Download or read book Chairing Academic Departments written by N. Doug Lees and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2006 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What role does the position of department chair occupy in higher education today? Once characterized as largely a management function, the 21st-century department chair is now facing a host of emerging challenges that require additional skills and fresh approaches to fulfilling the role. In Chairing Academic Departments, the author offers experience-based suggestions for new, existing, and potential chairs as they face a higher education enterprise that is undergoing significant change. While acknowledging that many traditional responsibilities and expectations will remain unaltered, the author also identifies several dynamic functions—from entrepreneurial work and fundraising, faculty evaluation and motivation, student recruitment and retention, problem solving, and interpersonal interactions such as advising, meditating, and mentoring. The author navigates the changes arising in the role of department chair by offering valuable insight in the following areas: Characteristics of effective department chairs How to work with, and advocate for, internal constituents Managing and disseminating information Recruiting, retaining, and evaluating faculty Fiscal responsibility and strategic planning Benefits of serving as department chair Planning to exit the chair position While the position of department chair will continue to evolve, Chairing Academic Departments equips readers with the situational understanding and practical advice they need to meet the demands of tomorrow.

Download or read book Leading Academic Change written by Ann F. Lucas and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2000-03-09 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "To ensure its continued validity, higher education needs to change, something it cannot do without the participation of department chairs. In this book, Ann Lucas has assembled some of the most thoughtful people in higher education to provide the 'line leaders' of higher education with the essential knowledge they need to bring those changes about." --Margaret A. Miller, president, American Association for Higher Education "Department chairs are typically amateurs, entering upon their position for a limited time with no formal training to prepare them for the many roles and responsibilities that the job requires. Both new chairs and more experienced ones will find in Leading Academic Change help in dealing with problems they are facing as well as inspiration and insights to go beyond minimum expectations and provide leadership for the future." --W.J. McKeachie, professor of psychology, University of Michigan "With practical advice and a platform of sound social science, Lucas offers a promising paradigm for chairs to move their departments from a federation of islands to a decision-making team." --Carla B. Howery, deputy executive officer, American Sociological Association For the 80,000 department chairs working on campuses across the nation, this visionary yet practical book shows how to manage academic change at the department level. It provides useful ideas and strategies on handling resistance to change, transforming departments into productive learning communities, and improving educational quality for students. In twelve incisive chapters, top academic scholars, authors, and consultants address topics and trAnds as diverse as service learning, technological change, curriculum renewal, faculty reward systems, and post-tenure review. They offer effective models to help department chairs and administrators work through the change process, including recommAndations based on real-world experiences. They also integrate the latest research with examples of best practices into a readable, accessible format. Whether you are a department chair, administrator, or a faculty member aspiring to improve your department, Leading Academic Change is the expert's guide to mobilizing faculty energy towards academic success.

Download or read book Academic Leadership written by Deryl R. Leaming and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2007 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the responsibilities entailed in being a department chairperson are ever evolving, those who occupy the position must continually adapt and build upon their skills in order to meet new challenges and expectations. In the first edition of Academic Leadership, Deryl R. Leaming helped thousands of chairpersons navigate changes in higher education and effectively lead their departments. While maintaining its focus on practical application, this new edition has been significantly revised and expanded to address new aspects of the role of department chairs. Now organized into six parts, the second edition contains best practices and ideas from some of today's leading scholars. It also incorporates information on emerging challenges and expectations for department chairpersons, including Developing a departmental vision Working with constituents Retaining students Conflict management Mentoring faculty Post-tenure review Written to assist chairpersons in carrying out their duties, each concise chapter offers advice and practical suggestions for aspiring, new, and experienced chairpersons. Readers are provided with the expectations of the chair role as well as examples for handling specific tasks. In addition, this book encourages chairpersons to analyze their departments in order to effect improvement and develop their own approaches to solving problems. Featuring useful checklists, tables, and sample forms, this book also provides practical tools on the key areas of chair work—departmental management; interacting with faculty, students, and upper administration; financial matters; legal issues; assessment and evaluation. This invaluable resource will help guide chairpersons through the many responsibilities of their position.

