Director, Barrow Biological Field Station
Monday, February 07, 2022 09:41 AM

Hiram College seeks an energetic and entrepreneurial leader to serve as director of the 550-acre James A. Barrow Biological Field Station near Hiram’s campus and the Northwoods Field Station in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The director will also hold a faculty appointment in an area of study relevant to the teaching and research conducted at the field stations.


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, one of the largest remaining uncut stands in North America. The forest includes within it, pristine wetlands and a cold-water stream, one of only four in the State of Ohio.  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 stations


The successful candidate will be a strategic leader who works with the campus to set the goals of both Hiram College field stations which are at a critical juncture in their development. 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/faculty member from a wide variety of fields, e.g., biology, environmental biology, environmental education, soil science, natural resource management, economics of natural resource management. 


Qualifications  

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

  • Experience in obtaining grant support from public and private sources

  • Record of excellence in program planning

  • Expertise in an academic area applicable to the field stations 

  • Record of teaching and scholarship, and interest in continuing to teach undergraduates

  • Interest and expertise in sustainability programming

  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to supervise, mentor, and motivate staff and faculty at off-campus locations

  • Ph.D. required; faculty rank depending on the academic background 

Responsibilities

  • Assumes a leadership role in building both the physical and pedagogical infrastructure of the field stations so that faculty and students are engaged in projects on site 

  • Supports the interests of a diverse and interdisciplinary faculty at Hiram College

  • Acts as a representative of both field stations 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

  • Works closely with the staff of the field station 

  • Works with colleagues in fundraising and grant writing, and prepares requests for external funding

  • Prepares the annual budget and manages the finances to include detailed records of expenditures

  • Will develop in their own academic area of expertise as time allows

  • Serve in a 12-month position  

  • Reports to the vice president for academic affairs

Hiram College, established in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, is a nationally recognized, private, residential liberal arts college located 30 miles southeast from Cleveland in Ohio’s historic Western Reserve region. At Hiram, close student-faculty interactions and educational innovation are routine. The College’s distinctive academic calendar, the Hiram Plan, offers students the opportunity each semester to learn in both a 12-week format (usually taking 3 courses) and a 3-week intensive format (1 course). All students participate in experiential learning through study abroad/study away trips, internships, and/or research experiences as part of the Hiram Connect initiative. 

 

The student population at Hiram College is diverse in many ways – economic background, ethnic heritage, and academic interests. We value experiential, interdisciplinary, and project-based learning that focuses on the enduring questions we have faced and the urgent challenges of our times. We strongly encourage applications from members of all under-represented groups in higher education.


Applications

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply by submitting 1) a cover letter addressing administrative philosophy and interest in field station development including the physical structures, research projects, and community engagement; 2) curriculum vitae, 3) and names and contact information for at least three professional references. 


The search committee will begin consideration of applications in early February and will continue until the position is filled. Expected start date is July 1, 2022. Questions may be addressed to VPAA and Dean Judy Muyskens ([email protected]).