28th Annual Academic Chairpersons Conference

Where our Presenters are From

Pre-Conference Workshops

Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Legacy South 2 (2nd Floor)
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.	Managing Conflict and Especially Difficult Personalities The task of managing conflict and especially difficult people can be uncomfortable for even seasoned academic chairpersons. Yet, academic chairpersons report that managing conflict consumes much of their time and energy. In this full-day pre-conference workshop, participants will hear and have an opportunity to practice leadership communication strategies that improve their comfort and proficiency for managing conflict and especially difficult people. Registration Information
	Presented by: Mary Lou Higgerson, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, Baldwin-Wallace College Mary Lou Higgerson is Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean for Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. A social scientist, educator, administrator, author and specialist in organizational communication, she has been a speaker and consultant on topics of leadership, performance counseling, conflict management, shaping mission, and leading change.
Legacy South 3 (2nd Floor)
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.	Standing on the Precipice: Selecting Strategies for Success and Survival If you are a seasoned chair looking for new ways to improve your leadership and your department or a new chair looking for processes to assist with your new responsibilities, this workshop is for you! Refresh your skills and learn methods of addressing a departmental vision while dealing with a new resource environment. This interactive workshop will be focused on The 2nd Edition of the Academic Chair's Handbook published in 2008. The book, written in the voice of 238 chairs on 94 campuses, reflects over 100 strategies used to deal with the issues of Vision and Direction, Developing a Positive Culture, Accountability, Resources, and Faculty. The workshop will begin with an overview of the Four Dimensions of the book: Be sensitive to the developmental growth of people and the organization; Understand the departmental, institutional and disciplinary context in which this growth occurs; Acknowledge that building is a process; Recognize that chairs make a difference. After the initial overview, participating chairs will use a checklist from the book to provide a framework to review departmental issues. Strategies, both immediate and long-term, related to seven main aspects will be examined and discussed. Those issues are: Institutional/Departmental Context and Leadership Role of Chairs; Building as a Process; Create a Positive Interpersonal Work Environment; Developing a Collective Vision and Dealing with Change; Adapt to Funding and Resource Challenges; Help New Faculty Become Oriented; Registration Information
	Presented by: Daniel Wheeler, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Daniel W. Wheeler is Professor Emeritus of Leadership Studies and head of the Department of Ag Leadership, Education and Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Previously he was coordinator of the Office of Professional and Organizational Development at Nebraska. He has degrees from Antioch College, Cornell, and SUNYAB. Dr. Wheeler has made numerous contributions to faculty development, chairing departments and leadership. For example, he has co-authored The Academic Chairperson Handbook (1990), Enhancing Faculty Development: Strategies for Development and Renewal (1990), and he has contributed numerous book chapters and articles on faculty development and department chairs. Dr. Wheeler is a past president of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education and recipient of the prestigious Spirit of POD Award. He is a member of the advisory boards of the Academic Chairpersons Conference, Department Chair Newsletter, Council of Independent Colleges and Effective Practices for Academic Leaders. Dr. Wheeler is a Senior Fulbright Scholar in higher education. At Nebraska, he teaches graduate and undergraduate leadership courses. He consults and leads workshops in all of these areas in the United States and internationally. Alan Seagren, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Alan T. Seagren is Professor Emeritus of Educational Administration and Vice President for Administration Emeritus at the University of Nebraska. He was an administrator at the University of Nebraska for 32 years, serving as a chair, dean, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and Vice President for Administration. For the past 15 years, he has been the coordinator of the online Graduate Program in Educational Leadership and Higher Education and professor teaching courses in the online ELHE program. Seagren has made numerous contributions to chairing departments, leadership education, and organizational development and has contributed numerous book chapters and articles on department chairs and leadership. He has co-authored The Academic Chairperson Handbook (1990), The Department Chair: New Roles, Responsibility, and Challenges (1993), and Academic Leadership in Community Colleges (1994). He is a member of the advisory board for the Chair Academy for Leadership Development, the International Business Studies Program King Willem I College of the Netherlands, and the Campus Ministry for ELCA. He consults and leads workshops in the areas of leadership and department chairs, and he has been a visiting professor at institutions in Australia, China, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Legacy South 2 (2nd Floor)
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.	COLLEGIALITY: Chairs' Role in Facilitating a Civil Department This workshop will focus on the unique role of the chair in fostering a desired collegial, respectful, and civil culture in their department. Strategies will be explored that also identify specific responsibilities the university has in reigning in uncivil and vitriolic faculty members. Approaches will be examined that facilitate departments that invite free expression, exploration, and inquiry and are enthusiastic, collaborative, and exciting. In this interactive workshop, the attendees will actively participate in problem-solving activities regarding the topic of collegiality and civility within a department. The unique role of the chair will be investigated and analyzed regarding if the very nature of their responsibilities leads to incivility and non-collegiality. The following questions will be explored using experiential case studies and scenarios: How do we operationally define collegiality? Can we develop guidelines to foster collegiality without discouraging productive dissent? Are there proven methods to objectively assess collegial behavior in the interviewing and selection of new faculty members, as well as in the faculty evaluation process? What have the U.S. courts ruled concerning the role of collegiality in tenure, promotion, and termination decisions? What, exactly, is the chair's role in fostering civility/collegiality in the department? Can "lack of civility/collegiality" be used as a basis to terminate a full-time faculty member? What are the academic policy implications of what the courts have ruled regarding collegiality – in terms of selecting, hiring, training, evaluating, and terminating faculty? Are there implied delimitations that the typical chair faces in facilitating a more civil environment in their department? The workshop participants will develop a personal "Plan of Action" that they can use when they return to their campus after the conference. Registration Information
	Presented by: Bob Cipriano, Professor Emeritus, Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Southern Connecticut State University Bob Cipriano received his Ed.D. degree in Therapeutic Recreation with an area of emphasis in College Teaching from New York University. He has written two textbooks, contributed chapters in three textbooks, and has published 111 journal articles and manuscripts. Dr. Cipriano has received more than $9 million in federal, state, and foundation grants and has been invited to deliver more than 200 presentations in the United States and Asia. He has conducted research and written extensively on the topics of collegiality/civility, chairs' perceptions of important factors to be considered in personnel decisions regarding faculty, full-time faculty, and department chair's perceptions of shared governance, demographic characteristics of department chairs, and including individuals with disabilities in higher education. Dr. Cipriano has served as a department chair for 28 of his 36 years in higher education. He is currently writing a book about collegiality in higher education for Jossey-Bass.
Legacy South 3 (2nd Floor)
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.	A Chairperson's Guide to Program Level Assessment The job of implementing a program level assessment plan often falls on the department chair. While some chairs are fortunate to inherit well developed, functioning assessment plans, most chairs begin from scratch. Regardless of whether or not your assessment plan is fully developed or just being conceptualized, this workshop will help you move from identifying student learning outcomes to closing the assessment loop.
	Presented by: Susan Hatfield, Professor, Winona State University Susan Hatfield is a Professor of Communication Studies at Winona State University. She served nine years as chairperson in that department and for 12 years as the Assessment Coordinator. She is a Visiting Scholar with the Higher Learning Commission and serves as a peer evaluator for that organization. Susan presents numerous workshops on assessment and accreditation at state, regional, and national conferences and consults with individual departments and universities on related issues. Registration Information
Legacy South 1 (2nd Floor)
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.	Departments that Work—Transforming Departments Departmental health is not an all or nothing issue. Departments may function well in some areas and struggle in others. Critical reflection about departmental life and quality is essential to departmental transformation—small or large. In his book, Departments that Work, Jon Wergin identified a number of things necessary to build and sustain a high quality department. This workshop will provide an opportunity to learn about and discuss those factors. In addition, you will be provided an opportunity to diagnose the health of your own department and complete a new instrument currently in its final design phase intended to assist departments in assessing and improving departmental functioning. Registration Information
	Presented by: Jon Wergin, Professor, Antioch University Jon Wergin is a 1973 graduate of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln's educational psychology PhD Program. He has published 7 books and monographs as well as numerous journal articles on such topics as professional education, assessment, and the restructuring of faculty work. In addition to his published works, Dr. Wergin has held faculty positions at Virginia Commonwealth University for nearly thirty years, serving in both administrative and faculty roles; while at VCU, he won awards for both teaching (1996) and scholarship (1998). In 1992, he served as the founding director of the Forum on Faculty Roles and Rewards within the American Association for Higher Education focusing his scholarship on evaluation and change in academic departments. He is past divisional vice president of the American Educational Research Association (Division I) and has served as chief evaluator of two national centers for research in higher education. Currently, Dr. Wergin is member of the National Academy for Higher Education Leadership, panel chair for Inquiry Brief Proposals of TEAC, and professor of educational studies in Antioch University's PhD program in leadership and change. Bill Pallett, President, The IDEA Center Bill Pallett has served as President of The IDEA Center (Individual Development and Educational Assessment Center) since 1997. Prior to that, he served as Director of Assessment and Co-Director of the Office of Educational Advancement at Kansas State University. Since joining the Center, he has been involved in all phases of the Center's work including survey instrument research and development, client training, and business operations and development.

