Assistant Professor of Indigenous Horticulture

The Opportunity:

 

The College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resources Sciences (CAHNRS), through the Department of Horticulture, is seeking candidates for a tenure-track, 9-month faculty position to create an innovative research, teaching, and extension (outreach) program focused on the utilization, production, improvement, and dissemination of knowledge regarding culturally relevant plants for racial and ethnic minority groups residing in the Pacific Northwest (PNW).  The primary emphasis will be for PNW native populations but can include culturally relevant plants for any PNW racial and ethnic minority group.

 

 

 

This position is part of a faculty cluster hire initiative in the scholarship and teaching about racism and social inequality in the Americas, with a particular focus this year on Native American/Indigenous communities. The university is particularly interested in hiring scholars who are deeply connected to and integrated into the communities that they work with to build upon our strong tradition of engaged and applied scholarship at WSU.

 

 

 

WSU is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive university community. The university recognizes that fostering an inclusive environment for all, with particular attention to the needs of historically marginalized populations, is vital to the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of our institutional mission. Towards continually strengthening this commitment, we seek candidates whose research, teaching, and/or service has prepared them to be an integral contributor to the continued advancement of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access here at WSU.

 

 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

The incumbent will establish a program of research, teaching, and extension (outreach) with a focus on utilization of native food and ceremonial plants; lost production and harvesting practices; and/or development of new practices that support the sustainability and use of culturally relevant plants within a changing ecosystem. Example focus areas can include, but are not limited to, small berry and vegetable production in tidal estuarine and open meadow ecosystems; renewal of ceremonial management and harvesting traditions for spiritually significant plants possessing food, medical, and ceremonial value; improved use of native pollinators; and/or native plant improvement to address biotic and abiotic stressors or other related areas important to indigenous and other culturally relevant plants.  Specific focus area can account for spiritual traditions that are highly coupled with the use of culturally relevant foods and plants used for ceremonial and/or medicinal purposes. As part of outreach efforts, the individual must work with native and other stakeholders’ minority populations. Importantly, activities can include a focus on reconnecting youth with elders who possess indigenous knowledge. The department will work with local and native stakeholders to form an advisory committee for the incumbent. 

 

 

 

Additionally, the individual will contribute to undergraduate or graduate education by developing and implementing courses or modules related to their research area that transfer knowledge and raise awareness among racial and ethnic minority students with opportunities for teaching across the WSU system. Mentorship of students is a critical component of teaching, and the individual would contribute to excellence in mentorship, in concert with other department faculty, and maintain standards of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the recruitment of students and staff.

 

Qualifications:

 

Required:

 

• A PhD degree in horticulture, applied plant sciences, or related fields. Evidence of the ability to lead and manage a research and outreach program. Demonstrated record of scholarly accomplishments in basic and/or applied plant sciences commensurate with career level.

 

 

Preferred:

 

• Demonstrated ability to communicate (oral, written, electronic) effectively with technical and nontechnical audiences. Demonstrated ability to conduct original research. Ability or capacity to teach/mentor undergraduate and graduate students. Demonstrated record of or capacity to acquire and/or manage extramural competitive grant support. Knowledge of culturally appropriate and scientifically sound methods of conducting basic and/or applied plant research with racial and ethnic minority communities. Experience working with racial and ethnic minority communities. Demonstrated understanding of racial and ethnic minority communities’ culture and values. Ability to work effectively with interdisciplinary teams and indigenous stakeholders. Attended some classes in Native American Studies from a tribal college or university with a tribal program.

 

 

Indigenous stakeholders

 

The Pacific Northwest is home to many Tribes and Nations who have lived for thousands of years across northern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, parts of Alaska, northern Idaho, and western Montana.  Historically, this region held one of the most densely populated native populations in North America.   The state of Washington has 29 federally recognized tribes who manage their own tribal governments that work to improve infrastructure, community, promote culture, education, language, the environment, natural resources and more.  The PNW is home to other racial and ethnic minority groups

 

 

 

THE DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE:

 

The Department of Horticulture is in the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS, http://www.cahnrs.wsu.edu).  The Department has fully integrated programs in teaching, research, and extension, involving approximately 19 faculty (supporting research, teaching and extension) 19 active adjunct faculty, numerous research associates, postdoctoral researchers, and administrative professionals.  The administrative office is located on the main campus in Pullman with approximately two thirds of the faculty located across four statewide Research and Extension Centers:

 

WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser, Washington (https://iarec.wsu.edu/) WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center (http://www.mtvernon.wsu.edu) WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center (http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu) WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee, Washington (http://www.tfrec.wsu.edu) The Department of Horticulture contributes to the Integrated Plant Science (IPS) undergraduate degree program (http://ips.wsu.edu/) administered through CAHNRS. Horticulture-based majors include: Fruit & Vegetable Management; Landscape, Nursery & Greenhouse Management; and Agricultural Biotechnology. The department also participates in the interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Food Systems (AFS) degree program (http://afs.wsu.edu/). Faculty also participate in the CAHNRS Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Program housed at WSU Everett. Fostering undergraduate experience in research and creative practice is a departmental priority. The department has a robust and growing graduate program with approximately 50 graduate students seeking degrees in Horticulture (MS and PhD) and interdisciplinary degrees in Molecular Plant Science (PhD), and Master of Agriculture (MAg) programs. The department supports graduate students mentored by faculty in the Department of Viticulture and Enology (https://wine.wsu.edu/).

