Continuing Education Specialist

The primary responsibility of the Continuing Education Specialist will be to oversee entrepreneurial educational training and activities related to entrepreneurial /small business development for farm operations, agribusinesses and food entrepreneurs and to serve as a liaison between Continuing Education at NC A&T SU for the HBCU Agriculture Business Innovation Center ( ABIC), which is primarily funded by the USDA - National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The HBCU- ABIC is housed at NC A&T SU, in partnership with Alabama A&M University, Kentucky State University, and West Virginia State University, to serve as the administrative hub for national agricultural entrepreneurial teaching, outreach, and research activities. The Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program Associate will report to the center's Managing Director and will be responsible for providing quality programming for a diverse adult learner population and performing program management and implementation duties and responsibilities in alignment with the center's objectives.

The objectives of this HBCU- ABIC are twofold: (1) to provide technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farms, firms, and individuals' with interests in agricultural and food systems through the development of an entrepreneurial academy, which will offer (a) a professional development certification program providing entrepreneurial training, consultation, workshops, and other educational resources and activities, (b) a "tournament of ideas" competitive scholarship program for socially disadvantaged farms, firms, and students for business startup, marketing, and fundraising assistance, and a model for supervised agribusiness entrepreneurship beyond training to incubate business ideas, and (2) to provide workforce- oriented entrepreneurial training through student experiential learning programs.

N.C. A&T is a public, land-grant, doctoral research institution and has been the largest historically Black university in the country for the past decade. With an enrollment of 14,311 students in Fall 2024, the university offers 59 undergraduate degree programs, 36 master's programs, and 12 doctoral programs. It is America's top producer of Black graduates in Engineering and Agricultural Science bachelor's programs, as well as a top five producer in numerous additional disciplines, including Liberal Arts and Communications/Journalism. It also ranks no. 3 in master's degrees awarded to Black graduates in Engineering Technologies and Related Fields, no. 4 in master's degrees in Engineering, and no. 11 best business school for women in the nation.

Nationally recognized for its leadership and excellence in STEM education and research, N.C. A&T is classified as "R2-High Research Activity" in the Carnegie Classifications and is poised to achieve "R1-Very High Research Activity" status. It also holds Carnegie's earned credential in Community Engagement and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities ( APLU) Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation. With an annual economic impact of $2.4 billion, N.C. A&T plays a vital role as a higher-education economic driver in North Carolina's Piedmont Triad region and across a state that is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the second straight year as "best for business" by the CNBC financial network.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T SU) is ranked #1 among Historically Black Colleges and Universities ( HBCU). The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences ( CAES) at NC A&T is the largest college of Agriculture among HBCUs and top producer of African Americans with degrees in Agriculture and second national supplier of minority admits in Veterinary Medicine. CAES has a rich history of innovation and application of cutting-edge technology across its four academic departments: Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education; Department of Animal Sciences; Department of Family and Consumer Sciences; and Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design. Within these departments, students are offered a myriad of opportunities for classroom learning, research, and field work. In addition, the college's research and experiential learning are strengthened by non-academic units, including the University farm and the center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies at the North Carolina Research campus. Through its Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension Programs, CAES conducts research on issues of national importance and provide research-based extension training and services to citizens, communities, and industry partners across the state of North Carolina.

The HBCU- ABIC is affiliated with the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education. The department offers two undergraduate degrees, a B.S. in Agricultural and Environmental Systems (Agribusiness and Food Industry Management) and a B.S. in Agricultural Education with two concentration areas in Agricultural Professional Service and Secondary Education. The BS in Agricultural Education has been nationally recognized as 2nd in the nation for affordable online programs by AffordableSchools.net and is one of the earliest integrators of educational technologies. The Department also offers a Master of Science degree in Agricultural and Environmental Systems (Agribusiness and Food Industry Management) and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Education with two concentration areas in Professional Licensure and Professional Service. The department has two new concentrations in the new doctoral program in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: Agribusiness & Applied Economics and Agricultural & Extension Education. The department is also uniquely positioned to facilitate research and outreach programming through its international agricultural education and outreach programming, which has sent several faculty, students, and staff abroad to countries such as Canada, Belize, China, and Africa through USDA sponsored projects. The department also houses an International Trade Center and an Applied Survey Laboratory, which facilitate research and outreach activities for small businesses and small farm operations throughout the state of North Carolina and qualitative and quantitative research analyses, respectively.

Ultimately, the department seeks faculty and staff who will contribute to the fulfillment of the department's vision, which is to uphold the land-grant mission by preparing North Carolinians and the greater global community with an education in agribusiness, applied economics, and agricultural education, a capacity to conduct and/or interpret interdisciplinary research involving agricultural and social sciences, and an ability to engage, build, and strengthen farming/rural and urban communities.

MS or MBA in Agriculture Economics, Agribusiness Management, Business Administration or a closely related field. The successful candidate will have three or more years of visible, effective teaching and learning experience including significant evidence of related professional growth including but not limited to evidence of successful teaching, advising, mentoring, and coaching, or exemplary service or outreach.

You must complete and submit an electronic application for employment to be considered. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completing an electronic application. Applicants seeking Veteran's Preference must attach a DD 214 form. Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty with your application during the process of applying to the job posting. Final candidates are subject to criminal and sex offender background checks. North Carolina A&T State University participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States. North Carolina A&T State University is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. No one who applies or seeks employment will be denied admission to or employment at North Carolina A&T State University on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disabling condition, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or sexual orientation and sexual identity.

Employee Benefits available to NC A & T permanent employees include the following and more;