Half-Day Workshops

Thursday, February 10, 2011
Legacy South 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	The Academic Portfolio: A Successful New Way to Document Teaching, Research, and Service An important change is taking place in higher education. Faculty are being held accountable – as never before – for how well they do their jobs. The traditional approach to evaluating and developing their performance has been to focus on the "what," but not on the "why." Thoughtful reflection, significance, and context were not built into the system. But these failings limit the understanding of the full range of a professor's work in teaching, research/scholarship, and service. Evaluators and faculty developers might understand a professor's teaching philosophy and methodology if they did a teaching portfolio. But they wouldn't easily understand the nature of the professor's research, the significance of selected publications, the context of their work, or their most noteworthy accomplishments and goals. And they likely wouldn't know how a professor's teaching, research, and service are integrated to form a cohesive whole or how they fit with the institutional or departmental mission. The best way to get at the individuality and complexity of faculty work is the academic portfolio. It may prove to be the most innovative and promising faculty evaluation and development technique in years. What is it? The portfolio is a 16-18 page selective gathering of documents and materials highlighting a professor's performance and suggesting its scope and quality. It's based on deep reflection and provides context and significance. The portfolio template used is the result of extensive research by the presenter. More than 200 faculty members and department chairs from across disciplines and institutions provided specific suggestions and recommendations. The result is a comprehensive template that can easily be adapted to individual faculty and department needs. The academic portfolio concept has gone well beyond the point of theoretical possibility. Today, it is being adopted or pilot-tested by an increasing number of institutions. Significantly, they are institutions of every size, shape, and mission. This highly interactive session will describe the what, why, and how to develop an academic portfolio. It will discuss the critical role played by department chairs as they assist individual faculty to develop their portfolios. It will provide proven advice for getting started, discuss red-flag dangers, and benchmarks for success.
	Presented by: Peter Seldin, Distinguished Professor of Management Emeritus, Pace University Peter Seldin is Distinguished Professor of Management Emeritus at Pace University, Pleasantville, New York. Formerly an academic dean, department chair, and professor of management, he is a specialist in the evaluation and development of faculty and administrative performance and has been a consultant on higher education issues to more than 350 colleges and universities throughout the United States and in 45 countries around the world.
Salon 1 (2nd Floor)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Managing Conflict and Colleagues: Mending Cracks in the Ivory Tower This session will address three Rs of creative conflict management: recognize the nature and causes of conflict; identify key interpersonal conflict skills and explore effective response options; and practice the art of strategic resolution. Introduction: The Call to Leadership Recognize the nature and causes of conflict in departments and universities Eight Work Relationships Creating Conflict Power and Influence Department Chair Role Conflict Conflict Management Styles and Strategies Conflict Mode Instrument Managing Conflict Model Advantages and Disadvantages of Conflict Styles Practice the Art of Principled Conflict Resolution Conflict Resolution Organizing Questions Principled Negotiation Skills Roland-Jones Conflict Simulation Anderson-Lawson Interest Exercise
	Presented by: Walter Gmelch, Dean of the School of Education and Professor, University of San Francisco School of Education Walter H. Gmelch is the Dean of the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. He formerly served as Dean of the College of Education at Iowa State University and Interim Dean of the College of Education, Professor, and Chair of the Educational Leadership and Counseling Psychology department at Washington State University. Currently, Dr. Gmelch also serves as Director of the National Center for Academic Leadership. Gmelch earned a Ph.D. in the Educational Executive Program from the University of California (Santa Barbara), a Master's in Business Administration from the University of California (Berkeley), and a Bachelor's degree from Stanford University. As educator, management consultant, university administrator, and former business executive, Dr. Gmelch has conducted research and written extensively on the topics of leadership, team development, conflict, and stress and time management. He has published numerous articles, books, and scholarly papers in national and international journals. Dr. Gmelch has authored three books on team leadership and two on management and stress. He has additionally co-authored three books on the deanship. Today, Gmelch is one of the leading researchers in the study of academic leaders in higher education, serving as editor of two journals and on the editorial board of six other journals including The Department Chair, Innovative Higher Education, Academic Leadership, and the Center for Academic Leadership Newsletter. Dr. Gmelch has received numerous honors including a Kellogg National Fellowship, the University Council for Educational Administration Distinguished Professor Award, the Faculty Excellence Award for Research, and the Education Press Award of America. In addition, he served in the Danforth Leadership Program and has been an Australian Research Fellow.
Salon 3 (2nd Floor)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Three Keys to Effective Decision-Making for Academic Leaders Is it really possible to identify just three key determiners of effective decision-making? Books and articles offer an extensive array of practices and techniques for making decisions; one suggested 50 strategies to help one decide. This workshop briefly reviews the classic approach to decision making, and then focuses on three keys: 1) be proactive, 2) be humble, 3) be composed. These three will be considered in depth in the setting of higher education. Participants will work short case studies, and identify ways to use the three determiners to make better decisions both individually and in groups.
