This monograph provides a compilation of scholarly literature written about academic deans. The premise on which it rests suggests that changes external to the academy have affected the nature of the academic deanship and will continue to affect it for the foreseeable future. The book considers four questions about the academic deanship. The first is what are deans and what do they do? Strong scholarly credentials distinguish most deans, but the ambiguity of the position they hold, being concerned with students and a wide array of administrative tasks, raises their levels of work-related stress. A second question involves the challenges deans face, which include financial constraints, shifting demographics and increasing student diversity, demands from the corporate sector, and advances in technology. A third question considers the strategies deans might use to meet today's challenges. They should select strategies that move them from being managers of day-to-day operations to being leaders in a dynamic environment. A final question asks what universities can do to help deans become more effective. Appendixes list diversity, law, technology, and finance and budgeting resources for deans. Appendixes also include: Survival Tools for Deans Seeking Balance, Ideas for Deans on Organizational Integrity, and A Survival Reference Library for Deans. Name and subject indexes are also included. (Contains 473 references.) (SLD)