Developing the leadership of departments and divisions is the focus of a new series of workshops being offered by CIC this spring. Participants attending the "2002 Workshops for Department and Division Chairs" will focus on the distinctive challenges of department leadership in small and medium-sized independent colleges and universities and work on planning for departments in support of the mission of the institution.
    The workshops, to be held in the San Francisco area (April 12-13); Charlotte, NC (May 29-31); Cleveland, OH (June 4-6); St. Louis, MO (June 4-6); and Albany, NY (June 11-13), are designed to serve both experienced and new chairs of departments or divisions at independent institutions.
    "Department and division chairs must project where their programs should be in the future and take steps to reach those goals, but they also must be grounded in the here and now, focusing on the many daily details that allow the department to function effectively—such as arranging course schedules, avoiding legal pitfalls, aiding search committees, and helping faculty colleagues grow in their teaching and scholarship," said CIC President Richard Ekman in announcing the workshops. "We are pleased to offer for the first time a program that helps academic leaders develop goals for their department/division that address changing institutional and faculty needs," Ekman said.
    Workshop topics include:

• Leading academic change and the essential role of the department chair;
• Recruitment, selection, and hiring of new faculty members who are compatible with the mission of the institution and department;
• Creating a team or collaborative leadership with faculty colleagues in the department, as well as with institution-wide administrators;
• Criteria for evaluating faculty members;
• Legal issues related to faculty hiring and evaluations for promotion and tenure;
• Increasing inter-departmental cooperation; and
• ADA issues of particular concern to department chairs, among others.

    Among the presenters at the workshops are Howard Altman, professor of modern languages and linguistics, University of Louisville, and author and speaker on faculty and chair development; Tom Emmett, president of Higher Education Executive Associates and former senior advisor to the American Council on Education Leadership Seminars; Susan D. Gotsch, vice president for academic affairs, dean of the faculty, and professor of sociology, Hartwick College; Michael A. Grajek, vice president and dean, Hiram College; Carla Howery, American Sociological Association deputy executive officer and co-author of Effecting Department Change to Build Excellent and Inclusive Sociology Departments; Kenneth Kolson, deputy director, division of research programs, National Endowment for the Humanities; Ann Lucas, author of Strengthening Departmental Leadership: A Team-Building Guide for Chairs in Colleges and Universities and Leading Academic Change: Essential Roles for Department Chairs; Virginia McKinley, vice president for academic affairs and dean, Warren Wilson College; Jane Chu Prey, program director, undergraduate education, National Science Foundation; Dianne F. Sadoff, professor of English and chair, Miami University and Summer Department Chair Seminar leader for the Association of Departments of English; Maggie Schramm, professor of English and co-director of the Hartwick College Honors Program, and moderator of the Association of Departments of English Summer Seminar Discussions for Department Chairs; Terry B. Smith, vice president and dean for academic affairs, Columbia College (MO); and Kelly Ward, assistant professor, Oklahoma State University and co-author, The Department Chair’s Role in Developing New Faculty into Teachers and Scholars; Dan Wheeler, professor and coordinator, Office of Professional and Organizational Development, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and co-author of The Department Chair: New Roles, Responsibilities and Challenges.
    Campuses are encouraged to send several department chairs to a Workshop so they may support one another in managing change upon return to their institution. Following the workshops, CIC will initiate a listserv for department chairs at independent colleges and universities, to help participants continue their discussions. In addition, a session at the CIC Institute for Chief Academic Officers November 2-5 in Santa Fe, New Mexico will be held for academic vice presidents, focusing on effective ways of assisting department/division chairs.
    Visit the CIC website for more information or contact Vice President for Programs Mary Ann Rehnke at (202) 466-7230 or mrehnke@cic.nche.edu.

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The Council of Independent Colleges
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tel: (202) 466-7230 • Fax: (202) 466-7238 • e-mail: cic@cic.nche.edu • www.cic.edu

Last updated: April 15, 2002
Copyright © 2002 The Council of Independent Colleges