	Presented by: Kent Crookston, Associate Director, BYU Faculty Center Brigham Young University Professor Crookston has held academic positions at Cornell University, the University of Minnesota, and Brigham Young University (BYU). He has been a university administrator for 20 years including department head, and dean. He was resident coordinator on a U.S. State Department project in Morocco for two years and has consulted extensively in the area of international development, primarily in Africa. Recently he was appointed associate director of the BYU Faculty Center where he directs a program of support for academic administrators. He has researched tasks and attributes expected of department chairs and has presented his findings nationally.
Legends 2 (Lobby Level)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Department Chair Leadership in Good Times and Bad We don't hear chairs say very often "I have too much!" More often it's the opposite: "I don't have what I need!" The reality of higher education is that there will be times of scarcity as well as plenty. During bountiful economic periods, when the greatest problems involve the distribution of resources, how do we determine the best places to invest in positions and operations? When times are tight, as they are in most parts of American higher education today, how do we stay true to our mission while paying the bills? In this workshop, participants will learn to identify the assets they have to help them get through times when resources are scarce on campus. They will develop the tools to negotiate the environment that challenges them. Who are the key players? What can chairs do to help key decision makers do as much as they can to help their departments? During the tough days, what can chairs do to position their departments to weather storms and prepare for sunnier days ahead? In this interactive workshop, participants will be provided conceptual frameworks to help them appreciate their department's position on campus. What are the sources of influence that affect what chairs can do? They will then be guided through exercises to help them understand their campus organizations, resources, expenditures, personnel, course schedules, and other factors critical in times of financial change. Through this workshop, chairs will learn the tools necessary to help them navigate their way through the difficult financial currents buffeting departments today.
	Presented by: Donald Chu, Dean, College of Professional Studies, University of West Florida Dr. Don Chu is Professor and Dean of the College of Professional Studies. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Oberlin College and Stanford University. Prior to coming to UWF in 2005 he worked two years as a special education teacher in New York, taught at Skidmore College for nine years, and was at California State University, Chico for seventeen years as professor and chair of the Department of Kinesiology teaching courses in the sociology of education, anthropology of education, the sociology of sport, and graduate research methods. From 1999-2000 Dr. Chu served as California State University Executive Fellow working from the Office of the Chancellor. While there he completed the "California State University Department Chair Survey" on which his most recent book The Department Chair Primer (Jossey Bass, 2005) was based. In addition he has written two other books, and served as senior editor or co-editor on three other books. His current grant funded projects include serving as primary investigator on "Hometown Heroes Teach" (funded $275,000 annually through Workforce Escarosa), and co-PI on "Hometown Heroes Reachout " (funded $330,000 annually through USDOL). Dr. Chu serves on the board of Alzheimer's Family Services and is an NCATE Examiner. While a devoted family man, he embraces his new status as "empty nester" living in blessed peace with only his wife Janine and himself at home.
Legend 3 (Lobby Level)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Transforming Your Department (If You Need to) without Losing Yourself: Personal and Departmental Well-Being Department chairs, whose roles include significant leadership and advocacy responsibilities, daily confront a unique array of personal and organizational stressors. This participatory workshop will include structured activities as well as time for personal reflection and small group discussion to help chairs cope with the ongoing demands of their positions. Core beliefs and empowering perspectives, preferred stress management skills, and building on department colleagues' strengths will be addressed.
	Presented by: Tim Hatfield, Professor Emeritus, Winona State University Tim Hatfield, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus and former chair of the Counselor Education Department at Winona State University, Winona, MN. A frequent presenter at this conference, his work has included the creation of a major stress management website that reflects the integration of many of the major concepts that he has introduced to his students, colleagues, and workshop participants over the years. He is married to Susan Rickey Hatfield, Ph.D., also presenting at this conference, and they have four children aged 17 to 30.
Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Positive Chairing: Stop Putting Out Fires; Start Making a Difference An interactive workshop on strategies that help move departments from focusing on complaints, problems, and perceived injustices towards exploring creative and innovative possibilities.
	Presented by: Jeffrey Buller, Dean of the Honors College, Florida Atlantic University Jeffrey L. Buller has worked in higher education administration since 1982 and has held such positions as department chair, honors director, assistant/associate dean, dean, and vice president for academic affairs at a variety of institutions, large and small, public and private. A classicist by training, Dean Buller is the author of Academic Leadership Day By Day: Small Steps That Lead to Great Success (Jossey-Bass, 2010), The Essential College Professor: A Practical Guide to an Academic Career (Jossey-Bass, 2010), The Essential Academic Dean: A Practical Guide to College Leadership (Jossey-Bass, 2007), The Essential Department Chair: A Practical Guide to College Administration (Anker, 2006), and numerous articles for The Department Chair, Academic Leader, Recruitment and Retention in Higher Education, and Student Affairs Leader. Dean Buller presents workshops all over the world, including administrative training sessions for American Council on Education, consultancies and training programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and leadership development courses in a variety of formats. From 2003-2005, Dr. Buller served as the principal English-language lecturer at the International Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, Germany. He currently serves on the editorial board for The Department Chair and is the lead consultant to the Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia and the Ana G. Méndez University System in Puerto Rico as they build their own leadership development programs.

