Assistant Professor - Ornamental Horticulture and Sustainable Landscapes at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Job Description:

 
Assistant Professor of Ornamental Horticulture and Sustainable Landscapes Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Oklahoma State University - Stillwater, Oklahoma

The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University invites applications for an 11-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor position (75% Teaching and 25% Research) in Ornamental Horticulture and Sustainable Landscapes. This position carries the expectation of excellence in scholarship across all areas of the appointment, commensurate with the land grant mission of Oklahoma State University.

Position Description

This tenure-track position will fill a critical undergraduate teaching need within the Horticulture BS degree program and the Horticultural Science, Horticultural Business, Public Horticulture, and Landscape Management options as well as providing support for the Minor in Horticulture. This position will focus on ornamental horticulture, plant materials, and sustainable landscape management teaching and research. The individual will teach critical courses that are required for the Horticulture BS degree and various options including: HORT 2513 Herbaceous Plant Materials, HORT 2613 Woody Plant Materials, HORT 3513 Landscape Irrigation, HORT 3613 Bidding and Estimating, and HORT 4773 Applied Landscape Planning. The position may teach additional courses under the Horticulture BS degree including HORT 2010 Internship in Horticulture or Landscape Management, HORT 3013 Arboriculture, or a new course on Sustainable Landscapes. The individual may develop an additional HORT undergraduate and graduate course as required for the HORT degree programs (BS and MS).

The candidate will be expected to develop and document scholarship related to the outcomes and impacts of their teaching program. They will be expected to develop and disseminate teaching related resources and publications in peer-reviewed, teaching, and educational focused journals in the Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences. The individual will be expected to formally mentor undergraduate and graduate students. Teaching and mentoring opportunities may include serving as faculty advisor for a department or college student club which may include organization and training for a judging team. They will be expected to provide service to the department, college, and university through teaching related committees and activities.

This position will serve to conduct applied and build a local, regional, and nationally recognized research program focused on the ornamental and landscape industries. They will be responsible for development of a competitively and industry funded research program that will meet the applied research needs related to evaluation and testing of ornamental plants to withstand environmental stress and the impact of climate, landscape management and environmental issues including water quality and quantity, the value of landscapes to society, ornamental cultivar evaluation and pest management, edible landscapes, and landscape services. They will develop a successful externally funded research program. They will publish peer-reviewed manuscripts including scientific journal articles and manuscripts as direct outputs of their teaching and research efforts.

The candidate will be expected to incorporate teaching activities and applied field research at one or multiple locations which may include The Botanic Garden at OSU in Stillwater, OK, the OSU Cimarron Valley Research Station in Perkins, OK, the OSU Mingo Valley Research Station in Bixby, OK, the OSU Student Farm in Stillwater, OK, or on-farm work in collaboration with producers and growers across the state. The candidate will be expected to recruit, mentor, and serve as major advisor and graduate committee chair to graduate students in the Horticulture MS graduate program or the Crop Science interdisciplinary PhD program. They will contribute to graduate education through service on graduate student committees and they will be expected to periodically serve on Department, Division, and/or University committees. The candidate will work cooperatively with OSU faculty and staff and serve as a member of the OSU ornamental horticulture team. Regular engagement in professional development opportunities and activities will be expected as well as completion of all required Departmental, Division, and/or University level required annual trainings.

Qualifications

A doctorate in horticulture, plant science, agronomy, crop science, or a closely related field with a horticultural emphasis is required. Knowledge of ornamental horticulture, plant materials, irrigation, landscape management, teaching methods and overall pedagogy, experimental design, statistical analysis, and preparation and delivery of scientific data to a variety of audiences is expected. The candidate should have the ability to effectively mentor graduate students and direct their various projects.  The successful candidate should provide evidence of scholarly productivity including publication of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, presentations at scientific societies, and a record of developing successful competitive external grant proposals. The selected individual should have experience teaching (either as TA or instructor of record) at the undergraduate and/or graduate level and must possess excellent written and interpersonal communication skills to effectively interact with diverse audiences. Preference will be given to those possessing previous teaching and research experience and expertise in ornamental horticulture and plant materials.

Employment Conditions

Review of applications will begin August 1, 2024. For full consideration, please submit all application materials before August 1, 2024. Review of applications will continue until a suitable candidate is identified. Salary and benefits are competitive and commensurate with education, training, and experience. There are lots of great reasons to work at OSU.  Check out our competitive benefits and eligibility at https://hr.okstate.edu/prospective-ee.html.  The position is available August, 2024, or as soon thereafter the selected candidate is available. Candidates that have completed the degree requirements for the PhD by December 2024 are encouraged to apply. 

About the Department

The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture has 22 faculty with both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The department operates The Botanic Garden at OSU, Oklahoma Gardening television show, the Greenhouse Learning Center, the Landscape Architecture Studio, the OSU Student Farm, and is active at several research sites through the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station. For more information about the department, go to:  https://agriculture.okstate.edu/departments-programs/hla/

Application Procedure

To apply, candidates should submit: (a) a letter of application describing how their academic preparation and experience qualify them for this faculty position; (b) a curriculum vitae; (c) a personal statement of teaching philosophy; (d) verification of a Ph.D. degree or equivalent; (e) names and contact information of three professional references. Questions may be directed to Dr. Bruce Dunn, Chair of the Search Committee at bruce.dunn@okstate.edu or 405-744-6462.

Formal applications must be submitted electronically to https://jobs.okstate.edu by searching for requisition 17600.

To learn more about OSU Agriculture and Stillwater, visit these websites:
https://agriculture.okstate.edu
https://agresearch.okstate.edu
https://extension.okstate.edu
https://www.okstate.edu
https://www.visitstillwater.org
https://www.stillwaterchamber.org

Equal Employment Opportunity

Oklahoma State University, as an equal opportunity employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action.  Oklahoma State University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate based on race, religion, age, sex, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or veteran status with regard to employment, educational programs and activities, and/or admissions.  For more information, visit https:///eeo.okstate.edu.