Download or read book How to Chair a Department written by Kevin Dettmar and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2022-09-20 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical, accessible handbook for chairing a department. Over the course of a typical academic career, most faculty will serve at least one term as chair of a department. It's a leadership and service role that's at the very heart of faculty satisfaction and student success, yet few receive any training on how to do the job. How to Chair a Department is a practical, accessible handbook for new and prospective chairs, providing both principles and practices for effective departmental leadership. Based on his dozen years of chairing departments, Kevin Dettmar provides invaluable advice on: • hiring tenure-track and visiting faculty • mentoring faculty colleagues at every stage of their careers • working with staff and other departmental administrators • managing department resources and budgets • meeting the needs of students • dealing with stress and conflict • connecting the department to the larger university or college as a whole • overseeing the department's curricula • maintaining a scholarly or creative profile • preparing for career moves after chairing a department How to Chair a Department demystifies this important faculty position and argues that the role of chair, though sometimes seen as a burden, can prove to be a genuine opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Download or read book The Department Chair Primer written by Don Chu and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-12-22 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If higher education is to fulfill its vital social mission, new department leaders must be prepared for their positions and get up to speed on the basics quickly, educating themselves about the role and continuing to learn on the job. In this second edition of his classic resource, Don Chu outlines the proven ideas and strategies new department chairs need in order to do their jobs well. Thoroughly revised and updated, The Department Chair Primer contains information that addresses the current pressures and challenges in higher education and offers practical suggestions for responding to them. Filled with illustrative examples, the book gets straight to the heart of challenges and issues. Each chapter details a particular problem, includes a brief introduction to the topic, and provides tips on how to deal with the situation. Covering a wealth of topics, The Department Chair Primer Explores the chair's role as department leader Offers suggestions for handling stress and conflict Includes information on budgeting, resource management, and development Contains strategies for professional development, people management, and working with challenging personnel Presents ideas for handling department communications, student development, and strategic positioning Written in a concise and accessible manner, The Department Chair Primer is an ideal resource for the busy new department chair.

Download or read book Time Management for Department Chairs written by Christian K. Hansen and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-06-01 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Department chairs who have asked themselves the question 'Who knows where the time goes' should ask Christian Hansen for the answer. His book, Time Management for Department Chairs, will help chairs maximize the investment of their most important resources their time, focus, and energy." Don Chu, author, The Department Chair Primer "Department chairs take note: Hansen's Time Management for Department Chairs can change your life in just three hours. Written by a seasoned academic chair, the author offers practical ideas and strategic advice about how to increase your day-to-day effectiveness (and sanity) by using proven approaches to managing expectations, organizing tasks, running meetings, monitoring communication, controlling calendars, avoiding interruptions, containing crises, and everything else in between. If you want to learn how to strike a better work-life balance, this book should be at the top of your reading list!" Christine Licata, senior associate provost, Rochester Institute of Technology "It's about time the resource department chairs have the least of and what faculty want the most! Christian Hansen's book is filled with insights, techniques, and artful strategies to help chairs maximize their time while working effectively with faculty and balancing their personal and professional lives. This book is a life saver!" Walter Gmelch, dean, University of San Francisco

Download or read book Working with Problem Faculty written by R. Kent Crookston and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-07-30 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Working with Problem Faculty When asked to name their number one concern and problem, department leaders overwhelmingly said that it was dealing with difficult people. Now R. Kent Crookston draws on the wisdom of seasoned department chairs, the academic literature, and his own experience as a department head and dean to shed new light on this perennial problem. Working with Problem Faculty outlines a practical six-step process that aims at improving an entire department and charts a clear course for dealing with problem faculty by Clarifying values and expectations Following policy Building trust with colleagues Evaluating yourself and your perceptions Listening Taking appropriate action By following these six steps, department chairs are able to challenge problem faculty with consideration, confidence, and effectiveness. "Anyone seeking practical help in dealing with difficult people will appreciate this book. Using relevant examples, Crookston describes a six-step process for managing people who might appear to be unmanageable." Mary Lou Higgerson, vice president for academic affairs emeritus, Baldwin Wallace University "Crookston has done his homework. After careful research and decades of personal experience Dr. Crookston shares a practical, insightful, and crucial handbook for addressing the most formidable challenge all leaders face. And best of all, he doesn't just advise on how to act when things go wrong, he gives proactive guidance to ensure that things go right." Joseph Grenny, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Change Anything and Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High

Download or read book The Professor Is In written by Karen Kelsky and published by Crown. This book was released on 2015-08-04 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive career guide for grad students, adjuncts, post-docs and anyone else eager to get tenure or turn their Ph.D. into their ideal job Each year tens of thousands of students will, after years of hard work and enormous amounts of money, earn their Ph.D. And each year only a small percentage of them will land a job that justifies and rewards their investment. For every comfortably tenured professor or well-paid former academic, there are countless underpaid and overworked adjuncts, and many more who simply give up in frustration. Those who do make it share an important asset that separates them from the pack: they have a plan. They understand exactly what they need to do to set themselves up for success. They know what really moves the needle in academic job searches, how to avoid the all-too-common mistakes that sink so many of their peers, and how to decide when to point their Ph.D. toward other, non-academic options. Karen Kelsky has made it her mission to help readers join the select few who get the most out of their Ph.D. As a former tenured professor and department head who oversaw numerous academic job searches, she knows from experience exactly what gets an academic applicant a job. And as the creator of the popular and widely respected advice site The Professor is In, she has helped countless Ph.D.’s turn themselves into stronger applicants and land their dream careers. Now, for the first time ever, Karen has poured all her best advice into a single handy guide that addresses the most important issues facing any Ph.D., including: -When, where, and what to publish -Writing a foolproof grant application -Cultivating references and crafting the perfect CV -Acing the job talk and campus interview -Avoiding the adjunct trap -Making the leap to nonacademic work, when the time is right The Professor Is In addresses all of these issues, and many more.

