One of the country’s most selective public research universities, Clemson University serves a uniquely driven and highly accomplished student body.

Ranked consistently as one of the best national public university by U.S.News & World Report, Clemson is a science- and engineering-oriented college dedicated to teaching, research and service. Founded in 1889, we remain committed both to world-class research and a high quality of life. In fact, 91 percent of our seniors say they’d pick Clemson again if they had it to do over.

Clemson’s retention and graduation rates rank among the highest in the country for public universities. We’ve been named among the best values by Kiplinger magazine in 2013, and SmartMoney in 2012 ranked us No. 7 in student return on investment.

Our beautiful college campus sits on 1,400 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, along the shores of Hartwell Lake. But we also have research facilities and economic development hubs throughout the state of South Carolina — in Greenville, Greenwood, Columbia and Charleston.

The College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences at Clemson University invites applications for the position of Professor and inaugural Director of Extension Center for Health Outreach (ECHO).

Clemson University is a Land Grant institution designated as an R1 university with strong community engagement. The College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences is deeply rooted in Clemson University’s heritage as a land-grant institution, advancing founder Thomas Green Clemson’s vision of higher education that benefits South Carolina, its people, land, natural resources, and economy. World-class education, research, and Extension merge for scientific discoveries of global impact, while partnerships with industry and state and federal agencies foster innovation and provide unique opportunities for faculty and students.

Clemson University’s Extension Center for Health Outreach (ECHO) is the centralized home of health innovation through extension. It strengthens the partnerships between Clemson faculty across the university, Extension staff, and community stakeholders to collaboratively address significant public health problems through research, education, and service. ECHO capitalizes on the success of the Extension Rural Health and Nutrition Team and academic partners from the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences, and the College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences.

ECHO is home for the Extension Rural Health and Nutrition Team. The SC legislature recognizes the potential impact of a statewide rural health Extension program and provides recurring funds that support 2 faculty positions and 20 Extension agent positions located throughout the state focused on improving health in South Carolina and program operations. In addition to these state funds, the Rural Health and Nutrition Team currently receives over $1.2 million dollars annually in grant and cooperative agreement funds to operate research and education programs. ECHO will build on the team’s current success to expand funding for multi-disciplinary research addressing chronic disease prevention and management, improving healthy food access, increasing accessibility to safe places for physical activity, and women and children’s health.

General Duties and Responsibilities

The Director serves as the principal internal and external spokesperson for ECHO and its mission. The Director will hold faculty rank and provide leadership and support to maintain and advance strong integrated research and Extension programs appropriate for the ECHO vision and mission.

The Director will provide a vision for innovative research and educational initiatives and foster a collegial working environment and collaborative relationships with faculty across all colleges within the Clemson University system, community partners, external funding agencies, research collaborators at partner institutions and other key constituency groups.

Additional Responsibilities:

-          Plan and execute strategies for growth and sustainability of the Extension Rural Health and Nutrition team.

-          Establish processes and procedures for efficiency of programs and initiatives.

-          Complete scholarly work through research projects and rigorous evaluation of health and nutrition initiatives.

-          Leverage resources to meet ECHO needs and activities.

-          Coordinate undergraduate and graduate student experiential learning through internships, graduate assistantships, and thesis and doctoral dissertation opportunities.

-          Ensure ECHO sustainability.

-          Foster diversity and inclusion among students, faculty and staff.