December 2004

Full December, 2004 issue of Academic Leader in PDF format
…

Dealing With ‘Administrative Mandates’
Changes in higher education are requiring academic units to take on new tasks that were once handled by central administrators. These “administrative mandates,” which Stephen Majeski, political science department chair at the University of Washington, describes as “temporary or new permanent tasks that departments, programs, or centers must accomplish that are not accompanied by additional resources,” are forcing academic leaders to devise new or additional strategies without compromising the primary functions of their units.

Understanding Departmental Cultures: An Interview With Jenny L. Lee
In order to initiate change, academic leaders must first understand departmental culture — the shared beliefs and values shaped by individuals, the academic discipline, and the institution, says Jenny L. Lee, professor at the University of Arizona’s Center for the Study of Higher Education.

Assessing Academic Leaders
Although they are rarely given the opportunity to formally evaluate their deans, faculty and staff can provide valuable insights that can make deans more effective leaders. Implementing such a process is full of challenges: How do you define leadership effectiveness? How do you address deans’ concerns that it might constitute a high-stakes evaluation process that links salary, promotion, and contract renewal decisions to evaluations? How do you ensure that vindictive faculty or staff will not skew assessment results? How do you ensure faculty and staff anonymity?

A Template for Designing a Perfect One-Day Retreat
By Margaret Sullivan
A worthwhile faculty retreat can breathe new life into the academic community. The structure and content of a good retreat can contribute to the development of college or school identity and can inspire a shared sense of reflection and forward motion.

A Focus on Teaching and Learning at Mid-Career
Are your experienced faculty members as effective in the classroom as you would like them to be? If not, perhaps a faculty development program like the University of Minnesota’s Mid-Career Teaching Program could be the answer.