The Reluctant Chair: Developing Departmental Leadership

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The Reluctant ChairDeveloping Departmental
Leadership

• Linda L. M. Bennett
• University of Southern Indiana
• AASCU Presentation Feb. 2007

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Why Reluctant?

• Conflicting identities Faculty member or
  Administrator?
• These are my friends/colleagues!
• Inexperience as a supervisor Im not a boss!
• Time commitment
• Reward structure
• Power potential limited

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The Case

• USI
• Regional comprehensive university
• 10,000 students
• 600 faculty (half full-time, half part-time)
• 5 colleges
• Department chairs a relatively recent development
  (division heads) One college has program
  directors instead of department chairs

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Beginning Point 2003

• Immediate focus on developing departmental
  leadership
• Most chairs on 9 month contracts with summer
  stipends.
• No clear duties for those stipends
• Not receptive to development workshops during
  summer when they were off contract
• No clear demarcation in existing contracts of
  department chair benefits/expectations

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First Steps

• Campus-based department chair workshops
• Legal issues
• Program assessment
• Student learning assessment
• Faculty recruitment and evaluation
• Conflict management
• Professional Development travel (Lilly Endowment
  Grant)

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First Steps

• Change the contractual bases for chairs
• 10 month contract with a few 12 month
• Expectations outlined (some already in Handbook)
• End stipends
• Make ongoing development in the role an
  expectation
• Step-down now built into contract

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First Steps

• Support of and from deans
• Moving some power to the department levels
  (budget, personnel)
• Review and change of processes (faculty
  evaluation)
• Professional development support for deans
• Focus on mentoring of deans from my office

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Reactions?

• Different across colleges,
• Turning them into administrators
• Contract as recognition of role
• College reorganization (greater authority)
• Some strong opposition to ending stipends
• Lobbying goes on for return of stipends in some
  corners

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Status 2007

• Turnover, though not unusual
• Creation of a Council of Chairs and Program
  Directors
• Development focused
• Will take over annual retreat planning
• Chairs/PDs maintain faculty rights on Faculty
  Senate
• Deans have embraced focus and support with
  college-based initiatives
• Formalize department chair review
• Merit increments for outstanding effort

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Next Steps

• Work with new Council
• Continue development efforts on and off campus
• Increasing requests for help on particular issues
• Working with difficult people
• Strengthen chair mentoring and review processes
• Assistant chair opportunities to permit other
  faculty to sample role