Assistant/Associate Professor of Turf Grass Management - Kansas Staffing : Job Details

Kansas State University

About This Role:

Assistant/Associate Professor of Turfgrass Management and Extension Specialist, Full-time (12-month), tenure-track (60% research, 40% extension). The successful candidate will conduct research in turfgrass management and provide extension support to the commercial turfgrass industry in Kansas. Preference is that this position will be based at our main campus in Manhattan, however if the successful candidate is hired at the Associate Professor level, location at our Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center may be considered.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Research: Develop an externally funded and nationally recognized research program focused on turfgrass management. Publish research in peer-reviewed journals. Collaborate on research projects with main-campus and off-campus faculty (off-campus faculty are located at the Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center, Olathe, KS, and the John C. Pair Horticulture Center, Haysville, KS). Participate in and assist with the annual Kansas Turfgrass and Landscape Conference (December), and the Kansas Turf and Ornamentals Field Day (August). Contribute to graduate education by chairing and serving on graduate committees, supervising thesis and dissertation research, and publishing results with graduate students.
• Extension: Develop and maintain an innovative, proactive statewide extension program that addresses priority needs in commercial turfgrass management, including but not limited to golf courses, sports turf, professional lawn care, and sod production. Create educational materials and conduct outreach and training efforts that focus on commercial turfgrass management, as defined above. Educational delivery may occur through workshops, publications, websites, county-level extension programs, social media, and other venues as appropriate. Provide in-service training for county-level extension professionals and direct outreach to stakeholders as needed. The incumbent is expected to serve as the university's primary contact with Kansas turfgrass organizations and entities.

About Us:

The Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources originated in 1871 making it one of the first and oldest departments at Kansas State University. Today, as our mission statement underscores, we are committed to educating outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, contributing significant research results to solve problems associated with our disciplines, and providing our constituencies across the state, region and nation with excellent extension programs. Our diverse department conducts its activities at a variety of locations with facilities on the main campus in Manhattan and outlying research and education centers. Founded in 1863 as the country's first operational land-grant university, Kansas State University has a student enrollment of 24,000 and 1,400+ full-time faculty members. It is located in Manhattan (The Little Apple), a culturally vibrant community of 55,000, surrounded by the Flint Hills regions of the state and rates as a Top 10 college town by the American Institute for Economic Research. The Princeton Review placed Kansas State University in the top 10 for several individual categories, including town and gown relationship (#3), best quality of life (#4), and happiest students (#8). Additionally, Kansas State University is a national leader among public universities in the total number of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater and Udall prestigious scholarship winners.

Worksite Description:

This position is On-site.

What You'll Need to Succeed:

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in horticulture with emphasis in turfgrass management
• Qualification for membership on the K-State Graduate Faculty upon hire (earned Ph.D. and published at least one research article in a refereed journal)
• Demonstrated excellence in research
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work as a member of multidisciplinary teams including stakeholders
• Experience with turfgrass management practices

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability to develop an externally funded research program that contributes to knowledge of turfgrass management
• Demonstrated ability to publish research in peer-reviewed journals
• Demonstrated ability to communicate research-based information to extension clientele
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with colleagues, industry, and turfgrass/landscape associations on topics related to turfgrass management

Additional Role Information:

Preference is that this position will be based at our main campus in Manhattan, however if the successful candidate is hired at the Associate Professor level, location at our Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center may be considered.