Collegiate Associate Professor or Collegiate Full Professor

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAEC) invites applications for a unique endowed position in agribusiness management and entrepreneurship. The successful candidate is expected to provide leadership for growing a premier undergraduate and graduate agribusiness program. The position, the James A. and Renae C. Pearson Collegiate Faculty Fellow, will be a 100 percent teaching, 9-month academic-year appointment with the rank of either Collegiate Associate Professor or Collegiate Full Professor.  

 Leadership for the program will include working in collaboration with AAEC’s faculty to help enhance and promote instructional excellence at the undergraduate and graduate levels and agribusiness curriculum design. The selectee will help design and expand experiential learning opportunities, including activities and programming within AAEC’s Kohl Agribusiness Centre. Teaching responsibilities are expected to comprise of three classes per semester, including traditional classroom, team-oriented projects, and/or online instruction. Potential teaching areas include, but are not limited to, agricultural finance, entrepreneurship, agribusiness strategy, business ethics, risk management, supply chain management, agribusiness and farm management, and marketing. The successful candidate is expected to actively engage in teaching scholarship (written and oral dissemination of teaching approaches, case studies, and instructional research to relevant professional audiences), provide leadership for innovative programming and pedagogy in AAEC, and foster AAEC experiential learning and program growth opportunities with other university programs and the agribusiness community. There will also be opportunities to work with and advise graduate students on topics relevant to agribusiness management.

 The collegiate faculty position is a non-tenure track appointment with a long-term contract (contract duration dependent on position rank). Salary will be commensurate with experience. 

 Required Qualifications:

• D in Agricultural/Applied Economics, Economics, Finance, or related field.
• Demonstrated success teaching courses in agricultural economics, management, finance, marketing, and/or closely related subjects.

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Industry work experience or extensive experience working within the agribusiness industry and related clientele groups.
• Experience in curriculum development and course design.
• Experience in development and delivery of instruction through online and blended course formats.
• Demonstrated leadership and record of achievement in teaching/instructional scholarship.
• Experience working with industry and government in developing student internship opportunities.

 Department, College, University, and Community: The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech is a growing unit with about 250 undergraduate majors, 50 graduate students and 25 faculty members (http://www.aaec.vt.edu). The Department is located in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (http://www.cals.vt.edu/) which advises about 3,200 undergraduate students and 600 graduate students across 12 academic departments. Virginia Cooperative Extension, also located within the college, delivers research-based information to the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia through county/city extension offices, 4-H educational centers, and Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (http://www.ext.vt.edu/offices). Virginia Tech (http://www.vt.edu/) is located in Blacksburg, VA (http://www.blacksburg.va.us/) with a full-time student population of 32,000+ students. Blacksburg is nestled in the New River Valley, close to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Trail, and was recently ranked by Bloomberg’s Businessweek as the best place in the U.S. to raise kids, and by Forbes as one of the top 25 places in the U.S. to retire (http://stepintoblacksburg.org/home/live/accolades/).

 The Department offers undergraduate degrees in agribusiness and applied economic management with specializations in a number of areas (http://aaec.vt.edu/academics/undergraduate.html). The Department offers a number of experiential undergraduate programs including the Kohl Agribusiness Centre (https://aaec.vt.edu/extension/kohl-centre.html) and COINs (http://www.coins.aaec.vt.edu/). The Department offers a M.S. degree in agricultural and applied economics and Ph.D. in Economics (joint with the Department of Economics). The Department also participates in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences graduate degree program. In addition, Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region possess dynamic agricultural sectors with diverse sectors ranging from traditional commodities (e.g., grains, vegetables and livestock) to emerging areas (e.g., local/organic food, green industry, viticulture and aquaculture/seafood).

 Application Procedure: A review of applications will begin March 15, 2018 and will continue until a suitable candidate is found. Position is available to start August 1, 2018. Applicants need to complete an online application at https://listings.jobs.vt.edu/postings/83452 and submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, graduate transcripts, a statement of teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and a list of names and contact information for three references.  Direct inquires or questions about this position to Dr. Kurt Stephenson, Search Committee Chair: Phone: (540) 231-5381; Email: kurts@vt.edu