Director, Penn State Cooperative Extension

Posted by on November 7, 2003

Director sought for Cooperative Extension
Thursday, November 6, 2003

The University seeks an experienced, forward-looking professional to provide strategic leadership for policy, program, administrative and external relations for Penn State Cooperative Extension.

The director reports jointly to the vice president for Outreach and to the dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. The director serves as an associate dean for the College of Agricultural Sciences, with primary responsibility for Cooperative Extension, and as associate vice president for Outreach. The position requires an individual who brings energy, creativity and vision to the advancement of Cooperative Extension?s core purpose and mission within the larger context for outreach and engagement at Penn State.

The director will provide strategic leadership for development, delivery and evaluation of extension education programs statewide; develop and administer the cooperative extension education program planning process and related reporting activities; create and foster collaborative, coordinated programming relationships among faculty and extension staff across all units within the College of Agricultural Sciences; and build programmatic relationships between Penn State Cooperative Extension and other colleges and partner outreach enterprises at the University. The director will administer the Cooperative Extension budget, program and personnel matters in accordance with federal, state, local and University policies and willsecure new federal, state and local government funding; private funding; and extramural grant and contract funding to support Cooperative Extension programming.

The director will have primary responsibility for promoting and interpreting the goals and accomplishments of cooperative extension education programs to other University administrators, legislators, governmental agency staff, business/industry leaders and clientele. The director also will maintain strong working relationships with county commissioners, state and federal legislators and executive agency officials, business leaders and community groups and will represent Penn State Outreach, Penn State Cooperative Extension and the College of Agricultural Sciences at the national and international levels with other universities and public and private sector organizations.

Job candidates require these qualifications: earned doctorate in an agricultural or other appropriate discipline; demonstrated ability to provide strategic policy, program and administrative leadership; effective interpersonal, communication and organizational skills; commitment to the extension education, international, research and resident education functions and the land-grant university philosophy and mission; demonstrated commitment to diversity, EEO and affirmative action; and the ability to relate to a wide variety of socioeconomic, political, commodity and other interest groups.

Send paper and electronic versions of a letter of application, a curriculum vita, a one-page statement of the applicant?s vision for Cooperative Extension, and the names of five references to: Search Committee, Director of Cooperative Extension attention: Dawn Holsopple, 235 Agricultural Administration Building ? BOX INT, University Park, PA 16802. Send e-mail to dlh5@psu.edu.

The screening of applicants will begin Jan. 5 and will continue until the position is filled.