Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology, MWCS Graduate Program Coordinator

Posting Details

Position Information

Job Title Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology, MWCS Graduate Program Coordinator Classification Title Rank Tenure Information Job Description

Title: Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology, MWCS Graduate Program Coordinator

Term: Full time (9 month) faculty appointment

School: May School of Natural and Health Sciences

Lees-McRae is a small, four-year, liberal arts college serving Appalachia and the Southeastern United States. The College is located in the town of Banner Elk in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina. Banner Elk is nestled between two popular ski areas and is within a short drive of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail. The area is popular with outdoor enthusiasts: skiing, cycling, hiking, climbing and fly fishing are among the many attractions. The college also owns and maintains the Elk Valley Preserve and Field Station and the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Please visit our website at www.lmc.edu.

Summary/Objective

The May School of Natural and Health Sciences at Lees-McRae College invites applications for the position of Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology and Program Coordinator of the new Wildlife Conservation Science degree. This is a full-time, main campus faculty position starting for the academic year 2027-2028. The appointment will begin January or June 2027. At the time of hire, the successful applicant must have completed a Ph.D. degree in Wildlife Biology, Ecology, or a closely aligned discipline, with interdisciplinary expertise spanning wildlife ecology, habitat management, disturbance and restoration ecology, and wildlife law, policy, and governance.

Depending on their background, the successful candidate will be required to teach among the following graduate courses: Wildlife Law, Policy, and Governance, Population Ecology, Wildlife and Habitat Management and Disturbance and Restoration Ecology. Our School is developing a new Master of Science in Wildlife Conservation Sciences, and the successful hire will be able to develop specialized courses related to their experience to support the growth of both our undergraduate and graduate curricula. The successful candidate will also contribute to our PEAK experiential learning initiative by offering summer intensive courses on a rotating schedule, which will be paid as a separate contract.

Essential Functions

Teaching:

• The faculty member will be required to teach 24credit hours per academic year on regular contract. The faculty member will teach up to an additional 6 credit hours during the PEAK Intensive academic calendar on an every- other year basis.
• Teaching responsibilities include but are not limited to: classroom management, student assessment, and assessment of student learning.
• Maintain professional standards of practice in teaching in the classroom
• Meet LMC standards for learning management system usage, course syllabi creation and submission, classroom management, use of technology, grade submission, and records management.
• The faculty member is expected to help mentor students in their Omega project, a senior research or capstone experience.

Advising

• Support student success through mentoring, tutoring, and advising. Faculty serve as advisors to students after the first year with the College.
• Faculty maintain regular office hours to meet with students as outlined in the Faculty Handbook
• Scholarship and Professional Development
• The faculty member is expected to continue their professional development and maintain currency in their field through seminars, classes, and scholarship.
• Faculty promote and support undergraduate research opportunities.

Service

• Faculty members are expected to serve on committees of School, College, and Faculty Senate. Faculty are encouraged to participate in service to their community and field.
• Faculty attend and participate in scheduled faculty/administrative meetings
• Other duties as assigned by the Dean of the May School of Natural and Health Sciences.

The successful candidates will have the capacity for and proven experience to:

• Guide graduate academic program development
• Create new, innovative, distinctive opportunities for graduate students in a professional setting
• Provide short- and long-range course and program planning
• Assist in mentoring/preparing students to reach their career goals
• Develop strategic industry partnerships for the graduate program and students for experiential learning
• Provide leadership and collaboration with the faculty and staff to achieve the vision, mission, goals, and objectives for the MWCS program, the May School of Natural and Health Sciences, and Lees-McRae College
• Create connection opportunities for on-campus MWCS students to strengthen their relationship with the program
• Participate on key committees at the program, school, and college levels
• Work with college officials and community partners to ensure delivery of high-quality programming
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, experiential learning, and community engagement

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Ability to stand for periods of time. The employee is occasionally required to sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.

Travel

Possible travel to graduate recruitment events.

Additional Notes

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

To apply, please complete application on LMC website to include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy, unofficial transcripts, and the names of three references with contact information.

Any questions regarding the application process, please contact Deborah Lowery at loweryd@lmc.edu.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Lees-McRae College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity/Americans with Disabilities Act employer committed to excellence through diversity.

Required Qualifications

• A PhD. degree in Wildlife Biology, Ecology, or a closely aligned discipline, with interdisciplinary expertise spanning wildlife ecology, habitat management, disturbance and restoration ecology, and wildlife law, policy, and governance. earned from an accredited institution recognized by the US Department of Education.
• Appropriate teaching experience at the college level.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to consistently multi-task.

Preferred Qualifications

Ideal candidates should demonstrate the ability to integrate ecological theory, quantitative approaches, and apply conservation practices to address contemporary challenges in biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration, wildlife population management, and landscape-scale conservation. Expertise in environmental legislation, conservation policy, natural resource governance, and the social and human dimensions of conservation is highly desirable, as is the ability to evaluate scientific evidence and translate it into effective management strategies and policy recommendations. The successful candidate will be committed to experiential and field-based learning, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in a primarily non-thesis graduate program, including the development of applied conservation projects and professional communication skills. Candidates should also demonstrate the flexibility to teach a range of undergraduate Wildlife Biology courses and contribute to the continued development of the Master of Science in Wildlife Conservation Sciences program at Lees-McRae College.

Posting Detail Information

Posting Number F054P Open Date Close Date Open Until Filled Special Instructions to Applicants

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed To Apply

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Optional Documents

• Transcripts
• Letter of Recommendation
• Curriculum Vitae
• Media File
• Portfolio
• Teaching Philosophy