The Academic Chair's Handbook

This second edition ofThe Academic Chair?s Handbook?the highly acclaimed resource for practitioners who must navigate the complexities of their academic administrations?provides an updated, comprehensive, and practical guide for academic department chairs and division heads at both two and four year institutions.

Daniel W. Wheeler is professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Alan T. Seagren is professor emeritus and director of the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Linda Wysong Becker is vice president for student services at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. Edward R. Kinley is associate vice president for academic affairs and chief information officer at Indiana State University. Dara D. Mlinek is a former research assistant and instructor in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and participated in the research efforts focused on chairs. Kenneth J. Robson has served as a department chair, dean, and vice president. He is currently engaged in a higher education consulting practice with his partner J. Judith Eifert.

About the Authors	p. xi
Foreword	p. xiii
Preface	p. xvii
Fifteen Strategies in the Building Process
Difficulties in the Building Process	p. 3
The Context for Leadership	p. 4
Chairing the Department	p. 7
The Nature of the Department	p. 8
The Nature of Faculty Work	p. 9
A Self-Assessment	p. 10
Endnotes	p. 13
Suggested Resources	p. 13
Consider Your Own Development	p. 15
Learn About Your Role and Responsibilities in the Department and the Institution	p. 18
Create a Balance Between Your Professional and Personal Lives	p. 24
Prepare for Your Professional Future	p. 28
Conclusion	p. 32
Endnotes	p. 32
Suggested Resources	p. 33
Reflect on Your Role as an Academic Leader	p. 37
Establish a Collective Departmental Vision or Focus	p. 38
Develop Faculty Ownership of the Vision	p. 40
Initiate Changes Carefully	p. 44
Allocate Resources of Time, Information, and Assignments to Implement the Vision and Departmental Goals	p. 47
Monitor Progress Toward Achieving the Vision and Goals	p. 50
Conclusion	p. 51
Endnotes	p. 52
Suggested Resources	p. 52
Create a Positive Interpersonal Work Environment	p. 55
Establish an Open Atmosphere to Build Trust	p. 57
Listen to Faculty Needs and Interests	p. 58
Motivate Faculty and Collaboratively Set Goals	p. 60
Develop Leadership Skills that Empower Faculty and Provide Effective Feedback	p. 62
Feedback Techniques	p. 66
Represent Faculty to Colleagues and Senior Administrators	p. 68
Serve as a Role Model and Mentor	p. 69
Encourage and Support Faculty	p. 70
Conclusion	p. 72
Endnotes	p. 72
Suggested Resources	p. 73
Applying the Strategies
Help New Faculty Become Oriented	p. 77
Communicate Expectations for Performance	p. 80
Provide Feedback on Progress	p. 83
Enhance Collegial Review Processes	p. 84
Create Flexible Time Lines for Tenure	p. 85
Encourage Mentoring and Integration by Senior Faculty	p. 85
Extend Mentoring and Feedback to Graduate Students Who Aspire to be Faculty Members	p. 87
Recognize the Department Chair as a Career Sponsor	p. 88
Support Teaching, Particularly at the Undergraduate Level	p. 90
Support Scholarly Development	p. 91
Foster a Balance Between Professional and Personal Life	p. 92
Conclusion	p. 93
Endnotes	p. 94
Suggested Resources	p. 94
Improve Faculty Teaching	p. 97
Promote Excellence in Teaching	p. 98
Support Teaching Improvement	p. 103
Address Teaching Problems	p. 106
Employ Case Studies to Guide Your Response to Teaching Problems	p. 114
Conclusion	p. 116
Suggested Resources	p. 117
Improve the Scholarship of Faculty	p. 119
Foster a Strong Research Climate	p. 120
Detect a Problem Situation as Early as Possible	p. 124
Clarify the Reasons for Lack of Performance	p. 126
Identify a Plan for Improvement	p. 128
Follow Up on the Plan	p. 134
Conclusion	p. 135
Endnotes	p. 136
Suggested Resources	p. 136
Refocus Faculty Efforts	p. 139
Detect the Signs of Lack of Focus	p. 141
Explore Options with the Individual	p. 144
Mutually Design a Plan for Intervention	p. 147
Arrange for Activities, Resources, and Feedback	p. 149
Conclusion	p. 150
Suggested Resources	p. 152
Address Personal Issues of Faculty	p. 155
Differentiate Between Short- and Long-Term Issues	p. 156
Adopt Strategies for Temporary Problems	p. 157
Adopt Strategies for Intervening in Chronic Cases	p. 159
Conclusion	p. 166
Suggested Resources	p. 167
Employ Technology Wisely	p. 169
Be Aware of Technological Developments	p. 170
Encourage Faculty and Staff Technology Literacy	p. 173
Support Technology Training	p. 175
Use Technology Efficiently	p. 176
Use Technology to Facilitate Outcomes, Assessment, and Accountability	p. 179
Develop a Plan for Resource Allocation	p. 181
Adopt Emerging Technologies Prudently	p. 183
Consider the Impact on Student Services	p. 185
Conclusion	p. 185
Endnotes	p. 186
Suggested Resources	p. 187
Adapt to Funding and Resources Challenges	p. 189
Clarify Responsibility for Budget Development and Allocation	p. 190
Recognize the Implications of Budget Pressures	p. 194
Diversify Funding Through Revenue Generation Strategies	p. 197
Capitalize on Changes in Staffing	p. 202
Maintain High Morale During Trying Times	p. 203
Conclusion	p. 206
Endnotes	p. 206
Suggested Resources	p. 207
Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement	p. 209
Make Continuous Improvement a Priority	p. 211
Devise Strategies and Resources to Support Quality Improvement Efforts	p. 213
Student Learning Assessment	p. 214
Teaching Effectiveness Assessment	p. 216
Program Effectiveness Assessment	p. 217
Encourage Support of Continuous Improvement Efforts	p. 218
Adopt Reliable Assessment Measures to Track Progress Over Time, Make Comparisons, and Demonstrate Results	p. 220
An Illustration of the Process	p. 222
Conclusion	p. 223
Suggested Resources	p. 225
Build an Agenda	p. 227
Four Dimensions of the Building Process	p. 228
Implementing the Agenda	p. 238
Conclusion	p. 239
Endnotes	p. 242
References	p. 243
The National Study and the Follow-Up Study	p. 255
Topical Index to Strategies	p. 259
Index	p. 267
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The Academic Chair's Handbook

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials