March, 2006

Academic Leader - March, 2006 - Full Issue PDF
…

How to Survive (and Possibly Thrive) After Losing Your Job
When Susan Albertine accepted the position of vice provost for undergraduate studies at Temple University, she gave up the security of tenure to take a “leadership position that I thought was very compelling. It was a risk worth taking.” When a new president came on board, however, she and her colleagues were informed that they would be let go. They were not altogether surprised. The president had reorganized his previous institution, and the practice is not uncommon. “He wanted his own people, his own organization. In my case, it wasn’t a matter of direct conflict or any sense that I was held to be less than competent in what I was doing. I was just not his choice, and I don’t think I would have worked well with him either,” Albertine says.

Faculty Rate Academic Administrators at UCA
Under a new evaluation system, all faculty at the University of Central Arkansas will have the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on the performance of their academic deans, associate provosts, department chairs, and other academic administrators. This feedback will serve as a developmental tool, one of several evaluative measures for use by those to whom the administrator reports, and as a basis for communication between academic administrators and those who report to them.

Retaining Faculty of Color
Most higher education institutions include language in their mission statements about the importance of diversity, but they often fall short when it comes to retaining faculty of color, says Christine A. Stanley, assistant dean of faculties and associate professor in the department of educational administration and human resource development at Texas A&M University.

A Formula for Successful Grant Writing: Four Proven Keys
By A.C. “Buddy” Himes
Like fund-raising, grant writing can be an effective means of acquiring resources beyond institutional allocations. Unlike fund-raising, however, grant writing is largely nonverbal, based instead on formal writing skills. So, if awards are made based on written proposals, what are reviewers looking for in these proposals?

Coping with a College Combination: The First 100 Days
By Cheryl Achterberg
College combinations or mergers are becomingly increasingly common at large universities due in part to budgetary constraints and the drive to manage universities more efficiently. Combining college budgets, cultures, historic practices, and policies is very hard work. Having taken up the challenge to lead the new College of Human Sciences this fall at Iowa State University, I have 10 observations or considerations to share after my first 100 days. They may help you to decide if you wish to take on a similar challenge or to give better support to those who lead a college combination.

Committees Support, Provide Continuity for Department with Short Chair Terms
Budget cuts and the prospect of newly tenured faculty serving as department chairs in upcoming years prompted the mathematics department at West Valley College to reorganize its departmental leadership structure, moving toward a shared leadership model with many of the responsibilities delegated to committees. In addition to supporting the chair, this new structure has helped develop leaders within the department and has improved continuity from one chair’s term to the next.