Lees-McRae College Looking for May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Veterinarian and Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology Full Time

Date Posted: Friday, Oct. 13
Department: Academics Affairs
Category: Full time (12 month) with faculty appointment

Lees-McRae is a small, private, liberal arts college, located in the Appalachian region of the Southeastern United States. The college is at an exciting time of growth in its online presence and online learning has been identified as a priority initiative in our 2030 INEXPRO Strategic Plan. Currently, the college offers 7 undergraduate programs and 3 graduate programs online. Online courses are offered during 16-week and 8-week terms, depending on the program, and are asynchronous. Lees-McRae prides itself on small class sizes, highly qualified faculty with real-world experience, and an emphasis on experiential learning. Our motto for online programs is to be “in, of, and for your community.” As such, we prepare our graduates for successful and rewarding careers in which they can serve and elevate their own communities. 

Summary/Objective
The May School of Natural and Health Sciences at Lees-McRae College invites applications for the position of Veterinarian and Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology. This is a full-time, main campus position starting for the academic year 2023-24. The appointment will preferably begin in January of 2024, though a later start date is negotiable. At the time of hire, the successful applicant must have completed a DVM or VMD degree in Veterinary Medicine from an AVMA accredited college and licensure to practice in North Carolina.

Lees-McRae offers unique BS degree programs in Wildlife Biology and Pre-Veterinary Sciences and serves as home to the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Students who choose to specialize in Wildlife Rehabilitation work closely with our faculty and staff to treat and care for injured and orphaned wildlife with the goal of returning them to their natural environment. Those preparing to apply to veterinary school gain valuable experience working directly with animals. Our programs collaborate with area partners to maintain the ecology and wildlife of our Appalachian locale and are respected parts of the community. These majors have become our most popular offerings and we seek to expand our personnel to match increased demands at the center and academically. As an addition to our program, this position brings the ability to establish new clinical opportunities and partnerships.

The successful candidate will join our clinical team, reporting to our lead veterinarian and the center director. With additional training, the position will add to our academic team through advising and leadership at the center and by offering related classes in animal care, anatomy, or clinical treatment, depending on experience.

Essential Functions
Clinical

• Provide supplementary surgical, rehabilitative, and emergency care to wildlife patients at the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, as commensurate with experience.
• Facilitate on-call duties at the MWRC.

Academic

• Fulfill faculty needs at Lees-McRae College by teaching courses within the School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences.
  • Estimate: ~ ½ teaching load (6 hours/semester) in each fall and spring semester.
  • Courses may include Human/Animal Nutrition, Histology, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Medical terminology, Animal Physiology, Lab diagnostics, Embryology, or others TBD based on experience.
• Provide hands-on clinical instruction as needed to Lees-McRae students, including a full-time schedule during the summer clinical session.
• Lead instructional courses as appropriate for summer clinical teaching days or summer wildlife camp
• Assist with weekly mentor meetings (during academic year) and daily rounds (summer).
• Serve as an academic advisor to students pursuing the Pre-Veterinary or Wildlife Biology curriculum after the first year with the program.
• Maintain regular office hours to meet with students.
• Teaching responsibilities include but are not limited to: classroom management, student assessment, and assessment of student learning.  
• Maintain professional standards of practice in teaching in the classroom.
• Meet Lees-McRae standards for course syllabi creation and submission, classroom management, use of technology, grade submission, and records management. 

Service

• Participate in Open House and other Lees-McRae events.
• Serve as needed on committees of School, College, and Faculty Senate.
• Attend and participate in scheduled faculty/administrative meetings.
• Other duties as assisgned by the Dean of the May School of Natural and Health Sciences. 

Scholarship and Professional Development

• The veterinarian is expected to continue their professional development and maintain currency in their field through seminars, classes, and scholarship.
• Promote and support undergraduate research opportunities.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Ability to stand for periods of time.

The employee is occasionally required to sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 40 pounds, including animal restraint. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time position with an anticipated schedule of 40 hours/week. Days and hours of work are TBD, as the clinic is operational 7 days per week and 365 days per year.  A regularly scheduled weekend workday or on-call time may be required

Travel
None required other than occasional in-area releases or rescues, as deemed necessary by circumstance.

Required Education and Experience

• DVM or VMD from an AVMA-accredited college
• Current licensure to practice veterinary medicine in North Carolina
• Teaching experience preferred, but not required
• Experience in wildlife medicine preferred

• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to teach undergraduate level-courses appropriate to employee’s area(s) of expertise according to his or her veterinary medical training and experience

Additional Notes
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

To apply, please complete application on the Lees-McRae website to include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy, unofficial transcripts, and the names of three references with contact information.

Any questions regarding the application process, please contact Deborah Lowery at [email protected]

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Lees-McRae College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity/Americans with Disabilities Act employer committed to excellence through diversity.