 

THE PUYALLUP RESEARCH AND EXTENSION CENTER

 

The Puyallup Research and Extension Center is committed to enhancing the intellectual, creative and practical abilities of the individuals, institutions and communities we serve since 1894. Located within 50 miles of more than 60% of the state’s population, the Center has played a vital role in Washington for over a century, providing high quality research, extension, and instruction programs. These programs support technological innovation, food production, natural resource stewardship, youth development, human nutrition, and community enhancement. As an integral part of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, and Extension, the Center is a lifelong learning campus for students, alumni and the public. There has been and continues to be a large and varied international presence including students, graduate students, post-doctorates, faculty and staff. The Center’s faculty, staff and graduate students from 11 academic departments address complex biological, ecological and social issues.  The 160-acre main campus is comprised of laboratories and offices, state-of-the-art greenhouses, a Master Gardener demonstration garden, the Washington Stormwater Center and associated Low Impact Development (LID) research installations, six acres of certified organic farmland, and several acres of agricultural and natural resource plots. There are an additional 112 acres of research plots including turfgrass, berry breeding and disease, and poplar research at the R.L. Goss Farm. The Center houses multiple world class research and extension programs as well as much of the leadership for the many statewide Extension and outreach programs.

 

The College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences:

 

The College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) at Washington State University is an expansive and diverse college that includes 14 academic units and four Research and Extension Centers distributed across the state. CAHNRS fosters disciplines that serve at the interface of scientific discovery and its application to the advancement of society and improvement of the human experience. Our mission is to provide global leadership in discovering, accessing, and disseminating knowledge that contributes to producing a safe, abundant food and fiber supply; promotes the well-being of individuals, families, and communities; enhances sustainability of agricultural and economic systems; and promotes stewardship of natural resources and ecological systems. CAHNRS personnel embrace the opportunity to fulfill the university’s land-grant mission by making groundbreaking research discoveries, by utilizing innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and by delivering relevant, progressive extension programs that synergistically generate outcomes that enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Washington State, as well as for people around the globe.

 

For more information, visit http://cahnrs.wsu.edu.

 

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY:

 

Founded in 1890, Washington State University is a comprehensive land-grant university with teaching, research, and extension missions, and one of two research universities in Washington State. WSU is organized into ten academic colleges, the Honors College, and the Graduate School. It has an enrollment of more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students on five campuses (Pullman, Everett, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver) with approximately 20,000 students located on the main campus in Pullman, WA. WSU is a Carnegie I, Doctoral/Research Extensive University. WSU strongly values diversity among its faculty, staff, and students and seeks to ensure a welcoming community for all.  Further information about WSU can be found at: http://www.wsu.edu. At

 

 

 

WSU acknowledges that its locations statewide are on the homelands of Native American peoples, who have lived in this region and have been caretakers of the land from time immemorial. The Morrill Act of 1862 established our land-grant institution by providing public and federal lands that are traced back to the disposition of Indigenous lands, often taken by coercive and violent acts, and the disregard of treaties. For that, we extend our deepest apologies. We owe our deepest gratitude to the Native peoples of this region and maintain our commitment towards reconciliation. And as a land-grant institution, WSU is deeply committed to the land-grant mission, its Memorandums of Understanding with Native tribes in the region, and a tradition of service to society.

 

life in PUYallup and western washington:

 

This position is located at the WSU – Puyallup Research and Extension Center. Puyallup is 35 miles south of Seattle in the south Puget Sound region within proximity to the Puyallup tribe. Western Washington is an environmentally sensitive, rapidly urbanizing region, with a diverse and dynamic small farm sector. Western Washington is known for its maritime climate and the scenic beauty of the Puget Sound as well as Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS:

 

All application materials must be received by October 31^st, 2024. Visit https://hrs.wsu.edu/jobs/ to apply. Applications must include the following materials: 1) A brief (1-2 pages) research statement addressing your research focus and methodologies, as well as the broader social applications of your research and/or impact on communities.  2) A brief (1-2 pages) teaching statement addressing your teaching approaches and philosophies, including ways in which you address issues of educational equity. 3) a current curriculum vitae, 4) electronic copies of graduate program academic transcripts, and 5) names and contact information for four professional references. Reference letters will be requested, from three additional references, for the finalists. Please contact Dr. Stephen Ficklin, Search Committee Chair, at stephen.ficklin@wsu.edu, 509-335-4295 for questions about this position. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EDUCATOR AND EMPLOYER:

 

WSU is committed to excellence through diversity, has faculty friendly policies. WSU employs only US citizens and lawfully authorized non-US citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  Washington State University is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521(v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384, TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or hrs@wsu.edu.