For state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs), the tide of work has shifted pretty dramatically in recent years. Once obsessed with regulatory fussiness, these agencies are now busy harnessing innovation in pursuit of better schools and more successful students. They are striving for big wins in a time of tight budgets.…

"Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty" presents new and surprising findings about career differences between female and male full-time, tenure-track, and tenured faculty in science, engineering, and mathematics at the nation's top research universities. Much of this…

A discussion of college faculty renewal looks at the word's etymology and at concrete ways for departments and their administrators to promote quality faculty research. It also describes four archetypal examples of faculty in need of research renewal, each related to literary history and the workings of a research committee. (Author/MSE)

As departmental program review becomes more common in college resource reallocation, department heads will be key figures in decision making. They must know what evaluation criteria will be used, such as program role in institutional mission, enrollment or credit-hour production, job-market demand, external support, program quality, and…

Resources available to department chairs from the following sources are described: the department's discipline; the national higher education community; the local institution; and the chair's own skills, background, roles, and structural placement within the organization. The use of these resources to deal with common problems faced by chairs is…

A study of the usefulness of time analysis as a method of teacher self-evaluation suggests that while the method can be of value, it raises major issues in department management, especially in British and Welsh public institutions. The implications for faculty accountability and participation in decision making are also examined. (MSE)

When institutional personnel assess faculty research performance, they should consider the extent to which the institution rewards research, ways to encourage faculty to be productive, criteria for evaluating research performance, and the specific steps useful in reviewing research performance within academic units. (Author/MSE)

This monograph describes how to design cash incentive programs in higher education as a way to help employees achieve their best productivity and as the most cost-effective way to communicate and stimulate the work behaviors that the institution values. Including a mentoring role as part of recognition of model departments or model managers not…

This book addresses principles of management and leadership in higher education, particularly leadership at the academic department level. It argues that academic leadership can improve academic outcomes and staff commitment in the current highly competitive and rapidly changing climate of higher education. Emphasis throughout is on the actual…

A national study (n=114 institutions) of faculty teaching productivity is described, focusing on the development of appropriate measures acceptable to faculty, based on departmental data on credit hours taught and costs. Resulting tables display faculty productivity, in credits and students taught, and direct instructional costs by discipline and…

This guide to leadership for college department chairs addresses three major challenges: (1) developing understanding and clarity about the motives and role of a department chair; (2) understanding the strategic planning process for creating a productive department; and (3) developing key leadership skills required for effectiveness. The first…