March, 2010

Academic Leader - March, 2010 - Full Issue PDF
…

Are Adjuncts Inferior Faculty?
By Cynthia Benn Tweedell, PhD
Discussions on the use of adjunct faculty often focus on the exploitation of labor and neglect the ways in which adjuncts can enhance educational quality. Many adjuncts staff positions in adult evening and weekend classes at satellite campuses. These are positions that full-time faculty at the home campuses may not desire. Often, adjuncts are experienced practitioner faculty who bring a wealth of knowledge into the classroom. This article examines the impact of adjunct faculty on the quality of adult higher education. It specifically describes the quality of instruction at Indiana Wesleyan University’s College of Adult and Professional Studies, which staffs its evening and weekend off-site classes primarily with adjunct faculty.

Faculty Views on Student Mental Health: How CAOs Can Respond
By Tim Mann, PhD
As has become apparent, retention management efforts on college campuses are moving toward a more integrated approach. This shift toward integration has evolved as many institutions recognize that the outreach that addresses the broad student community is not effective on its own. An integrated approach promotes an inclusive planning process, taking into account a broad range of factors to support the diverse needs of students (ACT Policy Report, 2004). However, despite these advances in retention planning, students facing mental health challenges have emerged as an important population that is often overlooked.

The Authority and Responsibility of the Title
By Jeffrey L. Buller, PhD
The specific job description that any academic leader has may differ widely from what his or her peer does at another institution, even if their titles are exactly the same. For instance, the responsibilities of a chair at one school may fall to a dean at another. The most important duties of a president of one university may be performed by a chancellor or provost somewhere else. But there is one responsibility that is shared by all academic leaders regardless of where they work and what their other assignments may be: the responsibility to be aware of the impact their titles have on those who work with and for them.

Developing Leaders in the Complex Adaptive Setting
By Rob Kelly
Leadership development experts Clint Sidle and Chester Warzynski have conducted many leadership workshops in a variety of settings. In separate interviews with Academic Leader, they talked about the challenges of leadership development within the higher education context, how their workshops are structured, and how to keep momentum going after the leadership development event has ended.