Welcome

August 2023

The University of Delaware is conducting a national search to identify the next Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), which was established in 1869 as the state’s land-grant university with a mission consisting of three elements: teaching, research and extension.

Reporting to UD’s Provost, the Dean is responsible for the leadership of the College, including the development, operations, and sustained excellence of all academic programs across the College’s schools, departments, and interdisciplinary centers and institutes.

The University seeks a dynamic new Dean who will bring together vision, leadership, and innovation to advance the College’s educational, research and extension programs with a strategic goal to enhance the College’s academic excellence and real-world impact.

CANR currently offers 13 undergraduate majors and 12 graduate degree programs. CANR faculty members are leaders in their respective fields, innovators in education, and noted advisors to agricultural and environmental agencies and organizations at the local, regional, national and international levels. The faculty comprise approximately 80 members across four departments (Animal and Food Sciences; Applied Economics and Statistics; Entomology and Wildlife Ecology; and Plant and Soil Sciences), serving nearly 900 undergraduate and 225 graduate students.

The college also administers UD Cooperative Extension, connecting Delawareans with University knowledge and resources in four key ares: health and wellbeing; sustainable production systems; 4-H, personal and economic development; and environmental stewardship.

CANR has two major teaching, research and extension complexes — one in Newark (350 acres) and the other in Georgetown (344 acres). Numerous, additional lands and facilities throughout the state also support the college’s mission, including Extension offices in each county and two prominent, world-class facilities dedicated to poultry disease research and diagnostics.

The ideal candidate is expected to be a transformational leader with a demonstrated ability to strengthen relationships with external stakeholders; further develop and support strengths in interdisciplinary research and education; and provide a vision for the future of agricultural and natural resources education, research and outreach in Delaware and beyond.

The University of Delaware is committed to academic and inclusive excellence by building a community of faculty, staff and students who are both diverse and respectful of human differences and by promulgating a campus climate and culture that appreciates and celebrates diversity in all aspects, including diverse perspectives, race, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, and gender identity or expression.