Responsibilities

The head promotes excellence in all facets of the Department of Biological Systems Engineering by:

Culture and Environment

• Fostering a culture within the department in which all contributions to the team are appreciated and recognized, collaboration and innovation are encouraged, and the abilities of all are engaged to fully realize the potential of the team, and the success of each person.
• Ensuring opportunities are open to all, programs are broadly accessible, and efforts are made to engage diverse audiences.
• Facilitating access to the department’s academic programs and faculty expertise for learners and constituents within Nebraska and beyond, with particular attention to expanding access to individuals who live and work in Nebraska.

Strategic Visioning

• Leading the development and implementation of a shared vision and strategic direction integrated across teaching and learning; research, discovery and innovation; Extension/outreach/engagement; and public and professional service in the department that results in sustained impacts that are highly aligned with the unit’s strengths, IANR’s vision and mission, and for the benefit of Nebraska and beyond.
• Ensuring BSE’s continued leadership in achieving UNL’s goals.
• Fostering a climate of curricular and pedagogical innovation across the continuum of learners to enhance student success and advance the unit’s strategic enrollment planning and implementation.
• Engaging, coordinating, and providing leadership as appropriate with the IANR interdisciplinary initiatives especially in those where department faculty have expertise that contributes to the expected outcomes and impacts of these initiatives.
• Supporting and creating strategic linkages across all areas of faculty expertise and school programming.
• Communicating with transparency and clarity all aspects of departmental initiatives, operations, and challenges and opportunities with faculty, staff, students, and stakeholders.

Collaboration

• Supporting, coordinating, and partnering with departments/schools, centers (e.g., REECs), Extension program areas and other entities internal to the university that support and/or align with departmental programming and faculty expertise. Emphasis will be on enhancing collaboration with the Departments of Agronomy and Horticulture, Food Science and Technology, and Animal Science, the School of Natural Resources, and the College of Engineering to advance the unit’s strengths and IANR’s interdisciplinary initiatives.
• Partnering with IANR administrators, unit heads, and center directors to promote and support collaborations and team building.
• Nurturing a strong and productive relationship with an advisory board for the department.
• Fostering linkages with external groups and industry partners to strengthen ties that advance the mission and vision of the department, IANR, and the university. 

Resource, Personnel Management, and Advancement Activities

• Aligning and managing personnel, financial and physical resources responsibly to maximize the effectiveness of those resources, exhibiting fiscal discipline and transparency, and utilizing best management practices.
• Recruiting faculty, staff, and students to attract, develop, and retain a team exhibiting and valuing excellence.
• Providing appropriate oversight for the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory, Rogers Memorial Farm, and the Industrial Agricultural Products Center.
• Working with IANR’s expanded leadership team in donor engagement, fundraising, and stewardship to advance BSE’s goals.
• Ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations regarding safety, and, if appropriate the environment (e.g., handling and disposing of hazardous wastes, animal care and use, and biosafety).
• Ensuring all programs of the department are administered in accordance with the university’s affirmative action/equal opportunity/diversity programs.

Nurturing Success of Faculty, Postdocs, Staff, and Students

• Encouraging and providing support for the professional development of the faculty, postdocs, staff, and students.
• Mentoring and supporting faculty in developing research, scholarship and programming in their field of expertise.
• Providing leadership in strategic enrollment management, student success and increasing access to educational programs.
• Ensuring curriculum and other educational opportunities at both the undergraduate and graduate level meets the employment needs of students in their various career paths.
• Engaging in professional development to continually hone skills to effectively lead and manage departmental operations and initiatives, and to advance the mission of the department.
• Ensuring that guidance documents (e.g., operational procedures, bylaws, performance review standards) are relevant and up-to-date, and that they promote the success of each team member in both their content and application.
• Engaging in professional development to continually hone skills to effectively lead and manage departmental operations and initiatives, and to advance the mission of the department.

Mission Area Contributions (30%)

• Utilizing one’s disciplinary expertise to contribute outcomes and impacts to one or more land-grant mission areas.

Success in the role will be measured by the accomplishments and impacts of the faculty, staff, students, and programs of the department. The incumbent accepts committee assignments, reporting responsibilities, and other special ad hoc assignments as requested at the administrative unit, college/division, institute, and/or university level.