Louisiana State University invites applications and nominations for the position of director of the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture.

About the Position
About the School
About LSU
Responsibilities of the Director
Qualifications
How to Apply
Nominate a Candidate
Search Committee Members
Why Choose LSU?
Why Choose Baton Rouge?

About the Position

The director is the executive officer of the School and is responsible to the executive vice chancellor and provost through the dean of the College of Art & Design. The director is expected to provide innovative and visionary leadership, advance his/her own research and scholarly interests, and exhibit dedication to advancement in all areas of the school. The school seeks a dynamic director to contribute to the teaching, research, and service missions of the school, the interdisciplinary setting of the College of Art & Design, and the collaborative opportunities of LSU. The appointment will commence July 1, 2015.

About the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture

The Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture has an established international reputation as one of America’s leading and consistently top-ranked programs. The school offers programs leading to the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and the Master of Landscape Architecture. For more than 60 years, the program has produced landscape architects who practice all over the world and participate in the full spectrum of the discipline. The school has an active, worldwide alumni network that has made stellar contributions over the years in the areas of scholarships, lectureships, and faculty support. With the establishment of the Bickham Chair, the school annually attracts visiting scholars and professionals to teach and offer innovative enrichment initiatives. Its regional setting in the lower Mississippi River Delta provides broad opportunities to study the interactions of the built environment, ecological systems, and culture in shaping the landscape through design. The school’s curriculum offers a range of experiences including multidisciplinary collaborations, study abroad opportunities, travel imbedded design studios, and internships in the US and abroad. The school is actively engaged in grant-funded research through projects of the Coastal Sustainability Studio and the Urban Landscape Lab. Additionally, LSU’s 16-acre Hilltop Arboretum features a sizeable collection of endemic plants, serving as a laboratory and event center for the school and community. The school’s location within the College of Art & Design, among the School of Architecture, School of Art (studio arts and art history), and the School of Interior Design, provides unique opportunities for collaboration and the sharing of resources.

About LSU

LSU is the state’s flagship research university and carries the designation of “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation. In 2014, for the seventh consecutive year, LSU was ranked in the first tier of “Best National Universities” by U.S. News & World Report. It is one of 21 universities nationwide holding land-, sea-, and space-grant status. LSU enjoys a lively and diverse community of nearly 35,000 faculty, staff, and students from every state and more than 120 countries. Occupying 2,000 acres on the Mississippi River in Louisiana’s capital city, Baton Rouge, LSU is approximately 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, in the heart of the culturally diverse Delta region. LSU’s campus, largely of Italian Renaissance architecture, is regarded as one of the top 20 most beautiful campuses in the United States, with 57 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and more than 1,200 magnificent live oak trees.

Responsibilities of the Director

• Provides leadership for the educational programs focus and budgeting.
• Cultivates external resources to support the school’s initiatives.
• Assumes responsibility for the management of quality, effectiveness, and progress of the school.
• Promotes excellence in teaching and scholarship.
• Facilitates faculty growth and development.
• Supervises faculty performance and recommends all appointments and other personnel actions relating to the school’s academic and non-academic staff.
• Prepares and executes the school’s budget.
• Encourages and facilitates communication, understanding, and collegiality while providing professional leadership.
• Promotes the public image of the school and university and increases the visibility of the school.
• Teaches graduate or undergraduate courses as deemed suitable based on qualifications.
• Participates on graduate committees and maintains membership in the Graduate School Council.

Qualifications

Master’s or equivalent degree in landscape architecture or a related field; candidates with interdisciplinary program experience and three or more years of administrative or management skills in an upper-level education program or professional practice will be given preference.

How to Apply

Applications will be accepted online at the LSU Careers website at https://lsusystemcareers.lsu.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=58334, position number 001177. Candidates must include a letter of application, CV, and a list of potential references with online application submission. The review of applications will begin December 1, 2014, and will continue until the position is filled. An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check.

LSU is committed to diversity and is an equal opportunity/equal access employer.

Nominate a Candidate

Letters of nomination may be e-mailed to the attention of the search committee chair, Suzanne Turner, at adsn@lsu.edu.

Search Committee Members

• Suzanne Turner, Chair, Suzanne Turner Associates
• Austin Allen, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture
• Jori Erdman, Professor & Director, LSU School of Architecture
• Forbes Lipschitz, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
• Cathy Marshall, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture
• Kevin Risk, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture
• Bruce Sharky, Professor of Landscape Architecture
• Jescelle Major, Student Member, Third-Year MLA
• Tara Titone, Alumni Member, Community Implementation Project Manager at Center for Planning Excellence