Author: Ernesto Mendez

Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC)  part-time Program Administrator

Position Summary

The Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC) is a community of practice within the Department of Plant & Soil Science (PSS) at the University of Vermont. The ALC utilizes an approach grounded in agroecology, participatory action research (PAR), and transdisciplinarity. Our goal is to better understand and seek solutions to the issues facing our food system. The ALC program administrator reports to the ALC co-directors, and works closely with the core team to manage communications and internal operations for the ALC, as well as support the planning and implementation of the ALC’s research and educational initiatives. The program administrator will also provide some support to the PSS program, and will be a point of contact for ALC students, and other collaborators both within and outside of the university. We seek a motivated individual interested in agroecology, food systems and participatory action research (PAR), who has outstanding organizational and interpersonal skills. A detailed description of the position is provided below. For a pdf version of the position description, please click on the following link: ALC Program Administrator Revised Ad Jul 19.

Responsibilities

The ALC program administrator serves as the primary support person, within the ALC, for the Certificate of Graduate Study in Agroecology (CGSA) (20% effort). This includes:

• communicating with students interested in pursuing the CGSA
• serving as the point-person for communications with the College of Continuing and Distance Education (CDE), which supports aspects of the CGSA.
• organization, coordination and logistics for the weeklong, face-to-face summer course

The ALC program administrator oversees external communications for the ALC and provides support to the PSS department. This task requires collaborating with other faculty and staff to develop, implement and actively manage outreach and visibility strategies for the ALC and PSS (35% effort). This includes:

• maintaining websites and regularly updating social media accounts
• developing outreach, informational, recruitment and event materials
• supporting the creation of presentations that align with UVM templates and guidelines

The ALC program administrator provides organizational and logistical support for all ALC programming (15%). This includes:

• creating and maintaining information management and organizational systems
• coordinating facilities access (including A/V technology) and vehicle use
• managing purchasing and vendor relationships (this includes assistance with travel arrangements, plane tickets, etc.)
• supporting the management of program funding, and cross-departmental financial collaborations

The ALC program administrator maintains partner relationships by communicating with ALC students and partners (farmers, representatives of NGOs, academic and industry collaborators) (15% effort). This includes:

• coordinating and facilitating weekly ALC meetings.
• organizing and facilitating weekly staff meetings
• coordinating researcher/collaborator meetings with ALC collaborators
• responding to inquiries for information

The ALC program administrator contributes to fundraising efforts for the ALC (15% effort). This includes:

• identifying appropriate funding opportunities
• participating in grant writing
• managing grant submission processes
• supporting the cultivation of corporate and individual donors

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• 1-2 years of administrative experience.
• Strong public relations, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Interest and proven experience in being a truly collaborative team member.
• The ability to work well—whether by phone, email, writing, or in person—with a broad range of constituents, both internal and external to the university.
• Demonstrated initiative and resourcefulness.
• Willingness to be flexible.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines and use creative problem solving to handle the unexpected.
• Detail-oriented, with strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Sensitivity to issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• The ability to plan, prioritize, and balance the workload of several projects, simultaneously, in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with UVM’s business and financial applications and systems.
• Familiarity with UVM’s administrative organization and academic programs.
• Web development experience with WordPress and Drupal.
• Spanish language proficiency.

This is a part-time position, 20 hours per week, at $18 per hour. We regret that we cannot provide benefits.

Application

Please send cover letter and updated curriculum vitae/resume to Ernesto Mendez (Ernesto.Mendez@uvm.edu). Any questions about the position can also be directed to him.

The Farm Between wins 2018 Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Award for US

Nancy and John Hayden were recently recognized by the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) with the 2018 Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Award for the United States. They received their Award at the NAPPC’s Conference in Washington DC.

 

Nancy and John steward The Farm Between in Jeffersonville, VT, where they have farmed for the past 26 years. Today, the 20-acre property incorporates organic fruit production, an on-site nursery with native and pollinator-friendly plants, and a 14-acre pollinator sanctuary buzzing with diversity. In addition to farming, Nancy gains inspiration from the surrounding agroecosystem for her writing and artwork. Some of her fiber/fabric creations feature pollinators and the challenges they face, such as those in her “Pollinators in Peril” series. John, a trained entomologist, conducts research on-farm, often in collaboration with academic institutions and non-profits. He also advocates for pollinators at the policy-level and presently serves on the Vermont Pollinator Protection Committee. In 2007, Nancy and John founded the international non-profit, Seeds of Self-Reliance, and more recently developed Pollinator Pathways here in Vermont. Both efforts seek to promote pollinator diversity and habitat creation with emphasis on pollinators’ role in sustainable food systems.

 

The ALC is fortunate to have had the opportunity to build a long-term partnership with Nancy and John as research collaborators on both local and international projects. The Farm Between has served as a host to UVM agroecology courses for many years and the constantly evolving landscape remains a beloved exploratory space for students. Their passion for pollinators and commitment to engaging in agroecology as a science, practice, and movement are inspiring to many. Kudos to John and Nancy on receiving the 2018 Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Award – certainly well-deserved!

