Education Commons^™

Meaningful Reviews: Reframing Evaluation To Yield Positive Change, Sharon Decker

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This session will focus on how to reframe the culture of evaluation in order to encourage active and engaged faculty participation. The discussion will center on objectives, forms, and outcomes in order to create a process that will ultimately improve pedagogical techniques and philosophies.

Positive Academic Leadership: Stop Putting Out Fires; Start Making A Difference, Jeff Buller

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

A highly interactive workshop on strategies that can help chairs move towards positive outcomes in even the most negative of situations, making their leadership more effective, effortless, and enjoyable.

2.0 Academic Management: "Disruptive Innovation" For The 21st Century, Don Chu

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This workshop will focus on assisting educational leaders to re-imagine academic departments and how they are managed in the 21st Century. Re-imagining the academic department will strengthen them as the foundation upon which college and university change may be built. Led by the chair and the faculty-administrative leadership team, departments will be primarily responsible to set and reach their goals, as well as manage their own resources and professional development. Themes that will be discussed include curriculum development, course schedules, student services, personnel and ‘political’ issues, department resources and more.

Department Leadership In Action: Enhancing Your Leadership And Academic Team, Dr. Walter H. Gmelch

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This workshop will explore four key leadership questions: what is an academic leader and why should you serve; how to develop as a leader; how long is long enough to serve; and what legacy will you leave? Participants will develop strategies for effectively developing your team through shared leadership, consensual decision-making, constructive conflict, collegiality and more. The workshop also includes a discussion of exploring the “road less traveled,” managing transitions to and from academic leadership.

Change Leadership In Higher Education, Jeff Buller

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

A highly interactive session dealing with why change is so difficult in higher education and how we can be more effective in implementing needed changes. Based on the latest studies of effective change in higher education, participants will come away from this session with a practical plan for overcoming their own resistance to change and bringing others on board when change has to occur in their program or at their institution.

Turning A Department Into A High Performing Team, Lorri F. Engstrom, Del Engstrom

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This session will provide Chairs/Deans the skills and research base for using a team approach to build social capital and create a high performing departmental team. Experiential learning activities will be used to demonstrate the key components of high performing teams, and the pedagogical strategies to successfully implement teams.

Positive Academic Leadership: Stop Putting Out Fires; Start Making A Difference, Jeff Buller

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

A highly interactive workshop on strategies that can help chairs move towards positive outcomes in even the most negative of situations, making their leadership more effective, effortless, and enjoyable. Participants will come away from this workshop with clear, practical ideas about how they can help their departments become more positive, visionary, and forward-looking.

Departmental Fights: Finding Solutions And Maintaining Sanity As Chair, Ethan W. Krase, Gian S. Pagnucci

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

While circumstances of departmental conflicts are variable, one constant is that as chairs we end up involved. Although chairs cannot prevent conflict from occurring, there are steps we can take to minimize the consequences. This session offers strategies chairs can use to lead their departments through conflict more productively.

Leadership Development For Department Chairs: Learnings Across Three Approaches, Emily R. Smith, Patricia E. Calderwood, Paula Gill Lopez, Ryan Colwell

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This session shares insights and recommendations from three approaches to faculty leadership development: a co-mentoring group for faculty leaders; a community of practice for mentoring; and a leadership development cohort. Participants will be invited assess and revise these recommendations to jointly inform best practices in faculty leadership development.

The Growing Challenge Of Dual Credit/Enrollment, Eric G. Tenbus, Daniel Schierenbeck

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Face the dual credit challenge by taking back control of the program and strengthening it to ensure high academic standards. This presentation will explain the dual credit phenomenon and offer practical advice in countering it, navigating the political landmines, and making it work better for your department.

Beyond Engagement: Promoting Non-Monetary Social Relevance In Contemporary Academic Departments, Mengie M. Parker, Carrie Longley

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This presentation outlines methods of creating academic social relevance that are not based on simple monetary value thereby affording academic departments a measure of protection against undue resource attenuation. The presentation provides methods of promoting both internal and external social relevance as well as methods for measuring and reporting growth in departmental social relevance.

“Traversing The Legal Minefields That Surround Academic Chairpersons”, Nathan M. Roberts

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The presenter will describe common higher education law issues encountered by Chairpersons and provide a framework for analyzing them to protect the department and the Chairperson. Perspective on the process will be offered by a former chairperson, now dean, who is also an attorney and teaches courses in education law.

Dealing With Campus Safety Issues, Nancy P. Kropf

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

As an administrator, traumatic and unexpected events in a unit require a unit head to deal with the situation and related consequences. Using examples of events that have impacted safety of students and faculty, this presentation will highlight responses when dealing with harmful or threatening campus experiences.

Evaluating Workload: A Collaborative Approach Between Dean And Department Chair, Melissa J. Marcucci Ph.D., Sandra G. Affenito Ph.D., R.D. Fand

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Faculty workload calculations are complex and an institution’s mission directs the level of faculty participation in each teaching, scholarship and service. The University of Saint Joseph (USJ; West Hartford, Connecticut) transitioned from a college to a university, necessitating reexamination of faculty workload policy. The review was conducted collaboratively between senior administration and key faculty to understand best practices in calculating teaching workload. A review of best practice, evaluation of workload policies at a defined set of peer institutions, and an internal investigation of the types of course offered by USJ faculty was examined.

Department Budgeting And Resources, Don Chu, Kimihko Nomura

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Departments are faced with reduced appropriations and increased demands on their budgets. We will look at the three keys to respond to this fiscal environment and position your department for a brighter future: budget basics, management aimed at productivity and strategic investment, and increasing resource flow.

