Endowed Chair and Executive Director, Anita Zucker Center Excellence in Early Childhood Studies

Position: Endowed Chair and Executive Director, Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies
Classification

Title:

CTR DIR & ASO/FULL PROF

Classification

Minimum Requirements:

A candidate for Associate Professor shall hold the highest degree appropriate to their field or possess professional qualifications above those equivalent to the highest degree relevant to their field. They are expected to have produced creative work, professional writing, or research and successful teaching or professional experience. A candidate for this rank must have a distinguished record of achievement beyond the assistant professor level.

A candidate for Professor shall be qualified for the rank of associate professor and, in addition, be a recognized national or international authority or an outstanding teacher in their field or specialization. A candidate for this rank must have a distinguished record of achievement beyond the associate professor level.

Job Description:

The University of Florida seeks applications for the David Lawrence Jr. Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies, a 12-month tenure-track associate or full professor appointment. The Endowed Chair will also hold an administrative appointment as the Executive Director of the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies. These roles recognize an eminent scholar with a national or international reputation for research, policy leadership, and transformative initiatives in child development, and early childhood studies or education.

The Director and Chair will provide visionary leadership to advance transdisciplinary research, policy, and practice that supports the development, well-being, learning, and optimal outcomes for young children and their families.

The David Lawrence, Jr. Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies will have a faculty appointment in an academic unit (e.g., the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies). The Endowed Chair will also hold an administrative appointment as the Executive Director of the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies. The Center endowment serves as a robust reserve and resource for advancing the Center's initiatives and the financially-sound Lawrence endowment will support the Chair holder's own research activities.

Key Responsibilities:

* Strategic Leadership:
Provide vision and leadership as the Director for the Anita Zucker Center and Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies, advancing transdisciplinary research and policy initiatives in early childhood.

* Research and Scholarship:
Conduct high-quality, impactful research in early childhood studies and maintain a strong record of scholarly publications.

* Policy Engagement:
Play a prominent role in national and international discussions on early childhood policy, advocating for optimal outcomes for all young children, their families, and the practitioners that support them

* Collaboration and Outreach:
Strengthen partnerships with UF entities, national organizations, and early childhood researchers and practitioners to bridge research, policy, and practice.

* Funding and Resource Development:
Secure a broad array of external funding (e.g., grants, contracts, gifts) and partnerships to support the Center's initiatives. Expand the Center's impact by identifying and pursuing new opportunities, building capacity, and ensuring the sustainability of its initiatives.

* Mentorship and Professional Development:
Mentor faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates contributing to programmatic and faculty development.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE:
The College of Education at the University of Florida, founded in 1906, has consistently been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in Online Graduate Education for the last nine years, No. 2 nationally for undergraduate education and 6th nationally among public and private education schools (U.S. News & World Report). Three of the College's academic programs occupy top-20 spots in the U.S. News rankings:
Counselor Education (1st), Special Education (4th), and Elementary Education (14th). Cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and public scholarship-often conducted in partnership with other UF colleges, school districts and communities across the state and nation-are yielding powerful learning systems and models that are helping to transform education in today's changing world, starting with our youngest learners. Faculty researchers last year garnered more than $150.3 million in external awards supporting studies and projects addressing education's most critical issues.

With both on campus and online options, the college offers 29 bachelor's and advanced degree programs and concentration areas, within nine academic specialties. To sustain the college's innovative edge, heightened emphasis on emerging technologies, student experience and interdisciplinary research will effectively prepare tomorrow's leaders in all education disciplines. The College's educator preparation programs have been continuously nationally accredited since 1954.

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