Nancy and John Hayden accepting the 2018 United States Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Award at the NAPPC Conference, Photo Credit: NAPPC

After a few technical difficulties, the ALC website is back up and running. Stay tuned for posts from students, faculty, staff, and collaborators including:

The Farm Between Wins the 2018 United States Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Award

The ALC Fellows Program

2018 ALC Publications

An Interview with ALC PhD Candidate

and more…

 

Jahi Chappell discusses ‘Beginning to End Hunger’ at UVM

Political Agroecologist Dr. M. Jahi Chappell delivered an address to over 80 people at the University of Vermont (UVM), last Friday September 14. Jahi is a widely recognized agroecologist, with a diverse trajectory that includes being a professor at Washington State University, an analyst at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and now a senior researcher at the Centre for Agroecology Water and Resilience (CAWR), at Conventry University, England. The talk focused on Jahi’s recent book, Beginning to End Hunger, which documents his experience on innovations and lessons to end hunger in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The analysis also examines how this case study can inform similar work in other regions. His deeply transdisciplinary approach touched on issues of equity, policy and the need for academics, policy-makers, activists and social movements to work together to seek effective solutions to the pervasive issues of hunger and food insecurity. The talk was co-sponsored by the Plant and Soil Science Department, the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC), the Gund Institute for Environment, the Food Systems Graduate Program and the Environmental Program, all from UVM (click on images to enlarge).

ALC Research Fellows Jump-start On-farm research in Advanced Agroecology Course

Today (August 31), was the first farm day for 3 teams of Advanced Agroecology (PSS/ENVS 212) students, as they headed out to Jericho Settlers Farm, UVM Catamount Farm/Farmer Training Program, and the Farm Between. Students were going to meet their farmer partners, get an overview of the farm and start helping out by doing work as part of their service learning. For the first time since the beginning of this course in 2008, each of the 5 farm teams is being led by an ALC undergraduate research fellow, who will be helping support all work on the farm, as well as the participatory action research (PAR) activities that are also a new component of the course. The other three farm partners are , Bread and Butter Farm and Digger’s Mirth Farm. This year, the fellows are from the following UVM programs: 2 Environmental studies majors, 1 Food Systems major, 1 Ecological Agriculture and Food Systems double major, and 1 Environmental Science major (click on photos to enlarge).

 

The ALC is hiring a part-time program administrator

We are seeking a highly organized, personable, tech-saavy and motivated individual to join our team as a program administrator. Full job description is below. If you are interested, please send a cover letter, resume and contact information for 3 references to agroecol@uvm.edu

ALC Program Administrator

Position Summary

The Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC) is a community of practice within the Department of Plant & Soil Science (PSS) at the University of Vermont, which utilizes an approach grounded in agroecology, participatory action research (PAR), and transdisciplinarity. Our goal is to better understand and seek solutions to the issues facing our food system. The ALC program administrator reports to the faculty director and research & outreach coordinator, and works closely with the core team (faculty director, research and outreach coordinator, and educational coordinator), to manage communications and internal operations for the ALC, and to plan and implement the ALC’s research and educational initiatives. The program administrator will also provide some support to the PSS program, and will be a point of contact for ALC students, and other collaborators both within and outside of the university.

Responsibilities

1. The ALC program administrator serves as the primary support person for the Certificate of Graduate Studies in Agroecology (CGSA) (35% effort) This includes:

• communicating with students interested in pursuing the CGSA
• providing production support for a range of online courses
• coordinating logistics for hybrid face-to-face summer course
• supporting the effort to raise CGSA scholarship funds

2. The ALC program administrator oversees external communications for the ALC and provides support to the PSS department. This task requires collaborating with other faculty and staff to develop and implement an outreach and visibility strategy for the ALC and PSS (20% effort). This includes:

• maintaining websites and regularly updating social media accounts
• developing outreach, informational, recruitment and event materials
• supporting the creation of presentations that align with UVM templates and guidelines
• While the ALC faculty director is PSS departmental chair, some external communication support for PSS will be required

3. The ALC program administrator provides logistical and budgetary support for all ALC programming (15%). This includes:

• creating and maintaining information management and organizational systems
• coordinating facilities access (including A/V technology) and vehicle use
• managing purchasing and vendor relationships (this includes assistance with travel arrangements, plane tickets, etc.)
• supporting the management of program funding, and cross-departmental financial collaborations

4. The ALC program administrator maintains partner relationships by communicating with ALC students and partners (farmers, representatives of NGOs, academic and industry collaborators) (15% effort). This includes:

• coordinating lab meetings with ALC members
• organizing and facilitating weekly staff meetings
• coordinating researcher/collaborator meetings
• responding to inquiries for information

The ALC program administrator contributes to fundraising efforts for the ALC (15% effort). This includes:

• identifying appropriate funding opportunities
• participating in grant writing
• managing grant submission processes
• supporting the cultivation of corporate and individual donors

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• 2-3 years of administrative experience.
• Strong public relations, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• The ability to work well—whether by phone, email, writing, or in person—with a broad range of constituents both internal and external to the university.
• Demonstrated initiative and resourcefulness.
• Willingness to be flexible and work collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines and handle unexpected crises.
• Detail-oriented, with strong budget management and problem-solving skills.
• Sensitivity to issues of equity and diversity.
• The ability to plan, prioritize, and balance the workload of several projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred:

• Experience with UVM’s business and financial applications and systems.
• Familiarity with UVM’s administrative organization and academic programs.
• Web development experience with WordPress and Drupal
• Spanish language proficiency

This is a part-time position, 20 hours per week, at $18 per hour. We regret that we cannot provide benefits.

 

The ALC is pleased to invite applications for the second cohort of the Agroecology & Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC) Undergraduate Research Fellows Program (ALC Fellows Program). The ALC Fellows Program provides upper division (3rd year +) students the opportunity to develop skills and gain knowledge in agroecology and participatory action research (PAR) to become integral team members of ALC projects. Please note, applications for the next cohort of undergraduate fellows are due: Friday, April 13th, 2018. For more information, check out: www.uvm.edu/agroecology/fellows