Assistant Professor (Practice)-Coastal Water Resources Extension Educator

Position Summary

The Division of Extension and Engagement and Oregon Sea Grant invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Assistant Professor (Practice)-Coastal Water Resources Extension Educator position. Reappointment is at the discretion of the Regional Director.

The Division of Extension and Engagement and Oregon Sea Grant seek applications for a fixed-term Assistant Professor of Practice position with a focus on emerging South to Mid- Oregon Coast issues related to water supply, surface and groundwater quality, and community access to clean water. This Coastal Water Resources Extension Educator position will be based at the Oregon State University Extension Service office in Coos County, Oregon. This Assistant Professor of Practice—Coastal Water Resources Extension Educator position contributes to the missions of the OSU Extension Service, Oregon Sea Grant, and Oregon State University. The programmatic home for this position is Oregon Sea Grant’s Extension program with OSU Extension Service. The university academic home will be determined within one year of the start date, based on the candidate’s background education and research program direction. This position is fully funded through Oregon Sea Grant for the first 24 months at 1.0FTE. Thereafter, Oregon Sea Grant will fund the position at 0.75FTE with the remaining 0.25FTE funding contingent on securing extramural funding. This is a ranked position with promotional opportunities.

Water-related issues are one of the highest statewide priorities and the most requested educational services from Extension by elected and community stakeholders. Underserved communities are disproportionately bearing the costs and impact of underinvestment in the development, management, and protection of water resources, and related education and services at the local level. This position will help address these educational and applied research needs while fostering relationships and seeking opportunities that bring more services and assistance to Oregon’s southern and mid coast communities.

The purpose of this Coastal Water Resources Extension Educator position is to develop Extension education and applied research programming on water resources, practices that improve the resilience of water resource systems for the South to Mid-Coast Oregon communities. The incumbent will incorporate community needs assessments, network building, reviews of current knowledge, available resources, and emerging opportunities into water resources extension education program development, delivery, and evaluation. Programming will assist communities in understanding emerging coastal water issues and their connections to water resource quantity, quality, and trends; factors affecting access to reliable water supplies; how freshwater resources are managed, protected, and interact with the marine environment; and practices to improve current and future conditions. The Oregon Water Vision and Oregon Mid-Coast Integrated Water Management and Implementation Actions provide examples to some of the Coastal Oregon water resources issues.

Programming would likely engage people and communities to better understand the connections of coastal seasonal water availability (e.g., water scarcity, flooding and needed environmental flows to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems to climate change, human development, ecological health, community water conservation actions, policies, incentives and trade-offs that can improve water supply, land use and water management practices. Specific examples may could include developing education programs that lead to improving the reliability of home and community water delivery systems, sewage/septic treatment, practices to minimize water contamination and adapting green infrastructure and low-impact land development to protect and improve water quality. The incumbent may also consider incorporating citizen science-based weather, water quantity and quality data monitoring to engage communities in learning and sharing about water resources in their communities. It is anticipated the incumbent will collaborate on synergistic Extension program development and evaluation with Extension colleagues, agencies, watershed councils and the Tribes with ties to the southern and mid-coast of Oregon on the intersection of water with fire management, other coastal hazard considerations, resource development and management and human development.

The assistant professor of practice can develop education programs that engage communities in understanding how emerging developments, processes and solutions can impact water resources for south coast to mid-coast communities. Examples include state cooperative resource conservation management agreements with the Tribes with ties to the southern and mid-coast of Oregon dam removals on the Rogue, Klamath, and other coastal rivers, flows necessary to maintain ecological needs of freshwater and estuarine species, coastal hazards associated with climate change (e.g., harmful algal blooms (HABs), saltwater inundation of fresh water, ocean acidification, beach closures due to contaminated waters), legacy and contaminants of emerging concern and the development of marine renewable energy. Such topics will become even more critical to stakeholders with regional climatic variation and other climate exacerbated change.

Active and effective communication, engagement, and collaboration with staff and key stakeholders is critical to the success of this position. This position will travel to and from meetings throughout the state, with occasional out-of-state travel for projects and training.

About the division:

The Division of Extension and Engagement (Division) is core to Oregon State University’s mission. The Division helps create real solutions and positive impact across Oregon and beyond. The Division is aligned under the leadership of the Vice Provost for Extension and Engagement. To learn more about our Division and its core units and initiatives, please visit our Division’s website.

