Course Description

Most department chairs prepared themselves for academic careers in research and teaching, scarcely anticipating the need for formal training in management and leadership skills. Consequently, they encounter a steep learning incline when suddenly thrust into a management position. Often this forces them to rely simply on intuition, life experience, and innate ability as they lead and manage their faculty and staff. Although leadership strengths can be developed through on-the-job training, weaknesses often are ignored because of lack of opportunity to address them.

This course is an efficient introduction to the most fundamental skills needed to successfully chair a department. It is especially designed for those who have never had any formal training in academic leadership and management. The accompanying manual contains a comprehensive discussion of the leadership skills and provides directions to abundant sources of additional help and continuing education on academic administration. Because the course is brought to their campus, chairs are able to save significant time and expense that would normally be associated with participating in an analogous workshop elsewhere. The on-campus offering also fosters networking among chairs that can catalyze continued interaction and discussion of mutual concerns and the sharing of ideas. Because of its continuing nature,this networking can be of even greater value than the course, and is encouraged as an essential follow-up activity.

Widely accepted and tested fundamental practices of successful department chairs are presented within a highly interactive, pragmatic and entertaining format. Short introductory presentations on each topic are followed by interactive sessions among participants designed to link their actual experiences with specific topics and to help them discover basic principles of effective administration, as well as to evaluate their assets as administrators and the assets of their departments.

Course content is organized into four modules:

The scholarly, management, leadership, and personal skills of a perfect chair

Fundamental communication skills

Communication strategies for conflict management

Evaluation of the health and maturity of an academic department