A Flexible, Incentivized Budgeting System For Academic Departments, N. Douglas Lees

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This session will involve a discussion of the budgeting models of the attendees and a discussion of their overall needs for budgeting guidance. An overview of Responsibility Centered Management (RCM) will be provided along with the model used to set budgets for departments in a School of Science.

Taking On Unexpected Leadership Roles, Alicia Domack

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Leaders are occasionally asked to take on new roles with very little notice. This session will present new chairs with some concrete tips to help individuals taking on unexpected leadership roles survive and eventually thrive in the position.

The Inevitability Of Playing Politics As Chair: Advantages And Pitfall, Domenick J. Pinto

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Politics is a term often frowned upon as it pertains to the role of an academic leader. However as chair for almost 30 years it has become an essential yet sometimes unwanted aspect of the daily rigors of the position. This workshop explores the advantages and pitfalls of “playing politics” as a department chair and allows interactivity among participants in “what if” scenarios.

Tackling The Bullies In Academe, Jorg Waltje Phd, Laura Trujillo-Jenks Phd

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Severely hurtful and undermining behavior is on the increase at university campuses, partly due to the widespread jealousy and competition that is naturally prevalent in higher education. This interactive workshop will provide strategies for chairs who have to deal with difficult faculty, but it will also point out ways to create a departmental atmosphere of civility and collegiality in which bullies cannot thrive. We will use case studies to analyze realistic scenarios that can later be used by chairpersons to encourage discussions on plans of action and solutions in their home departments.

Turning Prospects Into Superstars: The Department Chair’S Role In Mentoring Junior Faculty., Christian K. Hansen

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Department chairs play a major role in helping new faculty members succeed and become valued and productive member of the faculty. In smaller department, chairs often mentor junior faculty directly, whereas in larger department the chair sometimes has a role in assigning senior faculty mentors to mentor new faculty. Some have referred to hiring faculty as a million dollar investment, and in reality, more than a million dollars is invested from the time the faculty ad is composed until the hired faculty member enter the ranks as a tenured faculty member. When a hired faculty member is turned down for …

Difficult Department Chair Conversations Ignatian Style, Janet Kupperman 5014750

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The session will explore different types of difficult conversations department chairs have and reasons the encounters may be considered difficult, introduce an Ignatian framework for having conversations, and give participants practice having difficult conversations from an Ignatian perspective.

A Blended Family: Leadership Of Multi-Disciplinary Departments, Barbara Bonnekessen, Celia Patterson

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Seeking cost-saving measures, universities are turning to bundling departments to save chairs’ salaries and support staff positions. The presenters (one with six years experience in two multi-disciplinary units and one who managed the merger of a multi-disciplinary department) will address the unique challenges and opportunities arising from these academic units.

Developing A New Department Culture: When Programs Merge, William Hoon, Aimee Shouse

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This presentation will discuss some best practices that help transitioning cultures in merged or merging academic departments.

Program Leaders’ New Tools For Outcomes Assessment And Improvement, Jacqueline Kress

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Academic leaders are expected to build cultures of inquiry and continuous improvement. This session provides practical examples of teacher-as-researcher tools, such as policy audits, Pareto charts, affinity exercises, curriculum control files, and data review calendars, that academic leaders can use to meet new demands for evidence-based decisions.

The Art Of C.Y.A.: Documentation For Department Chairs, Christopher Barrick

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

From day one, department chairs are instructed to keep good records and “document, document, document.” But what does proper documentation look like? Through the use of memos for record and other means, learn to document in a meaningful and useful manner so that you have really practiced “C.Y.A.”

Taking The Lead: Initiating Change As A New Chairperson, Craig D. Hlavac

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Academic department chairpersons are often asked to lead without management training, prior experience, or formal mentorship. These same chairpersons are frequently faced with initiating change in departments that have operated similarly for years – perhaps decades. What is the first step? What should a new chair do to begin the discussion about change without alienating the faculty? This session will provide participants with practical, research-based strategies for defining the roles of the chair position, building trust within the faculty, and beginning a dialogue focused on meaningful change. Opportunities for small-group discussion as well as scenario-based discourse will be included.

Musings And Reflections From First-Year Department Chairs; An Extension Of The Nca, Mark Urtel, Sandra Jowers-Barber, Stacey L. Smith

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

1. Come and engage in conversation with 3 beginning chairs who participated in the 2016 NCA as they muse about the good, bad, and ugly of their first year. Hear about how challenges were overcome and opportunities were created to help them become better leaders.

Promoting Your Department To High School Seniors, Jeremy H. Sarachan

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Increasingly departments must take charge of their recruitment, but most academics are new to public relations and marketing. What are the best methods to reach high school students? Led by a media and communication chair, this discussion will revolve around best practices that are both affordable and easy to manage.

The Positive Power Of Hedgehog Leadership In Academe, Thomas N. Duening

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This workshop will focus on helping academic chairs become more hedgehog-like in their leadership style and faculty interactions. The research streams that inform this session include positive psychology, positive organization behavior, and affective neuroscience. The expected outcome for participants is an enhanced ability to create an environment of opportunity for their faculty. The session leader has been using this approach as chair of the management department for nearly two years. As an example of the power of hedgehog leadership one faculty member in management last year received the college’s outstanding faculty member aware for the first time in 26 years!

The Four Quadrants Of Administrative Effectiveness, Rob Jenkins

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Administrative effectiveness can be charted on X and Y axes, with X representing responsibility and Y representing control. The best administrators tend to fall in the “High Responsibility / Low Control” quadrant. The session includes an assessment that allows administrators to chart themselves and see which quadrant they typically inhabit.