Oregon Sea Grant, based at Oregon State University since 1971, is one of 34 Sea Grant College Programs established by Congress as a partnership between universities and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Through research, Extension and education, Oregon Sea Grant sparks discovery, understanding, and collaboration to foster healthy, inclusive, and resilient coastal communities and ecosystems. Oregon Sea Grant funds research projects, manages fellowships and internships, and implements Extension and education programs to help coastal communities address timely issues. Oregon Sea grant also operates a public marine science Visitors Center and K-12 educational programs at the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Oregon Sea Grant funds research at Oregon colleges and universities, including Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, Portland State University and Oregon Health and Science University. In partnership with the Oregon State University Extension Service, Oregon Sea Grant helps Oregonians prepare for natural disasters, address development issues, learn about fisheries and aquaculture, engage in outdoor tourism, guard against aquatic invasive species, and keep waterways clean. Oregon Sea Grant engages with the public through social media, workshops, publications, videos, conferences and trainings. Please visit our Oregon Sea Grant website.

Commitment to inclusive excellence:

Oregon State University is committed to creating and maintaining compassionate and inclusive learning and working environments for all learners, visitors and employees. We envision collaborative community environments that enhance civility and embrace diversity. All employees are responsible for achieving this commitment. This commitment includes, but is not limited to, complying with Civil Rights and Language Access regulations. In addition, this individual will design, develop, maintain and/or carry out Extension programs to ensure that educational programs and outreach activities serve diverse populations, including those that have been historically marginalized/excluded from participation.

Visit the OSU Division of Extension and Engagement’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusionwebsite for more information on our commitment.

Summary of Benefits: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/benefits/prospective-employee

To calculate our Total Rewards Package use this link: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/benefits/new-employees/benefits-calculator

Position Duties

This faculty member embeds the commitment of the university to a collaborative and inclusive community in all interactions and duties performed. This individual ensures that educational programs and outreach activities serve diverse populations, including those that have been historically or currently are marginalized/excluded from participation. Our program objective is to create opportunities for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and these activities will be included in the annual plan of work, impact statements, and summary of accomplishments/achievements.

80% – Extension Teaching, Advising, and Outreach

• Conduct outreach education to individuals and organizations that explains the application of research-based knowledge for improving water resource assessments, monitoring, and management resulting in increased water supply for public and private use, access to safe drinking water, and water quality of surface water, groundwater, estuarine and coastal environments for associated beneficial uses, such as domestic, recreation, agriculture, and aquatic life. These educational outreach efforts will require travel to south and mid-coast communities and to other parts of the state, on occasion, for building collaborative relationships and seeking assistance.
• Network and communicate with appropriate end-users, managers, scientists, community members and appropriate community organizations to identify priority water issues and associated technical and educational needs to develop and deliver comprehensive education programs and resources that increase knowledge, aspirations, skills, and behavior changes to improve the health, supply, and sustainable management of water resources.
• Build relationships with Tribes and underserved populations to identify needs and deliver Extension programming that improve equity in water resource supply, quality, access, management and related services. Encourage community-based organizations to tackle contentious water issues by providing opportunities for members to develop facilitation, communication, conflict resolution, and leadership skills that help them successfully resolve and continually work through these challenges.
• Seek public and private financial support (e.g., grants, contracts, fees, donations) for developing, delivering, and/or evaluating educational programs and services, and conducting applied research, consistent with this position, clientele needs, and university operations.
• Collaborate with Extension faculty towards enhancing community water resilience preparedness for coastal hazards, wildfire, earthquakes, and other emergencies relative to the coastal region.
• Evaluate teaching performance using approved citizen evaluation of teaching forms and develop Extension program evaluations to measure and document participant, economic, social, and environmental impacts.
• Maintain professional competency and seek professional development experiences to ensure accurate and pertinent program offerings, effective teaching and delivery methods, and professional and personal growth.
• Use appropriate and effective methods of communication to promote programs and market OSU, Extension Service and Oregon Sea Grant.
• Keep records and provide necessary reports to Regional Director, the Division’s Administration, Oregon Sea Grant and the incumbent’s university academic home, including plans of work, narrative reports, statistical reports, and reports of accomplishment. Track and report information necessary for federal civil rights compliance

10% – Scholarly Outcomes

Assigned duties for this position are expected to result in scholarly outcomes. Scholarly and creative work is intellectual work whose significance is validated by peers and that is communicated. Emphasis in scholarship should be placed on outcomes that recognize activities as a professional practitioner in community settings as defined in this position description. To achieve promotion, scholarship for this position must include peer-reviewed materials that are understandable (demonstrated through evaluation of increased awareness and knowledge) and findable in the web environment.

