Since its launch in 1985, Academic Leader has sought to publish practical, actionable advice for department chairs, program directors, deans, and others with leadership responsibilities at public and private institutions of all sizes. Our aim is to help readers in such roles make informed decisions, solve problems, manage change, and set direction at their institutions.
We invite articles (roughly 800–1,500 words) that offer advice on how to
establish, manage, and assess academic programs;
mitigate risk;
anticipate, lead, and respond to change;
build consensus and foster collaboration among different departments;
recruit, retain, mentor, and evaluate faculty;
plan and develop curricula;
support the needs of students from all backgrounds through every stage of their academic careers (recruitment, retention, and degree completion); and
navigate the various stages of a leadership career in higher education.
In addition, we are especially interested in articles on the following:
Cultivating and maintaining strong relationships between faculty and support staff
Improving accessibility on campus
Leading change at the department or college/school level
Improving the reliability of or implementing alternatives to student evaluations of teaching
Chairing department or committee meetings
Breaking down silos on campus
Effectively advocating for arts and humanities disciplines
Diversifying campus faculty and leadership
Improving mental health resources on campus (including for faculty and staff)
Building and strengthening institution-community relationships
Responding to legislation inimical to higher ed
Preparing for a future of declining enrollment
Improving conditions for adjuncts and other non-tenure-track faculty
Managing financial exigency at all institutional levels
Handling worst-case scenarios (e.g., department/program closures, school mergers, faculty layoffs)
Encouraging and incentivizing public scholarship/engagement
We accept submissions on a rolling basis. Please review our submission guidelines for more information and direct any inquires to the editor at jon.crylen@magnapubs.com.
We hope you consider submitting to Academic Leader.