Great Lakes Education Assocation

WE TRANSFORM LIVES.

Everything we do is designed to improve the quality of life of the people in the state of Illinois, across the nation, and around the world. We discover, develop, translate, and disseminate knowledge to address societal concerns and train the next generation of experts and leaders in a way that empowers them to expand the boundaries of science to higher levels of understanding and influence.

Be a part of our story. Through learning partnerships that extend knowledge and change lives, University of Illinois Extension provides educational programs aimed at making life better, healthier, safer, and more profitable for individuals and their communities. Illinois Extension has operated continuously for more than 100 years connecting the citizens of Illinois to their land-grant university by providing educational programming around the state. University of Illinois Extension is based in the College of ACES and works with all colleges and units of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Visiting Great Lakes Education Associate serves as a full time, 12 month academic professional with primary responsibility for managing, enhancing, and evaluating environmental education programming that supports Great Lakes literacy and the mission of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) and University of Illinois Extension.

One full time position is available.

Location: Illini Center – 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606

The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability or veteran status. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO.

This is a security-sensitive position.  Comprehensive background checks, including but not limited to a criminal conviction information check, a CANTS check, and a review of the Registered Sex Offender list, will be conducted.

Specific responsibilities of Extension Educators are as follows:

Program Management, Enhancement, and Evaluation

• Administer IISG’s Limno Loan, The Incredible Shrinking Cup, and Students Ask Scientists programs, connecting K-12 educators and their students to aquatic science.
• Ensure program objectives are met through project planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Conduct educational workshops to introduce IISG programs and resources to K-12 educators.
• Prepare data summaries and visualizations to demonstrate program impacts.
• Manage a mini-grant program for educators including program promotion and solicitation, application review, and award notification.
• Work with internal and external creative staff, such as graphic designers, videographers, and web developers, on development of new and modification of existing resources to enhance programming.
• Coach Great Lakes scientists on effective communication of their research to a lay audience, including 5-12th grade students.
• Collaborate with Center for Great Lakes Literacy members basin-wide on program development and delivery.
• Work with internal, regional, and state partners in the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative to identify and fulfilling needs for conveying new research findings to resource managers and the general public.
• Develop and/or enhance web-based resources and an educator listserv.
• Assist the ELWD coordinator on other projects, as needed.

Scholarship

• Maintain active membership within a professional society(s) to keep abreast of changes within the discipline.
• Seek professional development opportunities to enhance competency in subject matter areas.
• Develop and maintain professional collaborations.
• Use research and evaluation findings to create innovative materials and enhance existing Great Lakes education offerings.
• Share principles of evidence-based, best-practices with peers.

Organizational Requirements

• Comply with all University of Illinois Extension Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity policies and guidelines in all aspects of Extension work.
• Comply with all reporting deadlines and requirements (e.g., plans-of-work, quarterly and annual reporting, etc.).
• Perform other duties within scope of position that contribute to the mission of University of Illinois Extension programming, as assigned.
• Local, statewide, and interstate travel required.

Other Information

To perform the functions of this position, the employee will be required to perform work both within an office and outside in the communities that are served, and must have the capability to travel from one location to the other in a timely fashion.  Employee is responsible for securing personal transportation.  A valid driver’s license is preferred.  Some work will be required during evenings and/or weekends.  When working, the employee may be exposed to a variety of environmental factors to include, but not limited to, hot or cold weather, exposure to noise and allergens, and uneven ground.  In performing the functions of this position, the employee may be subjected to various mental and physical demands as well to include, but not limited to, independently traveling to and performing work at different locations, lifting and moving items that may occasionally weigh up to forty (40) pounds and frequently weigh up to twenty (20) pounds, and twisting, pushing and pulling movements. More detailed information regarding the functions of this position (including the physical, mental and environmental requirements of the position) may be obtained from Human Resources for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) by contacting hr@aces.illinois.edu. 

Qualifications

Required:

• B.S. required in Natural Resources, Environmental Sciences, Education, or other related field. Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in progress may be considered for interviews, but degree must be completed by hire date.
• Experience in environmental education, working with educators and/or students in formal or nonformal settings.

Preferred:

• M.S. in Natural Resources, Environmental Sciences, Education, or other related field.
• Relevant experience conducting natural resources extension or outreach, including making technical information accessible to a lay audience in written and oral formats, and planning and presenting at workshops for diverse audiences.
• Experience with Word Press, ArcGIS StoryMaps, and Mail Chimp.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of and interest in water quality and ecosystem health. Ability to work independently yet serve as part of a team. Ability to prioritize a varied workload, successfully manage timelines, and provide regular reports of activities and achievements. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including presentation skills. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. Ability to work irregular hours, including weekends, and participate in overnight travel, when needed. Knowledge of the Great Lakes ecosystem is preferred.

Additional Information

Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position. This position is a temporary, full-time, benefits-eligible, non-tenure academic professional position. The position may become non-visiting at a later time dependent upon funding and/or programmatic needs. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the closing date.  Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Generous vacation and sick leave.  State Universities Retirement System.  Group health, dental, vision and life insurance.

University of Illinois faculty, staff and students are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you are not able to receive the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, you may seek approval for an exemption in accordance with applicable University processes.

For further information about the position please contact search chair Pat Charlebois at charlebo@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

How to apply:

To view complete job description and apply, visit https://go.illinois.edu/1010052 

Application Procedure

Resume dates submitted must be in month/year format and employment history, at a minimum, should include all work dating back to the completion of your undergraduate degree. Positions that were less than full-time/100% must be noted as being part-time. Transcripts may be requested at a later date. To receive full consideration, all requested application materials must be submitted via the online system by the close date of August 31, 2022. 

The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. Convictions are not a bar to employment. As a qualifying federal contractor, the University of Illinois System uses E-Verify to verify employment eligibility. The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit Policy on Consideration of Sexual Misconduct in Prior Employment. The University of Illinois must also comply with applicable federal export control laws and regulations and, as such, reserves the right to employ restricted party screening procedures for applicants.