These are typically of the three types shown below but as our communication worlds change, other types of scholarship may fit these understandable and findable criteria:

• Authorship of extension publications, local or regional “practice” publications, book chapters, blogs, ArcGIS StoryMaps, other educational materials, and electronic information delivery media if it is either peer-reviewed before dissemination or if there is evidence of its adoption and use by peers.
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals which might encompass description and evaluation of novel community-based professional practice or research application, program development and innovation, outcomes of innovative programs and/or services, definitive professional practice reviews, or case reports among others.
• Presentations and leadership in topical and professional development sessions at national/international professional societies.

To achieve promotion, there must be an on-going record of these types of scholarship, though each does not need to be present in every year of record. Documentation must also be provided that shows these scholarly outputs have had quantifiable impact.

• These relevant, web-findable materials may be augmented by other forms of peer validation such as the following: invited presentations, poster and podium presentations, and published abstracts and/or proceedings at state, regional, and national levels, if evidence of peer validation is provided.
• Documented impact due to local or regional adoption of improved practices, methods, or programs.
• Secured competitive grants and contracts appropriate for the scope and focus of the faculty member’s position.
• Named inventor of protected intellectual property in the faculty member’s field.
• Recognition as a professional practitioner in community settings as demonstrated by
  • Honorary degrees
  • Awards recognizing community, professional, and/or scientific achievements
  • Fellowships in national professional, and/or scientific organizations
  • Requests to serve as a technical advisor to government agencies, industry, or professional groups

For more information on the scholarly outcome expectations for this position, please refer to the “Guidelines for Professor of Practice Appointments and Promotion” contained in the OSU Faculty Handbook.

Diversity and inclusivity are of great importance to both OSU’s mission and the success of this position. Best practices to ensure an inclusive scholarship include:

• Including diverse perspectives on the research team, particularly among co-principal investigators.
• Emphasizing diversity to address broadening participation in grant proposals.
• Writing articles and books that address issues of diversity/social justice.
• Presenting conference papers on issues of diversity/social justice.
• Increasing the diversity of students who serve as research assistants.

5% – Organizational Accountability

• Utilize technology as a tool to increase the impact of program delivery on constituents including participating with Ask Extension.
• Use multiple methods of electronic communication (i.e., web sites, publications, video conferencing and other online methods) to collaborate internally and externally as appropriate.
• Implement fee-based programming and cost-recovery practices, develop partnerships, and solicit external funding to support and enhance educational programs as appropriate.
• Organize and maintain program advisory and management committees or networks to identify program needs, make recommendations, assist in program implementation, and evaluate program effectiveness.
• Develop an annual plan of work addressing educational needs as well as evaluate the quality and impact of educational programs provided to audiences as appropriate.
• Provide community and statewide opinion leaders and decision makers with the context and understanding of how your program work relates to overall Extension programming output.
• Pursue engagement opportunities that may include, but are not limited to the creation of internal and external partnerships; identification of community and educational needs; etc.
• Participate in leadership training opportunities that builds expertise around equity, inclusion, and diversity.
• Contribute to equity, inclusion, and diversity as part of teaching, educational delivery, advising, research, Extension, service, and/or scholarly outcomes. Outputs and impacts of efforts to promote equity, inclusion, and diversity should be included in promotion dossiers.
• Ensure outreach activities and educational programs serve a wide range of populations, including those that have been historically minoritized/excluded from participation.
• Seek relevant professional experiences to develop and maintain competency in the program subject matter and to identify effective methods for teaching and program delivery and evaluation.

5% – Service

• Serve as an effective team member in the office and the assigned Region.
• Serve on University, College, Department, and Extension Committees as appropriate.
• Maintain professional relationships with faculty in the Sea Grant Extension Program
• Serve on state, regional, local, and national advisory committees appropriate to position responsibilities and participate in professional organization activities.
• Collaborate and liaise with the Regional Director of Extension and Oregon Sea Grant Outreach and Engagement Leader.
• Maintain active membership and participation in appropriate professional organizations.
• Contribute to a welcoming and respectful workplace culture.
• The faculty member is encouraged to participate in community service.

Minimum/Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in water resources engineering, science, and/or policy, hydrology, geology/geosciences, environmental science, natural resource management, or closely related field with emphasis on water resources, water quality, or water/watershed management. Degree must be completed by the time of contract start date.
• Demonstrated experience researching, designing, and delivering presentations and educational events (e.g., short courses, workshops, seminars) to diverse groups.
• Demonstrated experience with or potential for securing external funding support.
• General ability to use computers, including proficiency with information technology, web sites and social media.
• Demonstrable commitment to promote and enhance diversity.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing across diverse audiences.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work as a team member.