Department Head, Agricultural and Applied Economics

The Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics is seeking an accomplished, visionary leader for the position of Department Head. Responsibilities of the Department Head include leadership of all department programs and administrative responsibility for strategic planning, fiscal management, marketing initiatives, and human resources. This includes recruitment, development, and retention of faculty and staff. The Department Head should provide effective advocacy for the department within and outside the university, and actively secure resources to strengthen its mission. The department is seeking an individual who will foster excellence in teaching, research, and extension, and encourage a positive, collegial climate and participatory decision-making process within the department. Ongoing university-wide strategic investments and priority setting in curriculum development and research activities will provide the Department Head with a unique opportunity to shape the academic mission and programs of the department.
The department currently consists of 30 faculty and staff, 58 graduate students, and 230 undergraduate majors. The department offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs. The undergraduate program consists of five majors with specializations in agribusiness, including options in agribusiness management and veterinary business management; community economic development; environmental economics, management, and policy; international trade and development; and food and health systems economics. The master program includes both a traditional seated program and a 100% online degree program with a focus on data analytics, which has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report. The Ph.D. program is offered jointly with the Economics Department (in the College of Science) and includes research in applied econometrics, international development and trade, environmental and resource economics, food and health economics, and rural and regional development. The faculty have successfully obtained research grants from USDA, EPA, NIH, NSF, USAID, CGIAR centers, and state and industry sources. Additionally, faculty have been extensively involved in interdisciplinary collaboration within the university, as well as nationally and globally. Three department centers highlight extension and outreach efforts: The Center for Agricultural Trade, The Kohl Centre, and the Center for Economic Education. Find more information about the department on the web at http://www.aaec.vt.edu/. Founded in 1872 as a land grant institution, Virginia Tech is currently ranked as a Top 25 Public University by US News & World Report and a Top 25 Public Research University by the National Science Foundation. The university has a total student enrollment of 30,000 with approximately 4,000 students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences across nine academic departments and schools. Find additional information about Blacksburg at http://www.blacksburg.va.us/.

-Doctorate in a field related to any of the department's programs.
-Record of academic and professional achievement commensurate with a tenured appointment at the rank of professor at Virginia Tech.
-Evidence of visionary leadership in academic, public, or private organizations.
-Understanding and supporting excellence in teaching, research, and extension/outreach.
-Capacity to build innovative and sustainable academic programs.
-Capacity to advocate for department vision and goals to university leadership and external stakeholders.
-Capacity to build relationships and obtain donor support for department initiatives.
-Record of effective mentoring and management of personnel and financial resources.
-Excellent organizational and communication skills.
-Demonstrated ability to create and enhance effective collaboration within the department and with other programs and units at the university, state, national and international levels.
-Demonstrated ability to lead the creation of and to implement a strategic plan for the department.
-A commitment to Virginia Tech's Principles of Community.

-Experience in higher education.
-Experience at a land-grant university.
-Demonstrated ability to attract extramural funding.

Regular

Commensurate with Experience

04/18/2025

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance.  These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.