University of Minnesota

Landscape Arboretum

Position Description

Position Title:               Adult Education Program Coordinator

Job Code:                    9354 Coordinator

Supervisor:                   Tim Kenny, Director of Education

General Information:
The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum features more than 1,000 acres of magnificent gardens, model landscapes, and natural areas-from woodlands and wetlands to prairie-with extensive collections of northern-hardy plants. The Arboretum is part of the Department of Horticultural Science within the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota. Our mission is to provide a community and national resource for horticultural and environmental information, research and public education; to develop and evaluate plants and horticultural practices for cold climates; and to inspire and delight all visitors with quality plants in well-designed and maintained displays, collections, model landscapes, and conservation areas. For more information see: www.arboretum.umn.edu

Position Description:

The primary responsibility of this position is to fulfill the Arboretum’s mission of providing educational programs and environmental information to the public. The coordinator will develop and coordinate the entire adult education program at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, MN. Current program areas include: public policy, the Gardening School, horticulture, design and enrichment classes such as art, cooking and photography that align with the Arboretum’s mission and strategic goals. The coordinator will be responsible for achieving revenue goals within the adult education programming to support the Arboretum.

The coordinator will develop new classes and programs using the latest technology that will include a local, national, and international network to support the Arboretum’s education programs. The coordinator will be responsible for researching and identifying new and current topics of horticultural interest in close coordination with advisory groups within the Arboretum, the University of Minnesota, key nonprofit organizations and associations, and the general public to procure speakers and ancillary panels for programs. 

Other responsibilities and expectations for this position include development of programs and managing budgets to reach or exceed annual goals; marketing programs in conjunction with the marketing department; coordinating and supervising volunteer and part-time staff; detailed recordkeeping and program evaluation.

Required Qualifications: 

A master's degree is required. Significant coursework in horticulture, botany, biology, agriculture or related field is required. Demonstrated ability to develop innovative mission-based programming and also attain revenue goals are required. Strong public speaking, communication and presentation skills are required. Staff supervision, budget administration/management or related experience is required. Experience working with MSWord, PowerPoint, Excel, desktop publishing and web-based communications strategies.

Desired Qualifications: 

Work experience in one or more of the following subject areas is desired;  horticulture, natural resources, agriculture, landscape design, plant ecology, community organizing, conference planning, facilitation, public speaking.  Additional degree or significant coursework in one or more of the following is also desired; public affairs, business management, planning, education administration, or communication/public relations. Knowledge of local, regional, and statewide organizations, groups, businesses, government agencies, and individuals that are stakeholders in issues such as the environment, bio-diversity, natural resources, horticulture, education, sustainability, water quality, landscaping, plant ecology, and land conservation. Previous experience engaging and motivating multiple stakeholder groups to work towards a common goal.

Additional Information:

This position is team based and is part of the Education Department of the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.  This position reports directly to the Director of Education.  The salary range for this position is commensurate with qualifications including education and experience; $45,000 - $52,000.  This is a Professional and Academic (P & A) annually, renewable appointment; which includes the University of MN benefits package. 

Application Instructions:

All applicants must apply through the University of MN online employment system; complete the U of M online application and submit a resume, cover letter and references to be considered for this position.   The requisition number for this position is: #164977

The Link to University of Minnesota employment is:

http://ww1.umn.edu/ohr/employment/