Concurrent Presentations

Evaluation and Assessment

Papers

Energizing the Full Professor - Making Later Years Best
Thursday, February 10, 3:30-4:15pm, Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
Barbara Garvey, Hanover College

Departments are faced with less "new blood" due to hiring cuts and colleagues retiring later.

Hanover College faculty adopted a statement of purpose of post tenure review which embraces a pluralistic approach offering genuinely energizing and revitalizing experiences. Formative approaches are seen as central to post tenure review.

This presentation, aimed for all chairs, will explain how to develop a review process that energizes the long time educator and will give examples for departmental post tenure review projects.

A Departmental "Wizard" Program for First-Year Students
Friday, February 11, 2:30-3:15pm, Traditions (Lobby Level)
Maureen Murphy, Huntingdon College

Design, implementation, and assessment of our "First-Year Chemistry Wizard" program is presented so that you may start your own departmental "wizard" mentor/tutor program for first-year students. Use of "wizards" resulted in dramatic increases in student learning outcomes in first-year chemistry courses and increased retention of first-year students in our department.

Educate Me: Conducting Evaluations in Areas Beyond the Evaluator's Expertise
Friday, February 11, 9:30-10:15am, Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
Deborah Palmes, North Central College

This presentation examines several of the approaches, themes and techniques that a chairperson can utilize for objectively and successfully evaluating faculty members with areas of expertise that differ from those of the evaluator. Emphasis will be placed on teaching faculty how to prepare an effective self-evaluation file.

Leading Change in an Inert Program Through the Assessment Process
Friday, February 11, 10:30-11:15am, Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
Susan Vessella, Woodbury University
Behnoush McKay, Woodbury University

Through visual examples and lecture this presentation will showcase a case study of the journey of reinventing a lethargic program through the parallel processes of assessment and design. Significant changes were made in everything from policies and procedures to curriculum and faculty resulting in enhanced student performance, and recognition among the educational and professional communities.

Workshops

Out from Behind Closed Doors: Program Reviews as Professional Development
Friday, February 11, 10:30am-12:15pm, Salon 1 (2nd Floor)
Katherine Frank, Colorado State University-Pueblo

This workshop will focus on using program reviews as a form of professional development that improves department collaboration and communication, understanding of programmatic and institutional issues, use of formative and summative assessment, and application of results. Two case studies from different disciplines and degree programs will be considered.

Stalking Distinction: Strategies for Enhancing Departmental Claims
Thursday, February 10, 1:15-3:00pm, Salon 1 (2nd Floor)
Jane Halonen, University of West Florida
Maureen McCarthy, Kennesaw State University
Dana Dunn, Moravian College
Suzanne Baker, James Madison University

This workshop will provide participants with a model for evaluating departmental effectiveness and identifying areas of distinction. Chairs will use the benchmarking model to document elements of distinction in their home departments.

Faculty Development

Panels

Teaching Graduate Students to Teach in the 21st Century
Friday, February 11, 10:30am-12:15pm, Traditions (Lobby Level)
Maxine Atkinson, NC State University
Barbara Risman, University of Illinois at Chicago
John Zipp, University of Akron

Each of the presenters will share their successful programs for re-defining and re-designing graduate education to include teacher training. Systematic and incremental steps are parts of each doctoral program discussed with the goal of preparing the professoriate for the challenges of the 21st century.

