Job Title: Associate or Full Professor, Director, and Chair of the Department of Integrated Environmental Science (IES)
Reporting Structure: Dean of the College of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSEM) ➔
Provost
Division: Department of Integrated Environmental Science, CSEM
Job Summary: Bethune-Cookman University invites applications for a tenure-eligible Associate or Full Professor to serve as Chair of the Department of Integrated Environmental Science (IES) and Director of its graduate program. The University seeks a collaborative, student-centered, and data-informed academic leader with expertise in interdisciplinary environmental science, sustainability, or a related field. The successful candidate will provide visionary leadership for a distinctive department grounded in systems thinking and interdisciplinary approaches to complex environmental challenges, while advancing excellence in student learning, faculty development, and program effectiveness.
We are particularly interested in candidates whose academic preparation and scholarship reflect interdisciplinary or higher-order, systems-based approaches to environmental science or sustainability. A strong background in applying systems theory to complex environmental issues at landscape scales or larger using conceptual or quantitative tools such as artificial intelligence, statistical modeling, GIS, or related approaches, is preferred. The specific area of research specialization is open. Candidates with the ability to teach across scientific and social dimensions of environmental issues, as well as those with field or applied experience related to coastal environmental systems, are especially encouraged to apply. Experience collaborating with colleagues across scientific and non-scientific disciplines is highly desirable.
The Department of Integrated Environmental Science was designed using early recommendations from the Sustainable Human and Environmental Systems Roundtable and reflects a deeply interdisciplinary vision. Students in IES examine environmental issues through a foundation in the natural and physical sciences while also integrating social, ethical, economic, and political perspectives to develop systems-based responses to complex environmental challenges. The department offers the BS and MS in Integrated Environmental Science, as well as undergraduate minors in IES and Environmental Ethics.
As Chair, the successful candidate will provide leadership that promotes student learning, academic success, and continuous program improvement. The Chair will work closely with faculty to support high-quality teaching, curriculum development, student mentoring, assessment, and effective use of evidence to strengthen learning outcomes and program performance. The Chair will also foster a supportive and collaborative departmental culture in which faculty are mentored, evaluated fairly, and encouraged in their teaching, scholarship, and service. The ability to use data to inform decisions related to enrollment, student achievement, faculty workload, course offerings, retention, graduation, and overall program quality will be essential.
The Department of IES is a hard-funded department within the College of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics and maintains its own promotion and tenure standards designed to support and protect the interdisciplinary teaching, scholarship, and collaborative work of its faculty. Since its founding, the department has maintained a 100% placement rate in the field or in advanced education for its graduates. Its dedicated and associated faculty have also secured more than $11 million in grant funding and produced 480 professional presentations and 130 publications over nearly 15 years.
The Chair of IES will be expected to teach in the program, lead departmental planning and assessment, support faculty success, oversee the graduate program, and work collaboratively with college and university leadership to advance the mission of the department and the institution. The successful candidate should demonstrate a record of effective teaching, scholarly accomplishment, interdisciplinary collaboration, and academic leadership appropriate for appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor.
To apply and receive full consideration, please submit a cover letter describing your vision for leading a department of this type and your potential contributions to student success, faculty development, and program growth; a curriculum vitae; three letters of reference; an example syllabus for a course appropriate to this position; and up to two sample manuscripts to Human Resources at
[email protected]. Please reference the "IES Chair" position in all correspondence. Emailed PDF copies of published or signed materials are acceptable if originating from the author.
Questions concerning the position and its requirements should be directed to Dr. Dawn Eastmond, Dean of the College of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics, at
[email protected].
Duties/Responsibilities:
