In a recent Internet discussion among academic deans, the topic was whether departments and other academic units should create external advisory boards. The dean who raised the issue asked his colleagues whether they maintained boards, if they were genuinely beneficial, and what the ideal board would look like. Some administrators are only now…

Describes the evolution of the multiple English department, sets forth "commandments" for English department chairpersons, and points to qualities of the ideal department chairperson. (GW)

Relates some of the good and bad of chairing an English department. (HOD)

Offers advice to English department chairs on the behavior of academic departments. (AEA)

This article suggests that there is an overwhelming support for fieldwork among a prominent group of professionals in Singapore. Professionals were surveyed to assess how fieldwork is viewed amongst the subject leaders (heads of departments, subject heads and geography coordinators) and the various stakeholders (school leaders comprising…

Much has been written about leadership in business management, but very little research has been done on leadership in academic departments. Department chairs have the authority to make most departmental decisions, but rarely does formal training exist for this position. Therefore, there is a need to study how the leadership styles among…

This report describes Maryland's latest approaches to dealing with restructuring schools and other schools in NCLB improvement. Information for this report was obtained between September 2008 and January 2009 from interviews with Maryland State Department of Education officials and with administrators in three Maryland districts: Anne Arundel…

This study examines prevention practices and perceptions in U.S. schools since passage of federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, using survey data from state education agencies (SEA) and a population-based sample of school districts. Only one third of U.S. public school districts rely on evidence-based prevention curriculum in middle…

This study investigated what university and college department chairpersons believe are the most important duties of their position, how they view their roles, and the relationship of perceived roles and duties. Possible role definitions included seeing department chair work as leader, scholar, faculty developer, or manager. The study surveyed 800…

Given the growth in community colleges, the projected need for health career workers, and the central position of the department chair in higher education, this study explored dimensions of leadership as identified by health career department chairs in five Illinois community colleges. Areas of study included: (a) professional profiles of health…

Chairmen at 38 state and land-grant institutions were found to be involved in three major roles: academic (duties of student involvement and research), which they enjoy; administrative, which requires the majority of time and is less desirable; and leadership (related to academic personnel and program development), which is a major satisfaction.…

To determine how English department chairmen perceive the role of the freshman English director, a study surveyed English department chairmen from 250 randomly selected medium/small to large universities nationwide, representing every state (with a 54% response rate). The questionnaire solicited data about the tasks and responsibilities of…

Reports a study that examined the perceptions of key administrators regarding strategies to help parks, recreation, and leisure curricula remain proactive against potential threats during the current economic restriction and increased accountability. Interviewees were realistic about the current situation but optimistic about their strategies to…

A model from the occupational sociology literature is used to examine how the interactions of the environmental characteristics of academic departments and the personal characteristics of chairmen are related to the job satisfaction and career intentions of chairmen. (LBH)