Job Detail

Connecticut College Arboretum Director

Location: New London, CT
Salary:

Connecticut College, a residential liberal arts undergraduate institution in New London, CT, invites applications for the Charles & Sarah P. Becker '27 Director of its Arboretum. A signature feature of the College, the Arboretum, established in 1931 and today encompassing 750 acres, includes the 30-acre Native Plant Collection, 3-acre Caroline Black Garden, a teaching and display greenhouse facility, and numerous natural environments including a bog, restored meadows, oak/hickory forests, a wooded island in the Thames River, and a salt marsh. The Arboretum is integrated into the everyday life of the College, serves as an outdoor classroom for numerous courses, and is the focus of several long-term research programs. In addition to education and research missions, the Arboretum provides stewardship of College lands and leadership on conservation issues locally and statewide. The facility is also an integral part of the New London community, offering an extensive array of walking trails for education and recreation, programs for local school children, public workshops and conferences. The Director oversees a staff of six and reports to the Dean of Faculty. The new director will join Connecticut College at an important juncture in our history. A recent Strategic Plan, Campus Master Plan, and Sustainability Plan all signal the importance of the Arboretum to the College and provide an opportune institutional context to raise the profile of this valuable resource.

Duties of the Director:

• Oversee and manage all operations of the Arboretum facility, including the plant collections, specialty gardens, natural areas, and the greenhouse facility.
• Supervise a staff of six employees, including an assistant director, a curator, a horticulturalist, two groundspersons, and a (part-time) Office Assistant.
• Advance the mission of the Arboretum, including all teaching, research, education, recreation and conservation elements, by strengthening current programs, developing new initiatives and projects, and fostering strong relationships across all College constituents, including alumni, and the public.
• Work with the Assistant Director of the Arboretum to foster a collaborative and inclusive working environment for Arboretum staff, student interns, and volunteers.
• Develop, prepare, implement, and manage the annual budget, including endowed funds earmarked for specific programs and functions.
• Work with College Advancement to raise funds to support the physical facility, current programs, and new initiatives.
• Collaborate with Facilities Management on stewardship of the 120-acre main campus landscape.
• Teach one course per year as an Adjunct Professor in the Botany Department that takes advantage of the Arboretum collections, and may include arboriculture, garden history, botanic garden management, landscape design, naturalistic landscaping, invasive plant management or urban forestry.
• Coordinate and help facilitate all research initiatives within the Arboretum, including the long-term monitoring programs, the Connecticut Notable Tree database, faculty research, individual student research, and class projects.
• Oversee management of the Arboretum communications, including the web site, production of publications and bulletins, programmatic advertisements, plant collection inventories and associated databases, and social media venues.

 

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Botany, Horticulture or a related field and a minimum of three years experience working with plant collections; or a Masters Degree in Botany, Horticulture or a related field and a minimum of five years experience working with plant collections. 
• Knowledge of and experience with land management, arboriculture, woody plant botany, ecology, and conservation.
• Experience working with and managing a diverse group of people with a wide variety of talents, backgrounds, and experiences.
• Expertise developing, implementing, and managing large budgets.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience writing, applying and securing grant funds.
• Success in fundraising.
• Teaching experience at the undergraduate college level.
• Background in database management and Geographic Information Systems software.
• Management of a research program in an appropriate field.
• Experience as an arborist or forest practitioner.

 

Applications will be accepted through the College Hire Touch system
(https//conncoll.hiretouch.com/staff-openings), and should include a cover letter and a full Resume or Curriculum Vitae. The cover letter should be 2-3 pages and include a description of your skills and experiences relevant to the position; your view of the role of an Arboretum with respect to education, conservation and scientific research; and your teaching philosophy. Review of applications will begin on February 1, 2019 and continue until the position is filled.

 

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