The essential department chair : a comprehensive desk reference

This second edition of the informative and influential The Essential Department Chair offers academic chairs and department heads the information they need to excel in their roles. This book is about the "how" of academic administration: for instance, how do you cultivate a potential donor for much-needed departmental resources? How do you persuade your department members to work together more harmoniously? How do you keep the people who report to you motivated and capable of seeing the big picture?

Thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded, this classic resource covers a broad spectrum of timely topics and is now truly more than a guide--it's a much-needed desk reference that tells you "everything you need to know to be a department chair." The Essential Department Chair contains information on topics such as essentials of creating a strategic plan, developing and overseeing a budget, key elements of fundraising, preparing for the role of chair, meeting the challenges of mentoring to increase productivity, and creating a more collegial atmosphere. The book also explores the chair's role in the search process, shows how to conduct a successful interview and what to do when it's time to let someone go. And the author includes suggestions for the best practices to adopt when doing an evaluation or assessment.

The Essential Department Chair, Second Edition , contains a wealth of new, realistic case studies to equip leaders in this pivotal position to excel in departmental and institutional life.

Author Notes

Jeffrey L. Buller is dean of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College at Florida Atlantic University and author of The Essential Academic Dean, The Essential College Professor, and Academic Leadership Day by Day. He is widely known as a consultant, speaker, and writer about nearly every aspect of life as an academic leader.

The Author	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
Part 1 The Chair's Role and Career Path
1 In the Trenches	p. 3
2 Preparing for the Chair's Role	p. 14
3 Assessing What Kind of Department Chair You Are	p. 23
4 Serving as an Untenured Department Chair	p. 34
5 Coexisting with a Former Chair	p. 41
6 Creating a Career Plan	p. 49
7 Returning to the Faculty	p. 58
8 Seeking Higher Administrative Positions	p. 66
9 A Scenario Analysis on the Chair's Role and Career Path	p. 75
Part 2 Departmental Management and Politics
10 Understanding Departmental Ethics and Politics	p. 85
11 Chairing Small Departments	p. 92
12 Chairing Large Departments	p. 99
13 Setting Course Rotations and Schedules	p. 108
14 Making Decisions	p. 114
15 Setting Annual Themes	p. 124
16 Creating Departmental Centers for Excellence in Teaching and Learning	p. 132
17 A Scenario Analysis on Departmental Management and Politics	p. 142
Part 3 The Chair's Role in Searches, Hiring, and Firing
18 Writing Job Descriptions and Position Announcements	p. 157
19 Understanding the Chair's Role in the Search Process	p. 168
20 Interviewing Candidates	p. 176
21 Letting Someone Go	p. 188
22 A Scenario Analysis on Hiring and Firing	p. 196
Part 4 Mentoring Challenges and Opportunities for Department Chairs
23 Helping Faculty Members Sharpen Their Focus	p. 205
24 Coaching Faculty Members to Increase Productivity	p. 211
25 Promoting a More Collegial Department	p. 217
26 Coping with Passive-Aggressive Behavior	p. 224
27 Resolving Chronic Complaints	p. 231
28 Addressing Staff Conflicts	p. 240
29 Overcoming Conflicts	p. 247
30 A Scenario Analysis on Mentoring Challenges	p. 257
Part 5 The Chair's Role in Faculty Development
31 Facilitating a Positive First-Year Faculty Experience	p. 267
32 Coaching Faculty in Writing Effective Resumes	p. 274
33 Creating an Effective Professional Development Plan	p. 279
34 Creating an Effective Teaching Portfolio	p. 290
35 Creating an Effective Course Syllabus	p. 302
36 Promoting Creativity in Teaching and Learning	p. 309
37 A Scenario Analysis on Faculty Development	p. 317
Part 6 Best Practices in Evaluation and Assessment
38 Creating Written Evaluations	p. 327
39 Conducting Oral Evaluation Sessions	p. 337
40 Writing Letters of Recommendation	p. 343
41 Doing Assessment Effectively	p. 352
42 Conducting Program Reviews	p. 364
43 Conducting Posttenure Reviews	p. 380
44 A Scenario Analysis on Evaluation and Assessment	p. 389
Part 7 Essentials of Budgeting and Planning
45 Strategic Planning	p. 401
46 Planning a Budget	p. 411
47 Implementing a Budget	p. 418
48 Fundraising	p. 425
49 Accounting for Sponsored Research	p. 440
50 A Scenario Analysis on Strategic Budgeting and Planning	p. 449
Epilogue: A Checklist for the Essential Department Chair	p. 457
Index	p. 463

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Author Notes

Table of Contents