AgCountry Endowed Chair in Agribusiness
North Dakota State University
Agribusiness and Applied Economics
AgCountry Endowed Chair in Agribusiness
TITLE: AgCountry Endowed Chair in Agribusiness
POSITION LOCATION: Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics, North Dakota State University
POSITION DESCRIPTION: The position is the AgCountry Endowed Chair in Agribusiness and is fully endowed, including a stipend and funding for graduate students and/or teaching assistants. The position is housed in the Center for Trading and Risk in the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University. The successful candidate would be tenured and hired at either the Associate or Full Professor rank, depending upon qualifications. The position is for a 9-month academic year and the split is: 70% Research, 30% Teaching.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The 
successful candidate will be expected to develop leadership in the department's research and teaching programs in agribusiness with an emphasis on finance and risk analysis. Areas of emphasis could include project financial analysis (mostly in value-added agriculture), finance and risk analysis in ag technology, financial management of agribusiness firms, crop insurance, credit scoring, etc. In addition, case studies related to these topics could be developed and used in the teaching program. Teaching responsibility would depend on the needs of the department. The candidate would be expected to develop two courses, one at the undergraduate and one at the MS level, in the general areas of agribusiness with an emphasis on ag finance. These would be new courses complementary to existing courses offered in the department.
Faculty evaluations are based on successful publications in leading disciplinary journals, active participation in professional activities, effective teaching and advising at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, satisfactory service and outreach activities to the profession, state, university, and department as well as successful pursuit of extramural funding sufficient to support an active research program.
AgCountry Farm Credit Services (AgCountry), a farm credit association of the federally chartered Farm Credit System and a lender to midwestern agriculture with a large agribusiness portfolio, funds the endowment. Priorities of the Chair would be presented annually to the AgCountry’s Executive Leadership Team and Board.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Minimum requirements include:
1. earned Ph.D. in agricultural economics, or related disciplines;
2. experience in teaching and research in Agribusiness
3. expertise in agribusiness finance and quantitative methods;
4. effective oral and written communication skills;
5. demonstrated ability to conduct research and disseminate results in leading academic journals.
Preferred qualifications include:
1. evidence of teaching effectiveness;
2. ability to supervise MS and Ph.D. students;
3. ability to obtain extramural funding to support research activities;
4. ability to communicate research results to clientele groups;
5. demonstrated consistent and excellent contributions to research and publication, and scholarship; and
6. a record of externally funded research in agricultural economics, agribusiness, finance and/or risk analysis.
SALARY: The position offers a competitive salary and benefits package
POSITION AVAILABLE: To be filled by July 1, 2025, when the successful candidate would be in residence.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Screening of applicants will begin in Fall 2024 and continue until a suitable candidate is hired.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES: Applications are accepted online only. A full position description and application procedures can be viewed at:
https://www.ndsu.edu/employment/
Application materials must include a letter of application, including a statement of principal qualifications and interests, curriculum vitae, transcripts of all university work, samples of research publications, and names and contact information for three professional colleagues familiar with the candidate’s qualifications. Questions may be directed to William Wilson, Chair of the search committee (email: William.wilson@ndsu.edu).
THE CENTER OF TRADING AND RISK (CTR), AGCOUNTRY, DEPARTMENT, UNIVERISITY AND REGION
Center of Trading and Risk (CTR): The focus of the CTR is to develop and teach courses and conduct research focusing on agriculture and agribusiness. The CTR supports faculty and MS students and provides scholarships to students pursuing careers in agriculture and risk. The focus of research in recent years includes agricultural trading and risk, logistics, ag technology, and big-data modeling of agricultural marketing functions and commodity risk. More detail is available at: https://www.ndsu.edu/centers/ctr
AgCountry: AgCountry Farm Credit Services is part of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of member-owned cooperatives. Each institution is governed by a board of directors chosen by the members it supports. AgCountry's mission is to serve agriculture and rural America by providing reliable, consistent credit and financial services to farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses primarily in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. AgCountry has over $12 billion of assets and serves 25,000 members with over 750 employees across 45 office locations.
NDSU: The Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics has developed strong regional support for the excellence of its teaching, research, and outreach programs. The Department comprises 18 tenure-track faculty; 5 research professors, and Extension specialists. Research strengths include risk and trading, agribusiness, agricultural economics, and international trade. Faculty in the Department are actively involved in interdisciplinary research. The Department offers three undergraduate majors (Economics, Agricultural Economics, and Agribusiness) and two M.S. degrees (Agribusiness and Applied Economics and International Agribusiness). The Department has a Ph.D. in Applied Economics and contributes to several interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs at North Dakota State University.
North Dakota State University is the Land Grant University for North Dakota. Recent improvements in research activities have elevated the University’s research rankings and increased research budgets through greater success in attaining extramural funding. Extensive engagement with agribusiness firms, both domestic and international, is encouraged. Approximately 12,242 students attend NDSU. NDSU is an ADVANCED institution and Carnegie Very High Research Activity Institution.
NDSU is an equal-opportunity institution. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. “This position is exempt from North Dakota Veterans’ Preference requirements.”
Region: Fargo-Moorhead enjoys one of the strongest economies of the Upper Midwest. Growth is driven by financial services, technology and software firms, agricultural manufacturing and food processing, and retailing. Fargo-Moorhead is the largest metropolitan area between Minneapolis and Spokane, Washington. In the past few years, several magazines have proclaimed Fargo-Moorhead as one of the most stress-free metropolitan areas in America. "Quality of Life" is one of the most often-repeated phrases that people use when describing the region. The Fargo-Moorhead community has many qualities that contribute to this reputation, including an excellent K-12 educational system, three universities (NDSU, Minnesota State University-Moorhead, and Concordia College), advanced medical technology, a progressive business community, clean air and water, and a low cost of living relative to comparable metropolitan areas. A recent study by the Lung Association ranked Fargo as one of two U.S. cities with the cleanest air. Fargo-Moorhead is a bustling and active metropolitan area of approximately 228,291 people offering a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities, as well as an active and diverse visual and performing arts community.