Context and Career-Stage Specific Considerations for Faculty Growth and Renewal
Thursday, February 10, 1:15-3:00pm, Salon 3 (2nd Floor)
Amy Strage, San Jose State University
Joan Merdinger, San Jose State University
Jerome Neuner, Canisius College
Dennis Pitta, University of Baltimore
Binnie Singh, University of California, Davis
Barbara Horwitz, University of California, Davis

Panelists, all recipients of ACE/Sloan Faculty Career Flexibility awards, will share resources they have developed to help chairpersons identify and meet professional growth and work-life balance needs of faculty across stages of the academic career.

Papers

Mentoring of Probationary Faculty
Thursday, February 10, 3:30-4:15pm, Legacy South 3 (2nd Floor)
Jean Filetti, Christopher Newport University

This presentation will discuss the findings of our first-year assessment of the mentoring partnerships developed to support probationary faculty, sharing some of the successes and failures of the different mentoring functions (career and psychosocial), and their impact on helping faculty socialize to and understand institutional culture, achieve success in the classroom, and advance professional career goals.

Motivating Faculty & Going Green with iPads
Friday, February 11, 1:30-2:15pm, Forum West 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Jill Lindsey, College of Education & Human Services, Wright State University

This paper describes an environmentally responsible professional development initiative using iPads. The purpose of the initiative was to collectively learn iPad touch technology skills (a form of job-embedded professional development) and reduce paper usage in department meetings. The initiative was part of a vision to develop a department culture of transparency, autonomy, and interdependence created and maintained through communication and capacity building. Data collection revealed that collective learning contributed to adoption of touch technology, and after four months 95% of department members were using iPads to conduct business during department meetings.

Coaching Faculty to Take Ownership of New Program Development
Thursday, February 10, 1:15-2:00pm, Legacy South 3 (2nd Floor)
Susanne Marshall, Nova Southeastern University

This presentation is a step-by-step guide to coaching faculty in building the administrative skills and financial sense of rigor needed to develop a successful new graduate program. This presentation will show how faculty can be successfully coached to use their creativity to take ownership for the new program.

Beyond PowerPoint: Presentation Technology for the Millennial Generation
Friday, February 11, 10:30-11:15am, Forum West 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Allison McFarland, Bethel College

Do you and your colleagues beam with pride as you present lectures on Power Point slides? To Millennial students, Power Point is as ordinary as overhead transparencies were to your generation. Move over slides, make room for "PREZI", a free flowing electronic presentation canvas. Come learn about this transformational tool.

Leadership and Administration

Papers

Bloom Where You are Planted: A Guide for Department Heads
Thursday, February 10, 2:15-3:00pm, Legacy South 3 (2nd Floor)
Anne Balazs, Eastern Michigan University

The department chair position offers challenges that, if managed strategically, can be met and provide real growth opportunities. This presentation recommends "blooming where you're planted" and developing leadership skills and practices to advance professionally. Audience participation will be encouraged through interactive exercises.

Disciplinary Comparisons of Academic Department Chair Ratings
Friday, February 11, 8:30-9:15am, Forum West 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Steve Benton, The IDEA Center
Russel Webster, Kansas State University
Margo Woller, Kansas State University
B. Jan Middendorf, Kansas State University

We examined differences in how department chairs (N = 455) rated the importance of key administrative responsibilities as well as assessed faculty ratings (N = 7,505) of their respective chair's performance on those responsibilities. Disciplinary comparisons were made based on the Biglan (1973) classification system. Data were compiled from The IDEA Center's Chair Information Form and Faculty Survey, both online. Chairs from departments with life orientations (e.g., botany, psychology) assigned more importance to personnel management and development and to developing a positive climate than did those from nonlife-oriented departments (e.g., geology, accounting). No other meaningful differences were found in chairs' ratings of responsibilities or faculty ratings of the chair's performance. The priorities expressed by department chairs and faculty evaluations of their performance are largely consistent across academic disciplines, and when taken together, support the generalizability of department chair ratings.

A Dangerous Gift: Honoring Heritage & Renewal in Transformation
Friday, February 11, 1:30-2:15pm, Traditions (Lobby Level)
Ernest Bogue, University of Tennessee

Transformation challenges for higher education include the call to (1) lower costs, (2) enhance efficiency/productivity, demonstrate accountability, revise structure and organization, and adopt marketplace management principles. These calls for transformation warrant critical scrutiny of specific goals, policy implications, performance evidence and a prioritized transformation plan at the department level.

A Department Chair's Role in Program Assessment
Friday, February 11, 2:30-3:15pm, Salon 3 (2nd Floor)
Lori Collins-Hall, Hartwick College

Assessment plays a critical role in informing successful academic program development and implementation. This presentation examines the Chair's role in clarifying departmental mission and values, facilitating understanding of the role of assessment, and setting clear and consistent expectations for departmental improvement and enhanced student learning.

Transforming Higher Education – Building Sustainable Spaces through Collaboration
Thursday, February 10, 3:30-4:15pm, Forum West 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Jan Erkert, University of Illinois
Julie Larsen, University of Illinois
Roger Hubeli, University of Illinois

Students and faculty from the Department of Dance and the School of Architecture at University of Illinois designed and created dance studios in an old, underused building using recycled materials. This presentation shares the process of building the space utilizing creative partnerships and limited resources during a budget crisis.

