Horticulture - Cannabis Instructor
General Description: Niagara County Community College is seeking a full-time instructor for the Horticulture Program – Cannabis Specialization in the Business and STEM Division. The instructor will be responsible for student advisement, assessment of learning objectives, and participation in divisional and college activities. The typical teaching load is 15-18 contact hours per semester which will be comprised of both face-to-face instruction on campus and, once necessary training is completed, online modalities. In addition, the instructor will be responsible for attending regular meetings on campus and participating in committees. Teaching assignments may be during day, evening, or weekend hours. The instructor may be tasked with coordination of the horticulture program.
Lectures are typically three or four contact hours per week. Labs are typically three contact hours per week. Cannabis courses currently offered by the department include The Business of Cannabis, Cannabis Production, The Biology of Cannabis, Cannabis Pest Management, Cannabis Products and Technologies, and Medical Applications of Cannabis. The instructor may also be responsible for teaching various other biology and/or horticulture courses. Classes are held on the NCCC’s main campus in Sanborn, NY.
The start date of this position will be August of 2022 for the beginning of the Fall 2022 Semester.
Niagara County Community College is doing its part to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus within our work environment and requiring that all faculty employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Therefore, the candidate that is selected for hire of the position must show proof of vaccination status to the Human Resources office after an offer of employment is accepted. NCCC will consider requests for medical and religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
Typical Work Activities:
Instruction
- Provide instruction with the focus on teaching and learning to help ensure students in each class successfully meet all course outcomes and classroom objectives.
- Ensure appropriate course-level rigor in class instruction and assessment methodologies.
- Development, integration, and delivery of course content planning documents including, but not limited to, course syllabi and assessments.
- Establish and maintain a classroom climate consistent with the NCCC mission and vision.
Professional Development
- Participate in professional development activities.
- Maintain a current knowledge of teaching discipline/field of study as evidenced by active participation in professional organizations, maintenance of current scholarly collection of resources, and engagement in active, on-going dialogue with peer faculty.
- Participate in faculty development opportunities, including program-specific and campus-wide faculty meetings.
- Cultivate a wide network of industry experts to rely on for externship hosts, field trips, and guest speakers.
Administrative duties
- Meet requirements for creation, distribution, and retention and/or submission of beginning- and end-of-term paperwork.
- Participate in curriculum monitoring and development process by providing feedback on curriculum to Program Coordinator and/or the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs.
- Attend required College functions including program meetings, graduation, and special activities.
- Participate in campus-wide initiatives in support of retention and graduation goal attainment.
- ·Advise students for classes, internship, and career options.
- If applicable, as program coordinator:
- o Recordkeeping, budgeting, scheduling
- o Program updates (syllabi, degree requirements)
- o New course and program development
- o Represent the program at open houses
- o Program evaluation (PEER) and Advisory Board
- o Greenhouse oversight, equipment maintenance and inventory
- o Hiring, training, and evaluation of adjunct faculty and part-time technical assistants
Required Qualifications:
- A Bachelor of Arts or Science degree in Horticulture, Plant Sciences, Biology or related field.
- Knowledge gained through work experience and/or education in:
- Cannabis cultivation, breeding, manufacturing, and processing to create products for pharmaceutical, construction, and agricultural uses
- Federal/state/local laws, regulations, and social equity initiatives
- Extraction technologies and processes including basic chemistry, safety, and compliance
- Responsibilities and legal requirements of a dispensary in the distribution of information and products to the consumer
- Career and internship opportunities in the industry
- Knowledge of endocannabinology including chemical characteristics of cannabis and the factors that influence its interaction within the body.
Desirable Qualifications:
- A Master of Science degree in a discipline that relates to this position
- Teaching experience at the college level.
- At least 5 years of cannabis industry work experience
- Experience with classroom technologies including learning management systems and Zoom
- Course development at the college level
- Industry certifications, training, or membership in professional organizations
- Industry-related public speaking experience and/or publications
- Management-level or supervisory work experience