Although students, faculty, and administrators are now back on campus at most higher education institutions, the effects of the pandemic loom. Research confirms what many have suspected to be the case: the social isolation caused ...
One refrain I hear repeatedly from the faculty and leaders I work with via coaching, workshops, and virtual retreats is that there is simply too much work for one person to ever realistically complete. Junior ...
“Stop thinking,” the petite Vietnamese nun instructed the small group of retreatants. We sat cross-legged in a circle on the floor in the enormous meditation hall at Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi. Our minds ...
Your department has just hired a new tenure-track professor, and for them, it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Now what? New faculty joining a department may feel an array of emotions—excitement, anxiety, curiosity, and ...
In the first two articles in this series, I focused on building on faculty strengths and improving the curriculum as core areas to which a new department head should devote attention. In this final part, ...
Last month I discussed ways to build on faculty strengths. This month, I take a close look at questions that new and continuing department heads will want to ask about the curriculum. The goal here ...
In this series, I share some of the most useful questions I asked—or wish I had asked—when I became department head. If the things I describe seem obvious, here’s the reason to read on. You ...
“Nibbled to death by ducks.” The phrase, though nearly three centuries old, is still remarkably apt for the role of the department chair today. Our jobs are filled with little nibbles taken out of our ...
If you are a new department head, you are likely focused on doing an excellent job. And you may believe that the work you do speaks for itself. It is important, however, to also cultivate ...
Now that the threats of the COVID-19 virus appear to be diminishing and campuses are returning to face-to-face instruction, it may be an opportune time to examine the budgeting models and policies that our campuses ...