Download or read book The Essential Department Chair written by Jeffrey L. Buller and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-01-24 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE ESSENTIAL DEPARTMENT CHAIR This second edition of the informative and influential The Essential Department Chair offers academic chairs and department heads the information they need to excel in their roles. This book is about the "how" of academic administration: for instance, how do you cultivate a potential donor for much-needed departmental resources? How do you persuade your department members to work together more harmoniously? How do you keep the people who report to you motivated and capable of seeing the big picture? Thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded, this classic resource covers a broad spectrum of timely topics and is now truly more than a guide it's a much-needed desk reference that tells you "everything you need to know to be a department chair." The Essential Department Chair contains information on topics such as essentials of creating a strategic plan, developing and overseeing a budget, key elements of fundraising, preparing for the role of chair, meeting the challenges of mentoring to increase productivity, and creating a more collegial atmosphere. The book also explores the chair's role in the search process, shows how to conduct a successful interview and what to do when it's time to let someone go. And the author includes suggestions for the best practices to adopt when doing an evaluation or assessment. The Essential Department Chair, Second Edition, contains a wealth of new, realistic case studies to equip leaders in this pivotal position to excel in departmental and institutional life.

Download or read book Communication Skills for Department Chairs written by Mary Lou Higgerson and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 1996-08-15 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Developed from the author's extensive background in administration, organizational communication, and conducting training sessions, this book presents communication strategies tailored to the specific responsibilities and contexts of the department chair's position. The strategies are applied in real-life case studies that develop critical thinking and communication skills. Practices, questions, prompts, and analyses walk the reader through the case situations to possible solutions to problems. This is a practical and engaging resource for anyone who communicates with multiple constituencies"--Back cover.

Download or read book The Essentials for New Department Chairs written by Carolyn Allard and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-10-04 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a new department chair, you face many challenges?chief among them that you likely received little or no formal training in academic leadership. You may feel that you face these challenges alone, but in fact a wealth of information and time-tested techniques have been collected over the years from experienced academic administrators. For the first time, this booklet brings together some of the best guidance and strategies that have appeared in The Department Chair, resulting in a collection that is highly relevant to a new chair?s work. The advice contained in these pages can help you build the skills necessary to successfully lead your department. This booklet is full of practical advice that can be put to use immediately, and each article is concisely written so you won?t have to spend valuable time searching for a solution or technique. Whether you?re looking for information on how to work more effectively with your dean, how to better manage your time, how to conduct successful department meetings, or how to best facilitate change, this booklet will help?it covers all these topics and more, from the basics to the specifics. This booklet is structured to provide guidance in four critical areas: chair as leader, getting started, managing conflict, and helping faculty and students thrive. The articles were selected to provide you with timely, comprehensive information. They detail effective practice and represent the best, most innovative thinking on topics and situations you will regularly encounter. This essential resource will become your personal guide as you navigate the responsibilities of your new role as department chair.

Download or read book The Academic Chair s Handbook written by Daniel W. Wheeler and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2008-04-18 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Academic Chair's Handbook Every aspiring, new, and experienced chairperson will benefit from this rich resource of many integrated and well-tested strategies that foster faculty development and their own development. —Larry A. Braskamp, professor emeritus, Loyola University Chicago This second edition of The Academic Chair's Handbook provides an updated, comprehensive, and practical guide for academic department chairs and division heads at both two- and four-year institutions. This essential resource includes new material on a variety of topics such as technology, funding and resources, departmental climate and quality, assessment, and accreditation, and describes several strategies department chairs can use to build a positive work environment that fosters professional growth of both faculty and chairs. The book's self-assessment inventory can help determine which strategy is most appropriate for a particular situation. While the strategies are upbeat, positive, and developmental, they clearly address the often harsh political realities involved in chairing academic departments.

