A Toolkit for Department Chairs

Abstract

A Toolkit for Department Chairs is designed to give academic administrators the skills they need in order to do their jobs more effectively. Combining case studies, scenarios, practical advice, and problem solving activities, the book offers chairs a valuable resource for negotiating the real-life challenges they face as academic leaders. Many of the case studies and scenarios included in this book have been field tested by the co-authors in over thirty years of administrative training workshops. Current and aspiring department chairs will discover many new tools that they can include in their administrative toolkits from this practical, accessible book. A Toolkit for Department Chairs works well as a personal resource as well as a training manual for leadership programs and textbook for pre- and in-service education for department chairs. Some additional key features of this book include:

• Practicality in that it offers specific strategies to address the many challenges faced by department chairs.

• Adaptability for use as an individual study guide, textbook for leadership programs, or discussion guide for groups of academic administrators.

• Utility in that it fills a demonstrated need in the field of higher education since 96-97% of current department chairs have received no formal training in their administrative responsibilities.

• Easy of use through short, sometimes humorous scenarios and case studies that cause readers to reflect on their own administrative approaches.