Where's the Safety Net? Mentoring Chairs Towards Success and Longevity
Thursday, February 10, 3:30-4:15pm, Salon 3 (2nd Floor)
Katherine Frank, Colorado State University-Pueblo
Carol Langer, Colorado State University-Pueblo

This paper discusses the importance of the mentoring process for preparing new and diverse chairpersons for success. Through the combination of current literature on leadership in higher education and specific case studies, recommendations will be made for how to appoint and mentor new chairs within the landscape of the academy.

Using Social Networks to Enhance Departmental Trust and Community
Thursday, February 10, 1:15-2:00pm, Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
Laura Gurak, University of Minnesota

This paper examines "Web 2.0" tools that can be used by chairs to enhance departmental trust and community. The paper begins with an overview of trust and community in digital settings, then compares email to social networks, wikis, and blogs. Case snapshots of successful and unsuccessful uses of social networks by chairs/departments are then offered. The paper concludes with best practices.

Transforming the Department Chair Role: Institutional Strategies to Facilitate Change
Friday, February 11, 11:30am-12:15pm, Forum West 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Charles Haberle, Providence College
Sheila Adamus Liotta, Providence College

Providence College has begun to transform the role of academic department chair in an attempt to make the role more significant at the institution and more desirable for faculty by increasing the emphasis on leadership in the role. In this paper, we describe the process by which we have facilitated a critical examination of the chair role in response to suggestions made by current and former chairs, which led to subsequent change in how the institution views and supports chairs as leaders for their departments and for the college.

Understanding and Communicating with Today's Students
Thursday, February 10, 2:15-3:00pm, Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
Mary Lou Higgerson, Baldwin-Wallace College

Today's students are different. Students arrive at College with perceptions and expectations that are very different from those held by previous generations. The presenter will describe three cultural themes that contribute to the attitudes and disposition exhibited by today's traditional-aged students and illustrate how this understanding can guide how best to communicate and work with them.

Reflections on Changing the Culture of a Department
Friday, February 11, 8:30-9:15am, Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
Paula Kramer, University of the Scieces in Philadelphia

The changing environment of higher education often requires changes in departments. When a department is stable, it is difficult to modify its culture. Yet, this is frequently required. This paper reviews the changes in culture in one department and outlines the elements that made that transformation possible.

Planning Your Escape: Exiting the Chair Position
Friday, February 11, 11:30am-12:15pm, Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
N. Douglas Lees, Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ. Indianapolis

Chairs spend varying amounts of time in their positions depending on institutional or unit culture, perceived effectiveness and personal choice. Chairs should plan early for their next positions and prepare their departments for a smooth transition to new leadership.

Four Chairs in Four Years: Mending a Fractured Department
Thursday, February 10, 1:15-2:00pm, Forum West 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Randall McClure, Georgia Southern University

In this presentation, I offer strategies to department chairs leading troubled departments. The stresses and realities of the economic recession have placed additional burdens on faculty, staff, and students and created daunting challenges for department chairs. This presentation is designed to facilitate discussion on (re)building community within fractured academic departments.

Redefining a Department: Transitions and Strategic Positioning of Faculty
Friday, February 11, 9:30-10:15am, Forum West 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Joanna Mott, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

This presentation will discuss strategies for leading a department through transitions such as moving to a greater research focus, adjustments in enrollment or adding/dropping degrees. In each case the roles of faculty members are affected and the chair's leadership in redefining their positions becomes critical.

From Top Heavy to Bottom Full: Managing Rapid Generational Turnover
Friday, February 11, 1:30-2:15pm, Salon 3 (2nd Floor)
William Staples, University of Kansas

Academic departments may find themselves dealing with rapid generational turnover where older cohorts of faculty retire and younger scholars are hired en masse. In this session, we will outline various kinds of challenges that may arise during such transitions and identify a number of strategies to successful navigate these issues.

Academic Leadership Strategies to Foster Personal Responsibility in Students
Friday, February 11, 2:30-3:15pm, Forum West 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Karen Thacker, Alvernia University
Dolores Bertoti, Alvernia University
Mary Ellen Symanski, Alvernia University
Ellen Engler, Alvernia University
Edgar Hartung, Alvernia University

This presentation will focus on strategies that department chairs can use to move students from an attitude of entitlement to one of personal and professional responsibility. Representative case studies will demonstrate how specific solutions and polices developed in a collaborative, consistent manner will help most students develop positive healthy behaviors.

Panel

Globalization: Building Sustainable Academic Partnerships
Friday, February 11, 10:30am-12:15pm, Salon 3 (2nd Floor)
Daniel West, University of Scranton
Michael Costello, University of Scranton
Steven Szydlowski , University of Scranton
Robert Spinelli, University of Scranton

The globalization of higher education provides a unique opportunity to implement university-based partnerships in other countries. Such partnerships enable schools, departments and faculty to develop new teaching, research, and service agendas. Several sustainable partnership models have been developed, implemented and evaluated in the Slovak Republic, Georgia, and Mexico.

Workshops

Seven Steps for Dealing with Difficult Faculty
Friday, February 11, 8:30-10:15am, Salon 1 (2nd Floor)
Kent Crookston, Brigham Young University

This workshop considers seven steps for dealing with problem faculty: 1, evaluate yourself and your department; 2, listen; 3, draw on mission & values; 4, follow policy; 5, benefit from trusted colleagues; 6, set expectations & consequences; 7, take action. Case studies include the academic bully.

Retention - Now That We Have 'em, Let's Keep 'em!
Friday, February 11, 1:30-3:15pm, Salon 1 (2nd Floor)
Cheryl Davids, Central Carolina Technical College

The participants will learn how cross-functional teams developed approaches build a college community that is supportive of the teaching and learning environment while focusing on student persistence.

