Portland State University (PSU), a thriving public urban institution known for excellence in intellectual inquiry and community engagement, seeks a Director of the Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices (CSP2), an interdisciplinary center for research, instruction and outreach focused on sustainability and related issues. The CSP2 is responsible for supporting and coordinating a wide range of research activities and relationships across the University and with diverse external partners, and for driving the management of a $25 million challenge grant from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation. The successful candidate will be an experienced, collaborative leader who can build and sustain a broad-based campus and community-wide effort to establish PSU as a global leader in the discovery and application of ideas and practices to promote sustainability, particularly in urban environments and communities.

Portland State is the largest and most diverse academic institution in the Oregon University System, enrolling 27,500 students from every state in the nation and more than 90 foreign countries. PSU was hailed by the Princeton Review as one of the best colleges and universities in the West for 2010, and also has earned distinction as one of America's most "green" universities. As a Carnegie Doctoral Research University located in one of the most environmentally progressive cities in the nation, PSU has a longstanding tradition of learning and research aimed at promoting urban sustainability, a commitment re-confirmed upon the 2008 arrival of the University's new president, Wim Wiewel. With an already thriving sustainability program, the University is uniquely positioned to forge a strong, clear identity as a global leader in sustainability that serves those living in the growing number of cities around the world challenged by growth management and sustainability issues.

In September 2008, PSU received the largest donation in its history: a $25 million challenge grant from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation for research and projects focused on sustainability. The University has placed the responsibility of managing this grant in the CSP2, an office founded in 2006 to support and integrate sustainability research across the University. The Director of the CSP2 will oversee this important center and lead its staff to develop a platform of services and activities that align and elevate the University's sustainability activities by using the PSU campus and Portland community as a "living laboratory" and forging new frontiers in research, teaching, and practice. To fulfill this vision, the Director will face key opportunities and challenges: s/he must focus and enhance PSU's research capacity to address sustainability in urban communities; aggressively leverage the Miller Grant funding to create new robust funding streams; raise the profile of PSU as a leader in sustainability through outreach and collaboration; and optimize the influence and impact of the Center across the University and beyond.

This position represents an extraordinary opportunity for an experienced research leader from a major academic institution, with a tireless passion for sustainability and a strong understanding of PSU's mission as an urban University.

Applications, including cover letter, vita and three references, should be submitted in electronic form and may be done so via the contact below.

David Bellshaw is leading this search with Deborah Hodson and Stephanie Mardell.

Portland State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Persons of color and women are encouraged to apply.

For more information about PSU please go to www.pdx.edu.