Education Commons^™

Campus Incivility And Free Speech: A Contemporary Dilemma, Robert E. Cipriano Dr., Jeffrey L. Buller Dr.

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The issue of free speech on college campuses is as old as education itself and as current as today's news. Institutions of higher education often find themselves torn between their desire to create environments where students and professors remain physically safe and their mission to protect academic freedom and the right of free speech. This interactive presentation will provide academic leaders with the skill set to increase the likelihood that constructive conflicts between ideas don't escalate into destructive, violent acts.

Building Partnerships Between Academic Departments And International Affairs, Butler Cain

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Department chairs and other campus leaders who have an interest in promoting global awareness in their academic programs should partner with their university’s Office of International Affairs. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant upheaval in international education, so now is an opportune time to begin building strong relationships.

What Is Knowledge Management And How It Benefits Your Department, Kris Helge

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Presenter and participants will define knowledge management (KM). They will also discuss emerging strategies and best practices regarding KM that benefit an academic department, and examine how effective KM systems help traverse unpredictable challenges such as COVID-19. Additionally, they scrutinize how to preserve, pass along, and securely store vital data, information, and knowledge; and how KM prevents information silos, and information loss.

Promoting Underrepresented Minority Student Academic Success Using An Inclusive Faculty Framework, Don Gillian-Daniel, Sean Thomas Bridgen, Wendy Troxel

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The Aspire Alliance has developed the Inclusive Faculty Framework (IFF), which is grounded in research and theory, and engages faculty in the development of foundational skills that promote increased student academic success. This workshop will present the IFF, and use the underlying principles to engage participants in the development of foundational skills that promote increased success of students, particularly those from underrepresented groups. Participants will experience a range of activities including, and not limited to, discussions, case-based scenarios, as well as individual and group reflection

Making The Abnormal Normal: Maximizing Diversity In A Virtual Environment, Mary T. Dzindolet, Stephanie Boss, Krystal Brue, Shaun Calix, Jennifer Dennis

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

With the polarization of opinions around COVID 19, chairs and deans must become experts at navigating conflict and creating synergy from diversity, oftentimes while communicating virtually. Four chairs (of Business, Education and Sports & Exercise Science, Social Sciences, and Psychology Departments), and their dean, will share strategies for encouraging the expression of diverse opinions in virtual faculty meetings.

The Impact Covid-19 Is Having On Freedom Of Speech And Expression On Campuses: From Issues To Solutions, Renee Marine

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

At a time of complete uncertainty, one thing remains consistent, the right the American people to freedom of speech and expression. What comes into question, is the cost of expressing that freedom. As stated in the First Amendment (1789):

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for the redress of grievances. (p. 1)

Right now, while millions of people are fighting for their lives, hundreds of thousands …

Leadership Lessons From Navigating Covid-19, Christopher Hirschler Phd

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Chairs played a key role in navigating important university decisions and communication during COVID-19, a hypersensitive time when mortality salience was elevated. We will explore leadership styles, view brief excerpts of videos that were created to celebrate degree completion and improve retention. Participants will distill “lessons learned” from a challenging year.

Best Practices For Faculty Searches, Jeff Buller

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Hiring the right faculty members is one of the most important decisions a department chair can make. But most chairs merely conduct searches the way people at their institutions always have. There are, however, best practices in faculty searches that can save time and other resources as well as increase the likelihood that the right candidate will be selected.

Shared Governance And It's Role In Higher Education, Robert E. Cipriano Dr.

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

For approximately the past seventy-five years, shared governance has been the overriding principle that guides decision-making in American Colleges and universities. The core notion of shared governance is that both faculty and administrators have important roles to play in setting university policy. Recently, has shared governance merely become a catchphrase that has radically different meanings to different people? This interactive workshop will provide attendees with the tools to fully understand the roles and responsibilities that both faculty and administrators must play to foster a shared governance on their campus.

Managing Time And Stress During A Pandemic, Christian K. Hansen

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

In this workshop we discuss time and stress management specifically from the perspective of an academic department chair leading an academic department through a pandemic. The focus will be on practical strategies for effective use of time, not only at a personal level, but also at a department wide level, when there are limited opportunities to interact on a daily basis. In this live virtual workshop, participants will have the opportunity to engage in small group discussions via Zoom breakout rooms.

