Theme

Effective Personnel Practices

To assist independent colleges and universities in strengthening the leadership at the department level, the Council of Independent Colleges is offering its fourth annual series of Workshops for experienced, as well as new, department/division chairs. The Workshops focus on the distinctive challenges of department leadership in small and mid-sized private colleges and universities.

Effective Personnel Practices will be the theme of the Workshops this year, as working effectively in sensitive situations with colleagues, staff, and students can be difficult for department and division chairs. Few are prepared when assuming a department or division chairmanship to address conflict, conduct delicate conversations, avoid legal problems, adhere to effective legal practices, and support colleagues in stressful circumstances. Workshop topics that will reflect this theme include:

Preventive Law. Lawyers familiar with legal issues at private colleges and universities will explain the basic principles with which department chairs should be familiar and situations in which it is necessary to document actions. Emphasis will be placed on legal planning and preventing legal problems.

The Theory and Practice of Conflict Resolution. Conflict between individuals or groups within a department or between departments often emerges but chairs are not always prepared to find and resolve the source of the problem. Frameworks for understanding the source of conflict and approaches to addressing the underlying issues will be explored. Chairs will have an opportunity to practice dealing with conflict in a safe setting.

Legal Issues in Hiring, Non-Renewal of Contracts, and Firing. Legal experts will explain how legal problems arise and offer strategies for preventing litigation in the hiring and firing of faculty members and staff as well as procedures to consider in non-renewal of contracts for faculty members. Key concepts such as equal treatment, breach of oral and written contracts, and implied contracts will be examined.

Conducting Difficult Conversations on Personnel Issues. Department chairs can prevent many personnel issues from mushrooming into major problems through early intervention. Sometimes chairs delay difficult conversations with colleagues because they lack expertise in tactfully encouraging change or in delivering bad news. Participants will explore how to have a frank conversation with a colleague or staff member when he or she may have done something potentially harmful to the institution.

Support for Personnel in Stressful Circumstances. Department chairs are on the front line playing a key role in helping faculty members and staff succeed during times of change such as a transition in administration, the implementation of a new curriculum, or adjustments to a budget reduction. What strategies might chairs employ during difficult times to effectively lead the department and encourage their colleagues?

Working with the Chief Academic Officer. What do chief academic officers expect of department chairs? What are the dos and don'ts for department/division chairs in creating an effective working relationship with the CAO?

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Who Should Attend?

The Workshops are designed to serve both experienced and new chairs of departments or divisions at independent colleges and universities. Campuses are encouraged to send several department chairs to the Workshop so they may support one another in instituting change upon return to their college or university. A single representative from an institution would also find the Workshop helpful. Chief academic officers, deans, and associate deans who work closely with chairs would find the program beneficial and are welcome to attend.

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Advisory Groups

The Department Chair Workshops are planned with the advice of the CIC Department Chair Task Force and a national advisory panel of experts on the work of department chairs. Task Force members are: Esther Coleman, Education Department, Marygrove College; Enrico Giordano, Fine Arts Department, College of Mount Saint Vincent; Catherine Gordon, Occupational Therapy Department, Ithaca College; Paul Johnson, Humanities Division, Franklin College; Mindy Korol, Psychology Department, Mount St. Mary's University; and Robin Schraft, Department of Theatre, Drury University.

Members of the advisory panel are: Tom Emmet, president, Higher Education Executives Associates and leader of more than 100 academic department and division chair workshops for the American Council on Education as well as many campus workshops for department/division chairs; Carla Howery, deputy executive officer, American Sociological Association and co-author of Effecting Department Change to Build Excellent and Inclusive Sociology Departments; Daniel W. Wheeler, professor, Agriculture Leadership, Education and Communication, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and author of The Academic Chair Handbook; Jon Wergin, professor, Ph.D. Program in Leadership and Change, Antioch University and author of Departments That Work: Creating and Sustaining Cultures of Excellence in Academic Departments; and Kelly Ward, assistant professor, Educational Leadership, Washington State University and co-author of The Department Chair's Role in Developing New Faculty into Teachers and Scholars.

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Sponsors

The 2005 Workshops are sponsored by RPA Inc. and Academic Search Consultation Service. As one of the nation’s most active consulting firms for executive searches and fundraising, RPA Inc. provides institutionally tailored services for their national and international clients.

Academic Search is an executive search organization dedicated to assisting colleges, universities, and other higher education organizations in searches for presidents and senior academic officers.

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Workshop Costs

Member colleges:
$325 for the first person
$265 for each additional person

Nonmember colleges:
$425 for the first person
$365 for each additional person

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Questions

If you have questions about the Workshops, please contact Mary Ann Rehnke, Vice President for Annual Programs, at mrehnke@cic.nche.edu or (202) 466-7230.

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Cancellation Policy

Refunds will be made in full (less a $25 processing fee) for cancellations received more than ten business days prior to the Workshop for which you have registered. Refund requests received between five and ten business days of the start of the Workshop incur a charge equal to 25 percent of the total registration fee. Requests received less than five business days prior to the start of the Workshop are ineligible for a refund. Requests must be made in writing and may be faxed to (202) 466-7238. Refunds will be issued after the Workshops. Registrations are transferable within an institution.