Education Commons^™

Academic Leaders Shaping Work-Life Culture, Laura Bryan, Cheryl Wilson

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Presenters and participants will discuss emerging strategies and best practices available to chairs to support the creation of departmental cultures that are friendly and responsive to the work-life needs of faculty and staff.

Creating Lasting Change Through Collaboration And Engagement, Marilu Goodyear, Jenny Mehmedovic

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Have you experienced difficulty moving a critical change forward and building the buy-in you need? Come learn how to get everyone moving forward with you. Real-life examples from a recent curriculum redesign project will be discussed and participants will apply organizational change concepts to a change initiative of their own.

Mindful Leadership Development: Investing In The Academy, Christy A. Crutsinger Ph.D., Angela Wilson Ph.D., Eugene Martin M.F.A., Alan Albarran Ph.D., Dawna Wilson Ph.D.

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

While universities need leaders capable of initiating and sustaining change, few institutions provide the requisite training and development that equips academic administrators to be effective leaders. This session will highlight a comprehensive, institutional approach for leadership development that addresses the needs of current and future faculty leaders across the pipeline.
http://facultysuccess.unt.edu

"Trigger Warnings": Balancing Challenging Material With Overwhelming Students, Susan Gere

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Students with trauma histories are requesting explicit alerts called "trigger warnings" that required course material may be upsetting to them. This workshop provides a conceptual discussion of what constitutes student trauma history; a summary of a qualitative research project with faculty who teach student trauma survivors; and practical suggestions for balancing healthy classroom culture with the demands of content. Relevant for all chairpersons.

Cultivating Future Leaders: Faculty Leadership Seminar At Clermont College, Kim Jacobs-Beck

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Like many universities, ours faced the challenge of needing to cultivate future department chairs and other academic leaders. Current department chairs developed a leadership seminar, a year-long series of workshops and roundtables discussions for faculty from every department. The seminar alternates with a broader-based, informal leadership discussion series.

Building Credibility And Consensus As Newly-Tenured Or Junior Faculty Chairs, Carmen T. Skaggs, Jennifer Eimers

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Participants will explore the challenges that newly-tenured or junior faculty department chairs may face. Representing a small, private college and a regional comprehensive university, our panelists will offer recommendations for building credibility and consensus within the department even when there may be a gap of age and/or experience between the chair and faculty.

The Challenges Of Being Chair In 2015: A 28 Year Perspective, Domenick J. Pinto

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

For 28 years as chair, I have witnessed the evolution of the role of chairperson as entrepreneurial skills, conflict resolution and time management have become increasingly vital to the success of the chair. My session will summarize the challenges that chairs must now face and overcome in 2015. The session will help relatively new and new chairs face scenarios and how to problem solve them.

Preparing And Using Classroom Observations In Faculty Teaching Evaluations, Peggy A. Thelen

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Department chairs charged with evaluating faculty teaching often receive no formal observation and assessment training. This session offers suggestions for the organization, implementation, and reflection of the faculty teaching evaluation process. We will also discuss the difficulties and successes of the faculty teaching evaluation process.

Chairing Transition: Leading A Department Through A Merger, David M. Keller

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This session will focus discussion on the impact of merging pre-existing departments and/or colleges to form a new entity on Chair leadership strategies. Participants will discuss factors to be considered to ensure successful transition for the department and maximize growth in the new entity.

Inspirational Space As A Mechanism To Transform Departmental Culture, John Paxton

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Montana State University’s Computer Science Department created a collaborative, informal, Japanese-themed Student Success Center. The goal of the space was to broaden participation and induce cultural change in computer science. The design philosophy behind the room now serves as a model for collaborative space at MSU.

A Learning Community For New Chairs, Lynn Stallings, Meghan Burke, Ruth A. Goldfine, Dawn L. Kirby, Monica Nandan, Sharon Pearcey, Kandice Porter, Amy Woszczynski

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Key elements of an effective professional learning community will be discussed, including readings, peer mentoring, meeting structure, composition, and timing of topics. Presenters will discuss the challenges of their first years as chairs, particularly finding their individual leadership styles and a balance between professional and personal lives.

Leading Change While Managing Conflict In Departmental Transitions, Michelle M. Proctor, Karent Ross

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This session will explore conflict management strategies utilized while redefining a department during reaccreditation. Case examples of approaches used and results achieved will be presented in relation to existing literature. Through group activities, participants will be invited to explore and discuss the effectiveness of strategies used in each example presented.

Policy Making In The Middle: Developing And Implementing Departmental And Institutional Policies, Dr. Alzada Tipton

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

When it comes to departmental and institutional policies, department chairs frequently find themselves literally in the middle, tasked with implementing institutional policies coming from above and obligated to develop departmental policies that are needed for the department below. These policies can concern themselves with an almost unlimited range of topics, including curriculum and faculty issues, problems involving academic dishonesty and student complaints, and institutional initiatives such as cost savings and compliance directives. Department chairs can find themselves having to lead a reluctant department into implementing an institutional policy not of their own making, or they can find themselves having to …

Mining From The Middle: Making Resources Count At Work, Dr. Carol A. Mullen

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

As strategic middle managers, department chairs are at the nexus between their academic unit and college, and they must contend with the competing priorities of these different domains. These leaders are not only change agents but also fiscal agents tasked with budget and personnel responsibilities that can be turned into opportunities for ensuring the best return on investment, even in financially lean times.

This workshop will focus on how to capitalize on financial opportunities that extend beyond one’s operating account and other allocations. How can we maximize opportunities to support and develop faculty, students and staff, given the inevitable constraints …