able to teach existing courses in agroecology (such as principles of agroecology, soil management, agroecology for climate action, and ecologically-based pest management) and develop new courses related to their specialty. Also important is the ability to contribute to existing strengths in our curriculum such as in the areas of climate action, biodiversity conservation, social and environmental justice, political ecology, agrarian studies, and food system transformation.

Physical Demands of Position

Typical physical demands of classroom and educational environments in a professional position at a university,which may include outdoor settings with or without reasonable accommodations.

Description of University

Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

Suggested Salary Range
Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Applications should include the following:
1) a cover letter that describes your approach to agroecology and sustainable development;
2) a curriculum vitae, including contact information for at least three references;
3) a 500-word statement of teaching philosophy and courses you would like to teach;
4) a 500-word research statement; and
5) List of References with Contact Information.

All application materials should be submitted on-line. Review of applications will begin on November 10, 2022 and continue until the position is filled. Questions may be addressed to the Search Committee Chair, Dr. Anne Fanatico ( fanaticoac@appstate.edu ; 828-262-6813).

Please note this position is based on enrollment and subject to available funding.

AA/EEO Statement

Appalachian State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. The University does not discriminate in access to its educational programs and activities, or with respect to hiring or the terms and conditions of employment, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity and expression, political affiliation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information or sexual orientation.

Important Contacts:

Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources/Affirmative Action
Office of Human Resources
330 University Hall Dr.
Boone, NC 28608
(828) 262-3187
hr@appstate.edu

Office of Title IX Compliance
123 I.G. Greer Hall
Boone, NC 28608
(828) 262-2144
titleix@appstate.edu

ADA /504 Coordinator & EEO Officer
224 Joyce Lawrence Lane/Suite 112 Anne Belk Hall
Boone, NC 28608
(828) 262-3056
equalopportunity@appstate.edu

We at Appalachian State University are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence both locally and globally.

Diversity and Inclusion at Appalachian

We at Appalachian State University are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence both locally and globally.

We understand that the successful implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence is the responsibility of the entire university community, including alumni and official university governing bodies. A diverse campus community supports an influx of broad and distinct ideas that increase learning opportunities and strengthen the impact of our community as we work collectively to achieve a just experience for all.

We actively encourage, support, and promote a global mindset and an equitable environment where all will know that they belong and are safe to express their culture, identity, values, ideas, opinions, and creativity. We are committed to creating a culture of equity opportunity for all, one that has an expectation of fairness, justice, and equity-minded practice at all levels of the university community.

Quick Link
https://appstate.peopleadmin.com/postings/36242

087771