Leadership: Coaching as a Powerful Tool for Academic Chairs
Friday, February 11, 10:30am-12:15pm, Legacy South 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Judith DePalma, Slippery Rock University
Janice Sabatine, Avanti Strategies
Susan English, Duquesne University

This interactive workshop will emphasize the value of coaching in addition to managing and mentoring as an important approach for chairpersons as leaders. Participants will strengthen active listening and powerful questioning skills to increase their leadership effectiveness and develop an action plan for continued improvement.

Onward and Outward: Transforming Departments Through Off-Campus Programming
Friday, February 11, 1:30-3:15pm, Legacy South 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Charles Howell, Northern Illinois University
Terry Borg, College of Education, Northern Illinois University
Boyd Bradbury, Minnesota State University Moorhead
Steven Koch, Community High School District 155

In times of increased competition and fiscal austerity, academic units are being driven to diversify revenue streams and seek funding from non-traditional sources. To survive and thrive, colleges and departments have to behave entrepreneurially. One way they can do so is to emulate continuing education units which have long funded their operations with revenue from off-campus courses and programs. Careful planning, strategic faculty selection and development, and skillful fiscal management make off-campus programs sustainable and lead to long-term positive benefits that transform departments.

Guidelines for Conducting a Feasibility Study for Academic Programs
Friday, February 11, 8:30-10:15am, Legacy South 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Tim Laurent, Lynchburg College

As budgets get tighter and the competition for students escalates, higher education administrators will likely be expected to be entrepreneurial. This workshop guides participants through conducting a feasibility study for new academic programs to help ensure that good decisions are based on complete information.

Dual-Career Academic Couples: Concerns, Opportunities, and Priorities for Academic Chairs
Thursday, February 10, 1:15-3:00pm, Legacy South 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Scott Martin, Bowling Green State University
Lara Lengel, Bowling Green State University
Terry Rentner, Bowling Green State University

This paper analyzes challenges and opportunities concerning dual-career academic couples from the perspective of the academic chair. The paper addresses dual-career needs and priorities to determine if partner accommodation contributes to an overall family-friendly work environment and improves university recruitment, retention, and productivity.

Legal Issues and Risk Management for Department Chairs
Friday, February 11, 8:30-10:15am, Salon 3 (2nd Floor)
Darrell Ross, Valdosta State University

This presentation examines common legal issues facing chairs and presents risk management strategies in order to reduce personal and institutional risk exposurr.

Negotiating the Minefield of Collaborative Leadership
Friday, February 11, 8:30-10:15am, Traditions (Lobby Level)
Lucien Winegar, Susquehanna University
Dave Ramsaran, Susquehanna University
Jeffrey Graham, Susquehanna University

This workshop provides participants opportunities to explore departmental leadership by interactively developing strategies addressing issues such as leadership transition, student complaints, collegial relations and matters related to race and gender. Participants are encouraged to consider case examples within the context of their organizational culture and its influence on appropriate solutions.

Strategic Planning, Mission and Goals

Papers

Virtually the Same: Comparison of Traditional and Online Departments
Friday, February 11, 2:30-3:15pm, Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
Calandra Davis, Georgia Perimeter College
Donna Brouillette, Georgia Perimeter College

This presentation will lead participants through the creation and implementation of an online department that was developed within a traditional (campus-based) institution. The presenters will share their experiences regarding managing faculty, scheduling, testing, and other relevant topics. Discussion will be encouraged at the end of the session.

When Do You Need a Vice Chair?
Thursday, February 10, 2:15-3:00pm, Forum West 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Ron DeBellis, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Vermont

As a department chair, there are times for leading and times for managing. Most chairs relish leadership but occasionally are over burdened by managing functions that may deter reaching goals. When infrastructure is such that a chair's workload compromises department goals and faculty development, then a vice-chair should be considered.

Do it but Don't do it Alone: The Importance of, and Resources for, Successful Strategic Planning
Thursday, February 10, 3:30-4:15pm, Legacy South 1 & 2 (2nd Floor)
Beverly King, University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, Fort Hays State University
Cynthia Saylor, University of North Carolina at Pembroke

This paper emphasizes the importance of, and outlines principles associated with, true strategic planning. Examples are given of how chairs can work with academic support units to create and carry through with successful strategic plans without dramatically increasing their own work loads.

Rewiring The Small Program
Friday, February 11, 1:30-2:15pm, Legacy North 1 (2nd Floor)
Douglas Masini, Armstrong Atlantic State University

The small program is particularly threatened by the financial woes of the academy. The faculty rewired this program to better connect with the constituency while improving access to a growing number of students. The rewired community enhanced advisor and student input on curriculum, and partnered in measuring program process improvement.

Other

Leadership and Administrative Development Paper

IDEA's Coaching Process for Chair Development: A New Service
Thursday, February 10, 3:30-4:15pm, Salon 1 (2nd Floor)
Daniel Wheeler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Alan Seagren, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The IDEA Center is offering a new service to assist department chairs in assessing performance and considering suggestions for improvement. This session explains how coaching can assist in determining improvement priorities and suggestions for addressing improvement goals. Research suggests working with a coach can strengthen performance.

Roundtable Presentations

Beyond Apple Polishing: Emotional Manipulation in the Academic Workplace
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Suzanne Cataldi, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Emotional manipulation is a way of taking advantage of others. This roundtable will look at different types of manipulative maneuvers chairs are likely to encounter and discuss constructive ways of responding to them.

Vertical Violence in Academe: The Lived Experience
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Karen Crouse, Western CT State University

There is a paucity of research on the experience of vertical violence in the academic setting. Yet we know it exists. The purpose of this roundtable discussion is to shed light on the existence of vertical violence in academe and what can be done to recognize it, deal with it and prevent it.

