Director, James H. Barrow Biological Field Station

Director, James H. Barrow Biological Field Station

Hiram College seeks an energetic and entrepreneurial leader to serve as director of the 550-acre James H. Barrow Biological Field Station.

In the 1950s, biology professors James H. Barrow and Dwight H. Berg instituted undergraduate research as an integral component of classes and independent studies at Hiram. Their pioneering models using student-directed inquiry in diverse local and global environments made learning more effective, memorable, and fun. Berg and Barrow's innovations became the model for dozens of Hiram College undergraduate research efforts, field programs, and international collaborations using science investigations to engage students.

Through a gift from Paul and Maxine Frohring, in 1967 Hiram College established its Biological Field Station just three miles from campus, providing facilities for animal behavior studies, genetics and ecological research. The purchase included a large tract of un-timbered beech-maple forest, pristine wetlands and a cold-water stream. For more than five decades, these unique natural habitats, amplified by old field successional habitats and grassland establishment, have provided a main staple for research by undergraduates and established scientists.

Search for a new director of the Field Station

The successful candidate will be a strategic leader who works with the campus to provide the sustained focus, strategic vision, and external presence needed to carry the Field Station toward its full potential as a nationally recognized center of undergraduate field research-and to ensure that Hiram's strength in the sciences continues to grow in the years ahead. The candidate will have an interdisciplinary mindset, love science and sustainability efforts, support faculty and students to conduct basic and applied research, promote creative activities at the field stations, enjoy program and event planning, apply for grants to support the facilities and research, and develop strategic partnerships on and off campus. We seek candidates who will complement our current strengths and who are eager to explore the possibilities for collaboration across academic programs. Hiram is open to a director from a wide variety of fields, including biology, environmental biology, environmental education, soil science, natural resource management, and economics of natural resource management.

Required Qualifications

• Expertise in an academic area applicable to the field stations; M.S., M.A. or other applicable advanced graduate degree required
• Interest and expertise in sustainability programming
• Experience in obtaining grant support from public and private sources
• Record of excellence in program planning
• Record of teaching and scholarship
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to supervise, mentor, and motivate staff and faculty at off-campus locations

Preferred Qualifications:

Three to five years of intellectual and administrative leadership of a biological field station or similar entity.

Responsibilities

This is a 12-month staff position at Hiram College reporting to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• In coordination with faculty, researchers, students, and the College community, developing and subsequently implementing a comprehensive strategic plan for the Field Station
• Assuming a leadership role in building both the physical and pedagogical infrastructure of the field station
• Working with colleagues in fundraising and grant writing and preparing requests for external funding. Stewarding and preparing reports for grants and raised funds.
• Building external partnerships and developing long-term strategies to raise the Field Station's national profile
• Acting as a representative of the field station in dealing with the local community, partner organizations, and other field stations and builds new collaborative relationships in the area and beyond with K-12 education, other higher education institutions, and appropriate industries
• Supporting the interests of an engaged student body, a diverse faculty, and industrious researchers at Hiram College
• Leading the staff of the field station
• Preparing the annual budget and managing the finances to include detailed records of expenditures

To Apply:

Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, the names and contact information of three (3) professional references, and a statement of mission, scope, and planning for the Field Station should they be considered for the position. Please submit these materials as a single document to HR@hiram.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Questions may be directed to Jeffrey Swenson, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs and Dean of the College at swensonjc@hiram.edu.

Hiram College, established in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, is a nationally respected private residential liberal arts college located 30 miles from Cleveland in the historic Western Reserve region of Ohio. At Hiram, close student-faculty interaction and innovation are central to the academic experience. The College's distinctive academic calendar, the Hiram Plan, offers students the opportunity each semester to participate in a three-week intensive course, study abroad/away program, internship, or research experience.

Hiram College is committed to building an inclusive and vibrant educational environment. Our student population is diverse in many ways, including economic background, ethnic heritage, and educational interests.

Hiram College is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to Excellence through Diversity!

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