[Nhcoll-l] Paleontology Collections Manager position announcement

[Curtis Schmidt]

Fort Hays State University’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History is accepting applications for a Paleontology Collections Manager to oversee the day-to-day care and use of the paleontology collections.  This is a full-time, three-year position with a salary commensurate with experience; benefits available.

Responsibilities: The collections manager is expected to organize workflows, specimens, and specimen data to maximize the utilization of the collection by museum staff, students, and outside researchers. Primary tasks include database management, data entry, managing loans and new acquisitions, archiving specimen data and metadata, and training and managing undergraduate students, graduate students, and volunteers. The collection manager will also work with the Curator of Paleontology to oversee two separate NSF grants for collection improvements. The paleontology collection manager must be able to work as a team to construct a unified collection management system, complete designated tasks, and collaborate with other museum professionals in a small/medium-sized museum.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will have a Master’s Degree in geology, biology, paleontology, or museum studies, experience with vertebrate systematics and/or fossil preparation, experience with natural history collections, and experience in database management and relational databases. Training in collection management policies and procedures is also crucial. Five or more years of natural history collection management experience may be considered in lieu of Master’s Degree in some cases.

Application Procedure: Applicants should send a cover letter which addresses the requirements listed here, graduate and undergraduate transcripts, a CV, and names/contact information of three referees to the Curator of Paleontology Dr. Laura Wilson: lewilson6 at fhsu.edu. Review of applications begins immediately and continues until position is filled. Electronic submissions only.

About the Museum: The mission of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History is to “advance an appreciation and understanding of Earth’s natural history and the evolutionary forces that impact it.  With an emphasis on the Great Plains.” These goals are accomplished through research, publications, collections, exhibits, and educational programs. The use of the collections for exhibits, outreach, and scientific research allows us to reach local, regional, and international communities. Locally, the Sternberg Museum works directly with K-12 school groups and the local college community. Museum staff develops programs to bring classes into the museum, and programs to take into the classroom to enhance existing science education.  The museum is also able to reach the general public with museum and community-based events that highlight relevant scientific topics and cutting-edge research.

The Sternberg Museum of Natural History houses over three million paleontologic, biologic, and geologic specimens that document life and environments in the Great Plains region of North America. These collections are vital to understanding, measuring, and monitoring the biodiversity of past and present ecosystems of the region. The paleontological collections include more than 400,000 vertebrate and invertebrate specimens (including dozens of holotypes) representing broad taxonomic diversity from all Phanerozoic time periods. Most of the specimens are from Kansas deposits, making the Museum an exceptional repository for Cretaceous marine and Neogene terrestrial fossils, and an invaluable resource for researchers interested in these ecosystems.

About Fort Hays State University: Forward Thinking. World Ready — Fort Hays State University is a highly entrepreneurial, teaching-focused institution with major operations on campus, online, and in China. Providing a high-quality education at an affordable price, FHSU is ranked by the Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the top-ten fastest-growing universities in the U.S. It has an enrollment in excess of 14,000 students (approximately 5000 on campus, 3500 in China, and over 6000 online) and over 380 full-time faculty. Bachelor’s, master’s, and professional doctoral degrees are offered through five colleges, the Graduate School, the Honors College, the Virtual College, and various international partnerships. Fort Hays State University's award-winning Virtual College coordinates distance education to the U.S. Armed Services and students in over 20 countries. The Virtual College has received many accolades, including U.S. News & World Report Online Programs rankings, GetEducated.com, Best Buys in Education, among others. Students at FHSU may select a major field of study from 30 departments. FHSU is fully accredited by several national agencies, and is one of six state-assisted institutions of higher education governed by a Board of Regents appointed by the governor of the state of Kansas. The website StateUniversity.com ranked the FHSU campus as the safest in the state of Kansas.

The University has rich sports and cultural programming, all of which enjoy tremendous community support. The Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center is home to the Encore Series, which hosts many travelling Broadway shows, the Hays Symphony, university and other national and world-caliber performances. FHSU athletic events provide NCAA Division II athletic entertainment.


Notice of Non-discrimination – Fort Hays State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, national origin, color, age, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability or veteran status.



Background Check: Final candidate will have consented to and successfully completed a criminal background check.



Notice to KPERS retirees applying for a position: Recent legislation changes working-after-retirement rules for both you and your employer if you go back to work for a KPERS employer. Please contact your KPERS representative or www.kpers.org<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.kpers.org_&d=CwIF-g&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=vZt6fHKUepOThZy34ms6Mf_YniIVuBTm-Axa7wr_w4M&s=9gU8VtgraZjve53QoTjkx-bLFRF5s4YDVqGKjuJ09T8&e= > for further information on how this might affect you.




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Curtis J. Schmidt

    Zoological Collections Manager

    Sternberg Museum of Natural History


    Instructor

    Department of Biological Sciences

    Fort Hays State University


    3000 Sternberg Drive

    Hays, KS  67601

    785-650-2447 (cell)

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