February 2005

Academic Leader February 2005 full issue PDF
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The Reluctant Interim Leader
When her department chair unexpectedly resigned, Mary Boylston, professor of nursing at Eastern University in Pennsylvania, felt she had little choice but to take on the role of interim chair because she was the only full-time faculty member not preparing for retirement or contemplating a career change.

The Benefits of Undergraduate Research
Although most professors in the sciences have at one time or another provided their undergraduate students with opportunities to conduct research, there has been little research on its benefits. Some faculty include undergraduates in the research process to prepare them for careers in science, but does it? Are there other benefits? Is it worth the costs?

Helping Faculty Get External Research Funding
The importance of external research funding is growing as budgets at many higher education institutions tighten. To compete for external funds, faculty need support to help them become more entrepreneurial and understand exactly what funding agencies are looking for, says Naomi Amos, director of corporate and foundation relations at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (R-MWC) in Virginia.

Reducing Ambiguity, Awkwardness in Evaluating Faculty
The uncomfortable prospect of formally reviewing one’s colleagues amid unclear performance expectations can make the faculty performance review one of the least pleasant and most challenging tasks department chairs face. Working with faculty members to develop performance criteria based on broader institutional goals and properly documenting the reviews can remove the ambiguity and awkwardness from the process.

IUPUI Jump Start Program Prepares Faculty to Teach Online
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis had mixed results getting faculty to develop and teach online courses before implementing its Jump Start program, a faculty development initiative that provides faculty members with a team of online learning experts to help develop online courses. Now, rather than having to convince faculty members to create and teach online courses, the university can be selective as there is more faculty interest in creating online courses than the program can accommodate.

Managing, Not Eliminating, Intradepartmental Conflict
Academic leaders cannot resolve all intradepartmental disputes, but they can become better at analyzing and managing the sources of conflict to reduce the possibility of long-term negative consequences from conflict.