Center Director and Professor - North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC)

This is a 12-month, 100% (1.0 FTE) administration position.

About the role

The Center Director is the administrative head of the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) and provides leadership and support for research, extension, and teaching programs essential to the agricultural, natural resource conservation, environmental, and consumer interests of the area encompassing the eastern Florida Panhandle through the Suwanee Valley and much of NE Florida.

A key component of success in the Director position is stakeholder engagement across these areas that will unify efforts toward common interests and identify stakeholder needs. The Director is responsible for encouraging development of proactive programs addressing present and future needs of surrounding agricultural, natural resource, and urban communities. NFREC programs seek to improve the viability of regional agricultural economics, protect and enhance natural resources, support sound urban landscape practices, and encourage positive interests at the urban-agricultural interface.

Responsibilities

• Provide effective management of NFREC resources, including budgetary and personnel management.
• Develop short- and long-term goals involving programs, equipment, physical plant, and personnel.
• Actively seek private funding and endowments to enhance the sustainability of the NFREC.
• Encourage and support faculty to seek extramural grant opportunities.
• Liaison with local, state, and federal agencies and interact with UF/IFAS administration, county extension faculty, other UF faculty and staff, and agricultural and environmental leaders in accordance with the Center’s mission and goals.
• Use appropriate communication and management skills to promote teamwork among faculty and staff, delegate responsibilities to associate center directors at the three NFREC locations as appropriate, and make timely decisions.
• Evaluate NFREC faculty programs and initiate tenure and promotion actions in consultation with department chairs.
• Actively engage in filling positions after retirement on established programs and work toward establishing new faculty positions and programs with a clear vision for future agriculture and natural resource development goals for the region and the state.
• Form stakeholder advisory committees, composed of clientele, to assist with program-related recommendations and decisions and to generate support for needed facilities and equipment.
• Initiate and encourage cooperative research projects with national and international institutions.
• Report directly to the Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources and be responsible programmatically to the Deans for Academic Programs, Research, and Extension.
• Develop and maintain goodwill for the Center among various support and clientele groups, local agencies, and consumers.
• Develop and maintain strong ties with commodity organizations, regulatory agencies, environmental groups, and local and statewide governmental agencies.
• Cooperate with UF/IFAS Department Chairs, other UF/IFAS Research and Education Center directors, county extension faculty, and other UF units in program development.

Background

The North Florida Research & Education Center (NFREC) is one of the largest and most diverse off-campus units of UF/IFAS, consisting of campuses in Quincy, Marianna, and Live Oak in the eastern Panhandle and Big Bend Region of Florida.

• The Quincy campus, established in 1921, is a 1,021-acre research and education facility located in Gadsden County.
• The NFREC-Marianna, a 1,288-acre facility, was originally one of the Mobile Units established in 1941 and made its permanent home in Jackson County in 1948.
• The NFREC-Suwannee Valley (Live Oak) consists of 388 acres, was created by the Florida Legislature in 1947, and began operation on November 1, 1950.

The NFREC has 16 faculty members located at Quincy and Marianna that represent nine academic units: agronomy, animal science, entomology, environmental horticulture, forestry, horticulture, plant pathology, soil and water science, and wildlife conservation. Four Regional Specialized Extension Agents (RSA) are located at the NFREC-Suwannee Valley specialized in row crops, rural and agribusiness development, vegetable crops, and water resources, and one RSA is located at Quincy specialized in water resources.

Research and Extension programs are collaborative, with a system-based focus on cropping systems, biofuel and medicinal crops, beef/forage production systems, plant breeding systems, specialty crop systems, and natural resource management systems. The Center Director’s office is located at Quincy with Marianna 40 miles to the west and Live Oak 100 miles to the east. Faculty members commonly use facilities at all three campuses.

The NFREC is characterized by a dynamic population of post-doctoral associates, graduate students, scientific, farm, and administrative staff. This variety of faculty, staff, and programs provides a unique setting for transdisciplinary research that ties the NFREC with faculty on the main UF campus, faculty at other Research and Education Centers around the state, as well as other universities across the nation. The NFREC also has a strong international presence with many faculty members involved in research, extension, and teaching in many countries in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Requirements

• An earned doctorate (foreign equivalent acceptable) in a field related to agriculture or natural resources with experience in conducting major research, extension, and/or teaching programs.
• Academic credentials that merit appointment at the rank of a tenured Professor in the appropriate academic department within IFAS.
• Demonstrated strong professional leadership, communication, interpersonal, and administrative skills.
• Experience in obtaining legislative and financial support from commodity and industry groups.
• Strong commitment to extension, research, and teaching.
• Supportive of the mission of the Land-Grant system and commitment to UF core values.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous administrative experience.