Successful chairs and directors establish their own best practices in conducting the daily operation of academic unit management. Sorting through the maze of responsibilities, they learn to set priorities, follow procedures and guidelines, meet deadlines, supervise faculty and staff, delegate responsibilities, and oversee facilities and equipment-to name just a few. Generally speaking, experienced chairs and directors know the who, what, when, where, why and how of academic administration.

Physical Plant Management (American Council on Education)

Links to reports, articles, and organizations with information about physical plant management for department chairs.

Managing People: A Guide for Department Chairs and Deans, ed. by Deryl R. Leaming
LB 2331.66 .M363 2003

A guide about dealing with faculty. A few of the useful chapters include: Establishing a PosItive Leadership Approach; Using Meetings to Create Cohesion; Winning Over Your Detractors; and Putting All the Pieces Together to Be a Better People Manager and Leader.

On Being a Department Head: A Personal View, by John B. Conway
LB 2341 .C7596

A very personal view of being a department head. Although this was written by the head of a mathematics department, it contains information of value for any academic department chair. Among the interesting chapters are: Making Decisions; Lean Years and Plus Years; Paperwork; and How to Form a Committee.