ASSISTANT DEAN - URBAN AGRICULTURE

Other Jobs To Apply

No other job posts for this day.

<p>Since 1911, City Colleges of Chicago has been connecting students from across Chicago’s neighborhoods to economic opportunity. By offering a quality education at an unprecedented value, City Colleges provides our students and alumni with a pathway to upward mobility. City Colleges of Chicago is the city’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity—empowering its students to take part in building a stronger and more just city. As Illinois’ largest community college system, City Colleges is comprised of seven colleges and five satellite sites across Chicago.</p><p>PRIMARY OBJECTIVE</p><p>Reporting to the Dean of Urban Agriculture, the Assistant Dean of Urban Agriculture supports academic leadership for the Urban Agriculture Department. The Assistant Dean assists with day-to-day academic and operational activities, greenhouse management, industry partnerships, and work-based learning opportunities.</p><p>This role fosters an environment of academic excellence, student success, and collaboration by assisting in program development, curriculum management, compliance, workforce connections, and student engagement initiatives.</p><p>ESSENTIAL DUTIES</p><p>• Academic Program Support: Assists in the development, implementation, and evaluation of academic programs, certificates, and continuing education courses in Urban Agriculture disciplines.</p><p>• Curriculum Management and Integration: Collaborates with faculty and administrators to ensure curriculum quality and relevance aligned with industry standards and emerging workforce needs. Supports the integration of cannabis-related content into broader academic programs such as business, criminal justice, environmental studies, and public health.</p><p>• Industry Partnerships: Supports relationship-building with regional employers, advisory councils, and community organizations to develop work training and career pathways for students.</p><p>• Student Success Initiatives: Assists with the development and implementation of strategies to improve student enrollment, retention, completion, career placement, and successful transfer to four-year institutions.</p><p>• Operational Oversight: Helps manage the day-to-day operations of the Urban Agriculture Greenhouse and related facilities, ensuring proper maintenance, safety, sustainability, and effective use of new technologies.</p><p>• Compliance and Accreditation: Aids in ensuring program compliance with district policies, state and federal laws, and Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation standards. Maintains awareness of emerging legal and regulatory changes affecting cannabis education programs.</p><p>• Faculty and Staff Support: Assists in recruiting, onboarding, and supporting vocational lecturers, adjuncts, and support staff; monitors instructional quality and professional development needs.</p><p>• Alumni Engagement and Network Building: Leverages alumni relationships to support student internships, mentorship, job placements, and program visibility within the cannabis and urban agriculture sectors.</p><p>• Marketing and Outreach: Collaborates with the Marketing Department to support promotional campaigns, community outreach events, and external partnership development.</p><p>• Fundraising and Social Equity: Supports the planning and management of fundraising activities and social equity initiatives aligned with the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (Bill 1438), including partnering with organizations focused on cannabis equity and inclusion. Assists in identifying grant opportunities to support program development and expansion.</p><p>• Data Collection, Evaluation, and Reporting: Monitors and evaluates program performance through data collection and assessment tools, preparing internal and external reports as needed.</p><p>• Budget Monitoring: Aids in the monitoring of program budgets, including tracking expenditures, purchasing needs, and resource allocations for department operations and training programs.</p><p>• Continuous Improvement: Identifies operational challenges and recommends solutions to promote continuous growth, student-centered innovation, and program excellence.</p><p><br></p><p>REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS</p><p>Reports To Dean, Urban Agriculture</p><p>Direct Supervision Program coordinators, administrative staff, and student workers as assigned.</p><p><br></p><p>QUALIFICATIONS</p><p>• Master’s degree from an accredited institution with industry experience and/or relevant education in Urban Agriculture, Agribusiness, Environmental Science, Education, Business Administration, or a closely related field.</p><p>• Minimum of three (3) years of administrative or program management experience in agriculture, science, education, or cannabis industries.</p><p>• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered based management’s discretion.</p><p>• Experience in grant management and project management required.</p><p>• Experience supporting curriculum development and program operations in an academic setting.</p><p>• Knowledge of Urban Agriculture practices, systems, and industry trends.</p><p>• Knowledge of Illinois cannabis laws, regulations, and industry practices preferred.</p><p>• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of planning, program development, evaluation, and budgeting, preferably in a community college setting</p><p>• Strong communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.</p><p>• Ability to work collaboratively across academic departments, community partners, and external stakeholders.</p><p>• Commitment to fostering an inclusive, culturally responsive academic environment.</p><p>• Self-directed, resourceful, and capable of contributing to innovative strategies for departmental growth and success.</p><p>• Ability to work occasional weekends as needed</p><p>• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook, Teams)</p><p><br></p><p>Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as other factors such as internal equity.</p><p><br></p><p>Benefits information is found at https://www.ccc.edu/departments/Benefits/</p><p><br></p><p><strong>WE OFFER:</strong> Excellent health and welfare benefit package and long-term savings and investment programs including 403(b) & 457(b) Investment Plans and a pension plan with the State University Retirement System (SURS) Plan. Generous vacation, holiday, personal and sick days, and tuition reimbursement. For a more detailed overview of benefits, please visit the benefits page of our website.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.</strong> <strong>Chicago residency is required for all full-time employees within 6 months of hire.</strong> <strong>Thank you for your interest in CCC!</strong></p>

Back to blog

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...