Navigating Leadership In Academia Through A Crisis, Domenick J. Pinto

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Academic leadership is a fast-paced ever changing entity. When you add an unexpected global pandemic to the mix, it changes academic life beyond anyone's wildest dreams. In this workshop I hope to share how I and my colleagues handled the pandemic and invite the participants to share their experiences. Let's learn from one another!

Upstairs/Downstairs: Moving Up And Down Through Leadership Roles, Markus Pomper, Margaret Thomas Evans

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The presenters will discuss the challenges they encountered moving up from department chair into the role of dean and associate dean, and the back down into the role of a chair. We will engage participants through interactive discussion in several case studies.

Managing Uncertainty Through Values-Centric Leadership, Kimberly Miloch, Chris Ray, Abigail Tilton

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Crises force leaders to think in the short-term to address immediate needs. In navigating emergencies like COVID-19, it is vital that leaders remain values-focused, especially when considering short-term solutions that inevitably have long-term impact. This presentation examines values-centric leadership in the context of crisis communication, budget reductions, and strategic planning.

What Do I Do Now?: Tackling Higher Education Adaptive Leadership Challenges, Jill Channing

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The presenter and participants will discuss current trends, policy issues, and adaptive challenges influencing higher education institutions. Through discussions of research and case scenarios, participants will analyze adaptive leadership strategies and best practices for chairs to develop departmental cultures that are responsive to adaptive challenges.

Faculty Reopening Committee: A Study Of Chair And Faculty Collaboration, Jeffrey Ward

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The presenter will share experiences with a self-selected group of volunteer faculty to form a Reopening Committee, offering conclusions not only about the committee but also about also how it more broadly illustrates principles of faculty governance and collegial relationships among faculty and between the faculty and the department head.

Leading Through Crisis And Covid; It’S Not What You Think, Christopher Jochum

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This interactive workshop will use the acronyms CRISIS and COVID to help participants identify and refine their leadership styles and departmental culture during times of crisis. Participants will learn how to apply the CRISIS and COVID models with their respective departments to better identify their mission and develop growth initiatives.

Start With Trust: Shifting From Pandemic-Centered To Person-Centered Leadership, Jerod Quinn, Tammy Mccoy, Traci Stromie

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

How policies and procedures regarding online learning, faculty coaching, and institutional policy around COVID (and post-COVID) can create more equitable support across the university.

Building And Sustaining A Healthy And Thriving Department, Laura Trujillo-Jenks, Gina Anderson

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Learning to delegate and build leaders among the faculty and staff, and mentoring and modeling how to manage difficult situations are integral to building and sustaining capacity within a department. Building a department culture that is healthy and thriving, while also creating a climate for faculty and staff to safely develop their own leadership potential are important characteristics of a healthy department. Also, helping faculty and staff learn to mitigate difficult situations is a powerful form of leadership development. Building a culture of success, a climate that nurtures respect, honesty, and loyalty, and engaging in Crucial Conversations© are the foci …

Faculty Reopening Committee: A Study Of Chair And Faculty Collaboration, Jeffrey Ward

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The presenter will share experiences with a self-selected group of volunteer faculty to form a Reopening Committee, offering conclusions not only about the committee but also about also how it more broadly illustrates principles of faculty governance and collegial relationships among faculty and between the faculty and the department head.

Leveraging What Online Offers In Evaluating Courses And Instructors, Stephen F. Pyle, David A. Line

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

At most institutions of higher education COVID-19 forced the delivery of courses on-line. This has required department chairs to re-think traditional, on-ground, faculty evaluative strategies. This session explores the benefits of applying readily available, on-line course methodologies and metrics to enhance chair support and evaluation of departmental faculty teaching efforts.

Best Practices In Faculty Evaluation, Jeff Buller

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Evaluating faculty members is one of a department chairs least favorite and yet most important tasks. Faculty evaluations can be time-consuming, anxiety-producing (for Bothe the chair and the faculty member), and extremely limited in their impact. But they don't have to be. There are practices that chairs can adopt to make the entire faculty evaluation process, if not easy, at least easier and more effective.