Using Tao's Principles to Lead Departments in Times of Change
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Qingwen Dong, University of the Pacific

Based on his ten year experience as Department Chair and working under four deans, Dr. Qingwen Dong will share his ideas and thoughts to lead departments in dealing with challenges in the times of change.

Overcoming the Negative Influence of a Dominate Course
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Joanne Gavin, Marist College
Elizabeth Purinton-Johnson, Marist College
Della Sue, Marist College

One challenge of developing effective curricula is ensuring that all areas of critical knowledge are included. An equal challenge is to guarantee that each area is given the appropriate weight and consideration. The focus of this discussion will be how to manage faculty who want their course to overshadow others.

Three Presidents, Three Deans, Three Years: The Challenges of Change
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Helen Gilles, Marian University

That we live in a time of change has become a cliché. However, when change is frequent and involves campus administration it may be unnerving. How does the effective Department Chair preserve departmental stability yet foster departmental involvement in campus change? This roundtable identifies specific strategies for positively responding to change.

Leadership for a Healthy Campus/Community Initiative
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Leslie Griffin, Delta State University
Tim Colbert, Delta State University
Jan Haynes, Delta State University
Scott Hutchens, Delta State University
Jenetta Waddell, Delta State University

The College of Education at Delta State University provides leadership for a Healthy Campus/Community Initiative, with division chairs serving important leadership roles related to programs in counseling; dietetics and nutrition; health, physical education, and recreation; and teacher/leadership preparation. Presenters will share the vision driving this health initiative and its impact.

Empowering Faculty to Prevent and Manage Academic Misconduct
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Suzanne Prestoy, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Academic Misconduct is a growing problem in academic settings. Infractions can include misuse of technology, plagiarism, cheating on tests, and other unethical behavior in the classroom. Academic Chairpersons have a responsibility to create a department culture that empowers faculty to prevent and manage any form of academic misconduct. New and seasoned faculty often have learning needs related to the spread of academic dishonesty. As department leaders, chairs must be familiar with educational resources available in the university for assisting faculty in their role for maintaining ethical behavior in the classroom. Chairs also have a role of teaching and mentoring faculty. This roundtable discussion will focus on the rise in academic misconduct, and identify methods the chair can take to assist faculty with classroom prevention and management of misconduct.

Dealing with Faculty Criticism: You Work Too Hard
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Elizabeth Purinton-Johnson, Marist College
Joanne Gavin, Marist College
Della Sue, Marist College

With a series of changes both in administration and procedures, one result was that the department chairs moved from their third floor offices among the faculty to the first floor Dean's suite. Following this move, the three department chairs received censure from their peers that they put in too many hours, performed tasks outside their position description in their Faculty Handbook, and were "setting a bad precedent" by "working too hard".

Your Program Has Been Eliminated, What Do You Do Now?
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Elba Rohena, Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Lillie West, Millersville University of Pennsylvania

This presentation chronicles the experiences of two newly appointed department chairs as they developed three new certification programs as mandated by the state department of education while terminating existing programs. The presentation will include the challenges and lessons learned during program and curriculum design, approval process, and implementation.

Building Faculty Resilience: The Key to Successful Change in the Academic Department
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Cynthia Schubert-Irastorza, National University

This brief article focuses on how Chairpersons and educational leaders can help faculty members develop the resilience and positive attitudes required for adapting successfully to the inevitable changes, challenges, and conflicts involved in the transformation of higher education.

Avoiding Internship Blues: Strengthening the Department Through Student Work Experiences
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Alan Seidman, Johnson & Wales University
Stephen Pyle, The Hospitality College/Johnson & Wales University, Denver, CO
Mary Buckley, Johnson & Wales University, North Miami, FL

Internships are an important yet often overlooked part of the student experience. As chairs, we have a moral imperative to make sure our students have positive experiences but we often lack the time to make this happen. Understanding the internship process adds value to both the student and the department.

Integrating the International Student into Your Classroom
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Joel Shapiro, Green Mountain College

This hands-on session will sensitize professors to cultural differences, behaviors, expectations and assumptions that both international students and professors bring to college classrooms. Teaching strategies and appropriate interventions will be offered so professors will be better able to assist students who manifest attitudes and behaviors representative of diverse homelands.

Creating a Chair's Council and Challenges in Making it Work
Friday, February 11, 7:30-8:20am, Salon 2 (2nd Floor)
Beverly Zeakes, Radford University

Developing a meaningful chair's council requires shared vision, purpose, a degree of autonomy and administrative and faculty acceptance. Challenges lie in defining the role of the council: mentoring, planning development opportunities, addressing common concerns, serving as an advisory council. A chair's council presents an opportunity to improve communication campus wide.

Alternate Presentations

Can Academic Chairs Afford Not to Fundraise?
Joe Golding, Advancement Resources

Tuition hikes and government grants will not take universities and colleges through the critical years to come – philanthropy will. Everyone involved in the organization plays a critical role in successful resource development. This session will provide academic chairs with the precise knowledge, skills and tools needed for their role fundraising.

Reaching Out: Mainstream Media Strategies and Skills for Universities and Colleges
Gail Hulnick, WindWord Communications

It is a world of Facebook "friending" and Twittering, yet mainstream news media coverage can still make or break a public relations initiative. Communications consultant Gail Hulnick examines strategic planning methods and media interview skills that assist universities and colleges in their efforts to establish credibility and gain public support, through effective media relations.

2011 Academic Chairpersons Conference Presenters

Conference presenters come from coast to coast. View this animated map and receive more information about the universities represented at the conference.