Activities and roles of department heads that can improve departmental and faculty effectiveness were investigated, along with dimensions associated with departmental leadership of chairpersons. In the first of two studies, department heads at four-year institutions were interviewed to identify views of existing conditions in higher education,…

Information for newly appointed heads of graduate departments of psychology is presented as background material for the 1974 Chairman's Workshop. Topics include the following: the budgetary situation, pressures for increased teaching loads, effects upon recruiting faculty, faculty morale, graduate and undergraduate student morale, the intellectual…

Information about deans that may be helpful to department chairs is presented, based on the findings of four national surveys of deans. The surveys of social science, graduate, continuing education, and arts and sciences deans covered the deans' role in resource allocation to departments, teaching and research support for faculty, tenure and…

The process by which the sociology department at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, has changed character and resolved situations of conflict and polarization is examined. The sociology department experienced rapid growth and the university as a whole shifted from teaching as a single function to teaching and research. It is suggested…

Four prerequisites for college and university departmental change and renewal have been suggested: dedication to teamwork; collective dialog and inquiry about effective teaching; commitment to quality control and rewarding collective goals; and leadership of a purposeful chair. These are discussed in relation to conditions mitigating against…

Examines the ways that academic department chairs cope with the demanding and often contradictory roles they must assume. Discusses the challenge of allocating resources among faculty members and simultaneously maintaining collegiality. Presents data culled from interviews with 23 current and former department chairs. (MJP)

Those with online PhD's stand a better chance of being hired by a community college than by other colleges or universities when seeking a faculty position. In a 2007 study, administrators of some of the largest community colleges in the United States indicated that they were receptive to hiring applicants with online doctorates for teaching…

Hampton Institute (University) was founded in 1868 to educate freed slaves following the Civil War. American Indians, former prisoners of the United States Federal Government during the Civil War, also arrived at Hampton Institute in 1878 to be educated and "civilized." Hampton Institute's first mission was as a normal school and a trade school.…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about…

This study describes three action cycles I identified retrospectively and examines the processes I underwent through the lens of research literature dealing with leadership. I then provide a retrospective account of my reflections on my actions over a four-year period. As the head of the Elementary School Department in a teacher education college,…

Quality assurance in medical education is a complex matter. Institutions and external critics of accreditation processes often question the objectivity of peer judgements. Members of accreditation panels similarly often feel at a loss for a lack of mechanisms to help them arrive at a collective assessment of the performance of an institution. In…

In a recent poll that asked American adults to identify "the single most significant event that has happened in their lifetime, in terms of its importance to the U.S. and the world," 46 percent of the respondents cited the attacks of September 11, 2001, as the most significant occurrence in their lifetime. In light of this result, it is not…

This book demonstrates how academic chairs at institutions of higher education can learn the skills that are essential to their becoming leaders and faculty developers and having a significant impact on their departments. The book assists chairs in building cohesive teams in their departments and facilitates learning and using survival skills. It…

One of the most distinctive features of academic departments in community colleges is their multi-disciplinary nature. While the creation of multi-disciplinary departments usually results from pragmatic considerations, they do present some advantages over one-subject departments in that faculty are obliged to learn other disciplines and a system…

English department heads often find themselves walking a tightrope, trying to keep the various elements of their departments in balance. Yet despite the diversity of interests, English departments should maintain a united house. In fact, separating disciplines--such as writing and literature--into different departments would be negative for both…