Lessons Learned: Curriculum Map As An Assessment Tool, Paul Antonellis

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

During this session, participants will learn about the steps taken to use curriculum mapping as an assessment tool, what worked well, challenges encountered, and recommendations going forward at the graduate and undergraduate level. The program will demonstrate how the program curriculum map can be linked to the general educational outcomes and aligned with intuition outcomes (Banta, 2014; Hundley & Kahn, 2019). Curriculum mapping will reveal program strengths and weaknesses before beginning the assessment process, avoiding costly mistakes in the assessment process. The mapping process will assist in determining which outcomes are assessed, when the outcome is assessed, and in which …

Accreditation And Assessment: What You Need To Know!, Frederick Burrack

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

For many academic leaders, preparing for and successfully addressing accreditation expectations can be challenging. In this interactive session, a panel of representatives from multiple disciplines will provide advice and answer questions on how to prepare for and address accreditation expectations. Panel participants will be selected from assessment directors and program directors with successful experience in a variety of accreditation situations. Session participants will be invited to ask questions specific to their academic situations enabling the panel to provide insights toward a successful accreditation experience.

Assessment Basics: How To Implement An Effective Student Learning Assessment Process, Frederick Burrack

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Assessment Basics is a workshop focused on understanding the purpose behind student learning assessment, strategies to guide curricular integration, and techniques to use data for program improvement. Participants will be involved in leadership techniques to transfer into their own context. Experience with assessment processes will enable academic chairpersons with skills to guide faculty involvement and promote self-review of data that leads to continual program improvement.

Leveraging What On-Line Offers In Evaluating Course And Instructors, David A. Line

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

At most institutions of higher education COVID-19 forced the delivery of courses on-line. This has required department chairs to re-think traditional, on-ground, faculty evaluative strategies. This session explores the benefits of applying readily available, on-line course methodologies and metrics to enhance chair support and evaluation of departmental faculty teaching efforts.

Achieving Learning Outcomes In The World Of Covid, Jeffrey Ward, Frederick Burrack

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Presenters assessment will explore how focusing on the learning outcomes guides faculty into determining best instructional practices in a remote/hybrid delivery method, illustrating examples of faculty shifting from traditional face-to-face teaching strategies to remote or hybrid teaching strategies, while achieving the same learning outcomes.

Investing In Our Faculty: Creative Virtual Recognition Ideas For Leadership, Celine S. Hall, Nikki L. Williams

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Faculty are one of our greatest assets. Feeling valued and appreciated by leadership and peers help cultivate feelings of belonging and encourage engagement. In this presentation, we will share ways in which leadership recognizes faculty achievements and provide opportunities for peers to do so as well within an online setting.

New Chairs In A World Of Hurt: Using Trauma-Informed Leadership To Guide Communication, Compassion, And Flexibility For Five New Chairs., Lisa Jellum, Christina Wolfe, Jessica Lindberg, Erin Shufro, Josie Baudier, Jayme Wheeler

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Presenters will discuss their challenges as first-year Chairs facing the multiple academic fires generated by an unprecedented global pandemic. The presenters will detail how using Trauma-Informed Leadership styles allowed them to adjust for the unpredictability of communication from system-level administration, establish relationships with internal stakeholders, and develop trust with faculty as new leaders within the institution.

Creating (Socially-Distanced) Community In A Multi-Site, Multi-Disciplinary Department, Christina M. Wolfe

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

In this presentation, I discuss ways to facilitate a sense of community in a multidisciplinary department at a multisite community college in a time of social distancing.

Addressing The Great Resignation In Higher Education, Jeff Buller

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The expression “the Great Resignation” refers to the trend, largely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, for employees to quit their jobs either because they’ve found more attractive possibilities or because they’ve decided to retire early. For department chairs, the question often becomes: "I worked so hard to recruit them, now how do I keep them?" In this presentation, we'll explore proven strategies from the moment of hiring onward that can increase the likelihood that chairs will not suffer the worst effects of "the Great Resignation."