INTRODUCTION
We seek an individual whose professional skills and abilities can provide statewide outreach and training to land use commissioners and others on issues related to land use planning and decision making. This position (Visiting Assistant Extension Educator in Land Use) will lead the award-winning Land Use Academy in the Center for Land Use Education and Research, advance the Center’s mission of supporting communities in balancing growth and natural resource protection, and have the opportunity to contribute to efforts to connect undergraduates with community extension work. The ideal candidate will have professional, municipal-level experience in land use planning, an understanding of community resilience in extreme weather events, and experience in outreach or teaching on these topics. This non-tenure track faculty level position reports to the Head of the Department of Extension, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The Department of Extension in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources works collaboratively with partners in all 169 municipalities across Connecticut, throughout the northeast region and beyond. It is a non-tenuring unit with 35 faculty, 30 program and administrative staff. Additional grant-specific program personnel assist to solve problems and enhance the wellbeing of our state citizens where they live, work, and learn. Work carried out by the department constitutes much of the UConn Extension System. Faculty and staff conduct activities through eight county/community-based offices and may be co-located with additional community/agency based working partners when applicable.
The University serves as a beacon of academic and research excellence as well as a center for innovation and social service to communities. The University and CAHNR prioritize scholarship in areas that impact quality of life, including human, animal, plant and environmental health and sustainability. We encourage and provide support for cross-disciplinary, collaborative scholarship across the College, University, nation, and globe. UConn is committed to Life Transforming Education for students and Extension audiences. UConn is recognized as one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly campuses by the Sierra Club. Through research, teaching, service, and Extension, UConn embraces diversity and inclusion, and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
Founded in 1881, UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution and member of the Space Grant Consortium. It is the state’s flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs, CT, four regional campuses throughout the state, and 13 Schools and Colleges, including a Law School in Hartford and Medical and Dental Schools at the UConn Health campus in Farmington. The University has approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 32,000 students, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates and over 8,000 graduate and professional students. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest research activity) institution and is ranked among the top 25 public universities in the nation.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The successful incumbent will:
- Develop and implement Extension programs to provide information, education, and technical assistance to community land use decision makers on a wide range of planning topics, including comprehensive planning, open space planning, conducting community resource inventories, economic development, affordable housing, resilience, and roles and responsibilities of land use commissioners. This work will include, but is not limited to: developing Extension education programs, tools and materials for land use decision makers and other audiences, including workshops (formal and informal), publications, and web information; evaluation of programs; and writing of grant proposals and project reports;
- Lead the Land Use Academy (LUA), a UConn CLEAR outreach program that focuses on basic and advanced training for land use commissioners;
- Work with the CT State Office of Policy and Management (OPM), the CT Chapter of the American Planning Association, CT Bar Association, and related agencies to identify and meet the needs of land use commissioners in complying with new mandated land use training requirements;
- Assist with efforts to connect undergraduate students with outreach to municipalities on land use and resilience issues;
- Assist in developing and delivering outreach programs focused on natural resource protection, farmland protection and access, housing availability and other pressing issues;
- Support and enhance access to online training courses, including required training by CT DEEP; and,
- Integrate the LUA training program with other CLEAR research and outreach programs, with the Connecticut Sea Grant program, and with existing and new partner organizations involved with training local officials.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Master’s Degree in land use planning, natural resources, environmental management, or related discipline;
- Two years’ professional experience in a field related to land use planning, preferably as a town, regional or consulting planner;
- Demonstrated experience with municipal land use issues, roles, and responsibilities;
- Demonstrated experience with the connection between land use activities and sustainability;
- Demonstrated communication skills, including public speaking and writing of educational materials;
- Demonstrated experience working as a member of a diverse project team, as well as experience working independently;
- Experience with standard office word processing, spreadsheet and internet browsing software.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience working directly with local land use commissioners or other officials on community planning issues, including economic development, housing, resiliency, and natural resource protection;
- Experience in developing and delivering effective educational materials, workshops and presentations;
- Experience with land use planning and policy in Connecticut;
- Demonstrated experience in resiliency planning at the local level;
- Demonstrated successful experience in grant writing;
- Experience as funded project director/manager;
- Experience with Geographic Information Systems/geospatial technologies;
- Experience with Cooperative Extension or similar non-advocacy, research-based, educational programming;
- Experience with developing online training materials and courses.