Download or read book The Essential Academic Dean or Provost written by Jeffrey L. Buller and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-10-05 with total page 647 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The go-to reference for academic leaders seeking practical answers to everyday challenges The Essential Academic Dean or Provost explains the "how" of academic leadership, providing a practical, comprehensive, reality-based reference for almost any problem, challenge, or opportunity. This updated second edition includes new chapters on the difference between leadership and management in higher education, leadership in politically charged environments, effective strategies for making decisions, and working with associate deans or provosts, plus new case studies, new research, and ten additional chapters available on the companion website. Each topic deals concisely with the most important information deans and provosts need when faced with a particular situation, providing both a comprehensive guide to academic leadership as well as a ready reference to be consulted as needed. The role of a dean or provost at a modern university is extremely complex, involving budgeting, community relations, personnel decisions, management of a large enterprise, fundraising, and guiding a school, college, or entire institution toward a compelling vision of the future. The details academic leaders have to deal with are numerous and critical, and every little thing matters. This invaluable guide provides the answers you need when you need them, and gives you framework for successfully navigating your job's many competing demands. Build support for a shared vision of the future Interact effectively with different internal and external constituencies Learn decision-making techniques specific to the academic environment Set, supervise, and implement a budget that allows your programs to flourish Academic leaders need a handy, focused reference that provides authoritative answers to the many issues and questions that arise every day. With proven solutions to a multitude of challenges, The Essential Academic Dean or Provost shows academic leaders what they need to know in order to successfully guide their institutions into the future.

Download or read book The Essential Department Chair written by Jeffrey L. Buller and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2006-03-15 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are many guides for academic administrators that explore differing philosophies of administration, theoretical approaches to management and leadership, and new trends in higher education administration. Books such as these can inspire department chairs to develop a major new vision for their discipline or even their entire institution. But in order to make that vision a reality, chairs must know how to excel at the many administrative tasks assigned to them. For instance, how do you cultivate a potential donor for much-needed departmental resources? How do you interview someone when your dean assigns you to a committee searching for an administrator in a different academic area? How do you fire someone? How do you get your department members to work together more harmoniously? How do you keep the people who report to you motivated and capable of seeing the big picture? This book is about the "how" of academic administration. Based on a series of workshops given by the author in the area of faculty and administrative development, each topic deals concisely with the most important information chairs will want to have at their fingertips when faced with a particular challenge or opportunity. Intended to be a ready reference that chairs turn to as needed, this book emphasizes proven solutions over untested theories and stresses what chairs need to know now in order to be most successful in their administrative positions.

Download or read book The College Administrator s Survival Guide written by C. K. Gunsalus and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2011-09-01 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, a widely respected advisor on academic administration and ethics offers tips, insights, and tools for handling complaints, negotiating disagreements, responding to accusations of misconduct, and dealing with difficult personalities. With humor and generosity, C. K. Gunsalus applies scenarios based on real-life cases to guide academic administrators through the dilemmas of management in not-entirely-manageable environments.

Download or read book Special Issues in Chairing Academic Departments written by Carolyn Allard and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-10-11 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chairing an academic department comes with a multitude of responsibilities in a wide variety of areas. As a new department chair, you immediately confront many of the basics of academic leadership: managing budgets, supporting faculty, resolving conflict, and facilitating change, to name a few of the topics covered in The Essentials for New Department Chairs, the companion to this booklet. This collection is designed to help you navigate the further intricacies of your role. Bringing together in one place for the first time sound advice and proven strategies from experts in the field, these articles from The Department Chair provide practical tips on such topics as post-tenure review, work-life balance for faculty, fundraising, departmental planning, and preparing your administrative résumé. Every selection contains easily accessible strategies and advice that you can put to use immediately. The range of articles covers the important functions of academic departments, and the authors impart the skills and thinking you need to enhance your leadership capabilities. For brand-new department chairs this booklet will provide you with an overview of the complexities of the chair role. For those chairs with a year or two more experience this booklet will provide direction and guidance as you delve more deeply into your responsibilities. Designed to provide a wealth of strategies in five crucial areas?faculty recruitment and evaluation, faculty mentoring and development, enhancing teaching and building community, departmental initiatives, and chair development and next steps?the expert advice and field-tested techniques presented here offer essential insights into this important chair work. This collection will equip you with lessons to draw from and best practices for leading into the future.

Download or read book Strengthening Departmental Leadership written by Ann F. Lucas and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 1994-10-04 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A first-rate book, well worth reading. Ann Lucas has taken years of research and reflection and distilled them into an easily understood, useful volume designed to help department chairs develop their leadership skills." --William E. Cashin, director, Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development, Kansas State UniversityThis book is a practical guide to developing the survival skills that chairs need in order to function as leaders and build cohesive teams in departments.