Responsibilities

The head promotes excellence in all facets of the Department of Statistics by: 

Culture, Climate, and Inclusive Excellence 

  • Fostering an inclusive 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 inclusive of all constituencies, and efforts are made to engage diverse audiences, especially those that are traditionally underrepresented. 
  • Facilitating access to the department’s academic programs and faculty expertise for learners and constituents within Nebraska and abroad, with particular attention to expanding access to individuals and groups who have been traditionally underserved and who have lacked access opportunities.

Strategic Visioning 

  • Leading the development and implementation of a shared vision and strategic plan 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. 
  • Continuing the development of the Department as an internationally recognized program in statistics.
  • Ensuring the Department’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 IANR’s interdisciplinary initiatives especially those where departmental faculty have expertise that contributes to the expected outcomes and impacts of these initiatives.
  • Maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the data analysis and statistics needs of researchers and scholars across IANR, the university, and industries with whom we are partnering and who will be employing our graduates.
  • 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 IANR departments/schools, centers (including 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, Animal Science, Biochemistry, Biological Systems Engineering, Educational Psychology; Entomology; Food Science and Technology, Nutrition and Health Sciences, Plant Pathology, and the schools of Natural Resources and Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 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. 
  • Partnering with the departments of Math and Computer Science on UNL’s joint data science degree programs.
  • Engaging and coordinating as appropriate with relevant Extension and research program areas. 
  • 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 stewardship of the Statistical Cross-disciplinary Collaboration and Consulting Lab (SC3L) to ensure that it is appropriately staffed and meeting client needs. 
  • Working with IANR’s expanded leadership team in donor engagement, fundraising, and stewardship to advance the department’s goals. 
  • Ensuring all programs of the department are administered in accordance with the university’s affirmative action/equal opportunity/diversity programs. 

Nurturing Success of Students, Postdocs, Staff, and Faculty 

  • Encouraging and providing support for the professional development of the faculty, postdocs, staff, and students. 
  • Mentoring and supporting faculty in developing research in their field of expertise and in contributing statistical expertise to research outside of the discipline. 
  • Providing leadership in strategic enrollment management, student success and increasing access to educational programs, especially for the statistics and data sciences undergraduate major.
  • Ensuring curriculum and other educational opportunities at both the undergraduate and graduate level meets the employment needs of students in their various career paths (e.g., industry, graduate school, higher education).
  • 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 equity and inclusion in both their content and application. 

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.