Matanuska Experiment Farm & Extension Center Director

The Matanuska Experiment Farm & Extension Center (MEFEC) is a working research farm serving Southcentral Alaska. It has 260 acres of cultivated land and 800 acres of forestland for research or demonstration purposes. The Cooperative Extension Service is also located at MEFEC extending relevant university, research-based knowledge in an understandable and usable form to the public. 

This position will provide leadership for the research and Cooperative Extension Service outreach programs based at the facility and is located in Palmer, AK

The MEFEC Director will coordinate efforts by administrators, faculty, staff, and stakeholders to identify and promote access opportunities for Alaskans, in particular MatSu Copper River District residents, to access UAF resources that may enhance economic stability and vitality, district wide and statewide, and will improve citizen well being as a part of the statewide outreach, research and teaching mission of the Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension (IANRE), the Cooperative Extension Service (CES), and the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment
Station (AFES).

The Matanuska Experiment Farm was established as the USDA Agricultural Research Station in the Matanuska Valley in 1917. It was transferred to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and became a branch station of the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station in 1932. The facility is comprised of approximately 950 acres of which 260 acres are maintained fields and pastures and roughly 800 acres are forestland and lakes. The facility contains state of the art teaching and distance delivery technology and office, meeting and classroom space. The Matsu Copper River Extension District Office moved to this location in 2013. The facility is now an integrated center for teaching, research and extension. There are currently approx. 16 faculty and staff located at the Matanuska location.

UAF is Alaska’s only Land Grant college. Grants of land from governments to the people have been a driving force behind the settlement and establishment of communities. The Morrill Land Grant Act, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, created Land Grant colleges to serve as “the people’s universities, bringing the research and knowledge of the campus to the people where they live and work.”

The MEFEC Director will provide leadership, vision, and administrative oversight for initiatives and programs associated with the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center. This person will be responsible for facilitating the identification of and response to needs of the community by playing a vital role in bringing the outreach, research and teaching resources together for the wellbeing of the community. They will also work with UAF and IANRE resource staff to ensure timely evaluation of programs and services provided for public consumption. Primary research efforts at the Center are related to, but not limited to, agricultural and environmental sciences and the incumbent will be expected to create a teamwork atmosphere between outreach, research, and teaching for the best use of MEFEC facilities and 950 acre land base.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field and five years progressively responsible experience, or an
equivalent combination of training and experience

Minimum of two years applicable experience in a management/leadership position.
Minimum 2 years experience conducting and participating in field research.

Prefer experience in grant writing and/or promoting grant proposals in an organization.

A Valid Driver’s License (or the ability to obtain one upon hire) and clean driving record in compliance with UA Safe Driving Criteria is required.

Position Details:

This position is located in Palmer Alaska. This is a full-time, exempt staff position complete with both a competitive salary and full employee benefits package. UA provides a generous compensation package that includes retirement options, annual leave, 12 paid holidays per year, tuition waivers for employees and family members, and affordable medical, dental and vision care coverage. New hires will be placed on the UA Staff Salary Schedule, Grade 81, based on education and experience.

Applications will be accepted for review on August 7th, 2024, to ensure consideration, please apply by 11:55 PM, Alaska Standard Time on DAY BEFORE REVIEW DATE August 6th, 2024.

*To be eligible for this position, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction.  Applicants who now or may in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the United States are not eligible.

The University of Alaska (UA) is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing this application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact UA Human Resources by phone at 907-450-8200.

UA is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, educational institution and provider and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination.

The successful applicant is required to complete a background check. Any offer of employment is contingent on the background check.

Your application for employment with the University of Alaska is subject to public disclosure under the Alaska Public Records Act.

If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Kenna Metivier, Signers' Business Office Assistant HR Manager at kjmetivier@alaska.edu or 907-474-1847

All employees at the University of Alaska are expected to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism when conducting or engaged in university business.

*Each university within the University of Alaska system publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report which contains information regarding campus safety and security including topics such as: campus law enforcement authority; crime reporting policies; campus alerts (Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications); fire safety policies and procedures; programs to prevent dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; the procedures the University will follow when one of these crimes is reported; and other matters of importance related to security on campus. The report also contains information about crime statistics for the three most recent calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in On-Campus Student Housing Facilities; in Noncampus buildings or property owned or controlled by the University or a recognized student organization; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus.  The report also contains fire statistics for any fires occurring in an On-Campus Student Housing Facility during the three most recent calendar years.  

Access to the reports is available at:

UAA: (Addresses Anchorage campus, Aviation Technology Complex, JBER - Elmendorf Extension, JBER - Richardson Extension, Kenai Peninsula College - Kachemak Bay campus, Kenai Peninsula College - Kenai River campus, Kodiak College, Kodiak High School Extension, Matanuska-Susitna College, Prince William Sound College, and Prince William Sound College - Cordova Extension) Online: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/students/safety. Request a paper copy in person: UAA Police Department Office at Room 114 of Eugene Short Hall on the Anchorage campus / UAA Dean of Students Office at Room 122 of Rasmuson Hall on the Anchorage campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-786-1120 or police@uaa.alaska.edu / 907-786-1214 or uaa_deanofstudents@alaska.edu. 

UAF: (Addresses Fairbanks Campus, Bristol Bay Campus, Chukchi Campus, Community and Technical College, Kasitsna Bay Campus, Seward Marine Center, Tok Campus, Kuskokwim Campus, and Northwest Campus) Online: https://www.uaf.edu/orca/files/ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: UAF Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability on the 3rd Floor of Constitution Hall. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-474-7300 or uaf-orca@alaska.edu.

UAS: (Addresses the Juneau Auke Bay Campus, Juneau Technical Education Center, Sitka Campus, & Ketchikan Campus) Online: https://uas.alaska.edu/equity-and-compliance/docs/clery/UAS_ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: Hendrickson Building, Suite 202 on the Juneau campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-796-6371 or emailing uas.clery@alaska.edu.