Chairing The Academic Department

Third edition of a handbook for the academic administrator promoted from the faculty ranks with little administrative skill or know-how. Provides an depth examination of the typical duties and responsibilities of a department chair that covers an awful lot of ground: from curriculum management to co

You have just been selected to chair your department. Now a thousand questions and challenges await you. How do you recruit new, qualified faculty? How do you balance your time between managing a department and pursuing your own academic research? How do you allocate department resources? How do you prepare the budget? The answer to these and other vital questions confronting chairs of academic departments are clearly answered in this practical volume. Authors Walter Gmelch and Val Miskin describe all the basic tools necessary to being an effective academic chair. From recruiting and developing strong faculty to juggling the dual role of manager and scholar, this book covers every aspect of chairing an academic department.

Full of practical advice and examples, this useful guide describes the four key functions of a successful departmental chair: recruiting and developing the faculty; managing the department's resources; leading the department; and maintaining the dual role of scholar and manager.

"This practical guide breaks down the job of chairing a department into its component parts and responsibilities and then offers advice on the many aspects of the job"--

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.

"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.

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.

While serving as a department chair can be one of the most rewarding leadership positions in higher education, it is also one for which most people are not adequately prepared. Given the significance of this position and its impact on students, faculty and staff, this book provides a practical approach to leadership based upon the notion that the best way to improve organizations and the lives of those within them is by improving their leaders. As a result, readers will first be challenged to identify their true intentions for leading as a department chair which means acknowledging that what makes one a successful faculty member does not, by itself, equate to being an effective leader. In addition, readers will learn how to establish a healthy culture, the importance of hiring, how to courageously address conflict, the value of mentoring and developing others along with the significance of effectively leading students. In addition, readers will learn about crisis leadership and how to effectively assess if and when it’s time to move on from the chair position.