August, 2008

Academic Leader - August, 2008 - Full Issue PDF
…

Collaborative Leadership through Strengths Development Part II: Developing a Strengths-Oriented Academic Team
By Eileen Hulme, PhD, and Anita Henck, PhD
Trust is essential to developing an effective academic department. Although trust is hard to achieve based on historic mistrust and distancing between faculty and administrators, it is worthwhile for department chairs to attempt to achieve trust as a critical aspect of team functioning. Strengths-oriented academic teams provide a new approach to an old dilemma.

The Introduction of Meeting Guidelines Using the Philosophy of Nonviolent Communication
By Gerry Huerth, Cheryl Clausen, and Tina Wade
At North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, Minn., we have begun experimenting with a set of guidelines for committee meetings. These committee guidelines were created as an Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) Action Project to address trust and communication on our campus.

Institutionalizing a Student Research Program
By Alan C. Utter, PhD, MPH
Scholarship and the creation of new knowledge, discoveries, and creative endeavors are integral components of all higher education institutions. At Appalachian State University (ASU), this concept has been broadened to include encouraging undergraduate students in research, as we traditionally have done with graduate students, by creating the Office of Student Research (OSR).

Diversifying the Faculty with Pre-Doctoral Fellowships
By Michael T. Fagin, PhD, and Scott R. Olson, PhD
Most universities endeavor to attract and retain a diverse faculty, focusing aggressively on advertising open positions in a variety of venues. Competing with each other for a small pool of candidates, this often becomes a zero-sum game, with the result that colleges and universities outside metropolitan areas find it difficult to attract and retain a diverse faculty. Instead of competing in this zero-sum game, we should try to make the pool larger—a win-win scenario that truly increases diversity. At Minnesota State University (MSU), Mankato we are having success doing this using a pre-doctoral fellowship program.

Low-Cost, High-Impact Faculty Development: Writing Camp
By Barbara Mezeske
Remember camp? You were dropped off on a Monday morning, left to experience the woods or horses or go swimming with a group of peers you had never met, until Mom and Dad retrieved you on Friday afternoon. Camp counselors organized your day, monitored your activities, and generally ensured that you and most of your new pals were having a good time. Camp was memorable—not always pleasant, but always a break from the ordinary. Faculty writing camp is a lot like camp was when we were kids, except that the purpose is wholly shaped by the need for scholars to write.