2021 Call for CE Positions

The 2021 CE Position Call was launched in August 2021 to identify UCCE Advisor and UCCE Specialist positions to be released over the next 12 months. The process has concluded.

The 2021-22 Release of UCCE Positions web page will list all the positions that have been released for recruitment as a result of this process. On March 14, 48 CE Advisor positions were released. CE Specialist positions will be announced in April 2022.  

Rebuilding the UC Cooperative Extension footprint, to address California's emerging and future needs, is made possible by the historic 2021-22 state budget increase. We are extremely grateful for the support and look forward to working with our partners to leverage these resources.

While this state budget increase will allow UC ANR to hire more people and achieve greater impact, we will continue seeking funding from additional sources to support the appropriate number of people with expertise needed to consistently and significantly improve the lives of all Californians. UC ANR continues to pursue non-traditionally funded positions as a complimentary strategy to grow the programmatic footprint. There are UC ANR resources on: how to develop co-funded positions and shared benefits of funding partnerships.

Process Information

Here is the link to the process flowchart with more details.

As in the past, we talked to our community partners and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing needs to prioritize the next rounds of hiring. We didn’t just refill past positions, instead we identified positions to address California’s emerging and future needs. Submittal groups, listed below, were expected to seek stakeholder input and work collaboratively across UC ANR units to make the best use of submission restrictions.

Review and consideration of UC ANR thematic cluster areas for hires was encouraged (see below) given building capacity in these areas is a priority to UC ANR.

Important Resources 

• CE Position Proposal Template (required)
• CE Position Template fillable PDF form (optional)

• CE Position Proposal Criteria

• UC ANR thematic cluster areas for hires: Fire Advisor Network; Food System Resilience Network; Health Resilience Network; Urban Community Development Network; Water Resiliency Network.
  
• 4-H Youth Development and Youth, Families and Communities Academic Position Guidance
• FAQs 

Those that submitted the position proposals:

• County Directors (1 position per county they oversee)
• Research and Extension Center Directors (1 position each Director)
• Statewide Program and Institute Directors (1 position each Director)
• Program Team Leaders (1 position each PT)
• UC Campus Provosts and/or Chancellors (# of positions varies, see link to process flowchart and details above)

For Advisor positions: The first four groups listed above submitted proposals, using the Universal Review System (URS) accessed from the ANR Portal. 

For Specialist positions: UC Campus Provosts or Chancellors emailed proposals to Wendy Powers. For any questions, please contact Wendy Powers or Mark Bell. For more information regarding how appointments will be handled between UC ANR and UC campuses other than UCB, UCD, and UCR, there is a Memorandum of Understanding and the APM guidelines. Program Team Leaders will submit their respective group's reviews through the URS. 

UCCE Programmatic Footprint Maps 

• Link to landing page with some helpful information
• Link to dashboard with maps
• These maps illustrate current positions for UCCE Advisors, UCCE Specialists, other UCCE Academics, and Community Educator Specialists. They also illustrate UCCE Advisor and Specialist positions under-recruitment.
• This information can illuminate gaps and needs to inform UCCE position proposal development and future hiring. 
• Google sheet for user questions & comments

For overall process questions, contact Katherine Webb-Martinez at katherine.webb-martinez@ucop.edu or (510) 987-0029.

For questions about using the Universal Review System (URS), contact Chris Hanson at christopher.hanson@ucop.edu.

Consumption of nutritious whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables and nuts, have been linked to improved health outcomes and reductions in chronic disease and obesity. Most fresh produce is eaten raw and microbial safety is a challenge, reducing consumer confidence, limiting consumption and presenting regulatory challenges for the industry. In addition, high food losses after harvest contributes to the higher cost of healthy foods in the United States, greatly reducing the sustainability of our agricultural systems. Toxins and heavy metals pose additional food safety concerns. This specialist will develop strategies to address harvested crops safety risks and maintain the quality of harvested vegetables, including modeling harvested product responses to environmental conditions (pre- and post-harvest) and their effects on safety, nutrition, and shelf life. The specialist will also work closely with agricultural engineers, including Agriculture Engineering Specialists, on developing and testing strategies to mitigate safety risks of harvested crops. These strategies are critical to increasing availability and access to healthy foods, and improving human health.

            The CE Specialist is expected to play an active role in the programs of the Postharvest Technology Center, along with other CE Specialists and faculty at UC Davis and UC Riverside, many of whom are members of the Postharvest Workgroup. The Postharvest Technology Center supports Advisors and their clientele throughout the state on issues related to handling crops after harvest, especially fruits and vegetables. This individual will collaborate with Advisors and AES faculty in their research and outreach programs, including a potential new Advisor position in Imperial and Riverside Counties focused on food safety and organic vegetable production. The position will be key to maintaining the continuum in the area of vegetable food safety. A candidate for this position is expected to have a PhD in horticulture, postharvest biology, food science, or related fields, with research experience in postharvest biology and technology. Experience in agricultural engineering and/or microbiology a plus.