MJC seeks director for the Great Valley Museum
The Great Valley Museum of Natural History at Modesto Junior College is seeking a new director to oversee day-to-day and fundraising operations. The director of the Great Valley Museum (GVM) will supervise museum staff, currently consisting of two full-time employees, a dozen traveling teachers, and a cadre of volunteer docents and helpers. In addition, the director serves ex-oficio as a member of the Great Valley Museum Foundation Board and is charged with oversight of all fundraising activities.
In April, 2014, the Great Valley Museum will move into the ground floor of the Science Community Center which opened in spring of 2013 on MJC's West Campus. This new location will provide immediate access for MJC's science students to study the flora, fauna, and ecosystems of the area, from the Sierras to the valley floor, and to utilize the Science-on-a-Sphere display for the study of Earth and space sciences.
The GVM seeks a leader with the skills and vision to fully realize the next phase of growth in its new home. The ideal candidate will couple a background in science, education, and/or museum studies, with success in fundraising and collaborative leadership of a diverse staff of dedicated employees and volunteers.
The GVM serves to educate and promote the study of science and nature throughout the Stanislaus County area. The GVM serves as the community education arm of the Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Division of Modesto Junior College, providing educational programs for children grades pre-kindergarten through 12th grade both on-site at the museum and at area schools through the popular Traveling Teacher program.
The GVM offers Central Valley ecosystem displays, a California Natives exhibit, a live animal vivarium, the Discovery Room full of hands-on materials, a backyard exhibit, and full-body taxidermy of animals from around the world. The GVM has a long history of assisting classroom teachers. GVM expertise is in bringing science and nature to students throughout the community. Using the California Science Standards as a guide, the museum offers a multitude of programs on science and nature topics. Tours of the museum showcase the many exhibits and displays. The GVM is also flexible and mobile, providing programs at parks, classrooms or other educational sites.
Operated in concert with the GVM, and also overseen by the museum director, is MJC's new, state-of-the-art planetarium with 107 seats below a 40-foot dome housing both a Zeiss ZKP-4 LED/fiber-optic star projector and the Zeiss Velvet Digital Projection system with Uniview software. The MJC Planetarium will be a destination for classes from throughout the community and within the college, and for families and groups seeking science learning opportunities and events.
Adjacent to the GVM (currently in design) will be an outdoor education area with native plants, an aquatic ecosystem, geology specimens, a greenhouse, and a shaded gathering area.
With the new facilities, the GVM is perched to take off to great heights and expand its staffing accordingly, based on vastly increased visitation, on-site classes and planetarium shows, and increased donations from the community and corporate sponsors.
Details of the GVM director position, including minimum qualifications and application procedures, can be found athttps://yosemite.peopleadmin.com/postings/991. Interested applicants must create an account and submit their applications electronically. The application deadline is February 10, 2014, at 11:59 p.m.
For additional Great Valley Museum information visit the Great Valley Museum website. Also visit the Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Division website for more information and a photo of the new Science Community Center.
Questions can also be directed to museum staff members Molly Flemate at flematem@mjc.edu or 209-575-6674, and Tana Dennen at dennent@mjc.edu or 209-575-6196, or to Brian Sanders, acting GVM director, at 209-575-6701 orsandersb@mjc.edu.