Cultivating faculty success at all levels reinforces the University's commitment to build a premier learning community. Chairs and directors play a critical role in creating competitive and productive academic units in which expectations for faculty performance are clearly articulated and professional achievements are recognized and rewarded. From recruiting outstanding individuals, to mentoring new faculty across their probationary years, and in motivating senior faculty to continue meaningful scholarship and effective teaching, the leadership of chairs and directors drives the University.

Center for Advancement of Racial & Ethnic Equity (American Council on Education)

Reports on diversity in higher education, among both faculty and students. Some, but not all, of the reports are free and full text on this site.

Chair and Peer Classroom Evaluations - Guidelines for the Process, by Dr. Ann Singleton (Union University)

A guide to classroom evaluation of faculty by department chairs.

Course Interrupted: Coping With Instructor Absence, by Retta E. Poe

An article from the Observer, published by the American Psychological Society, that summarizes how department chairs can cope with faculty absences.

Diversity and Affirmative Action in Higher Education (American Association of University Professors)

Links to full text articles and reports about diversity in Universities. Includes resources about both faculty and student diversity.

Diversity Innovations: Faculty/Staff Development (Diversity Web)

Information about recruitment, promotion and tenure and about faculty/staff development and programs.

Diversity Innovations: Institutional Leadership (Diversity Web)

Links to campus diversity plans and to reports about the campus diversity climate.

Good Practice in Tenure Evaluation: Advice for Tenured Faculty, Department Chairs, and Academic Administrators (American Council on Education, American Association of University Professors, United Educators)

Guidance on conducting tenure evaluations and on making the tenure process fair and open.

How Can Department Chairs Enhance Teaching Excellence? (Virginia Commonwealth University)

Interviews with chairs from five Virginia Commonwealth University departments about how they foster teaching excellence in their departments.

How to Demoralize the Faculty: A Six-Step Program That Works, by Howard B. Altman

An article, from the Winter 2002 issue of Academic Leadership that give guidelines on how a department chair should not manage faculty

Issues in Higher Education (American Association of University Professors)

Links to articles and reports on many issues in higher education, including discrimination, faculty dismissal proceedings, collective bargaining, faculty workload, etc.

Legal Issues in Higher Education (Association of American University Professors)

Links to AAUP legal outlines, presentations, and publications on topics such as academic freedom, affirmative action, benefits, collective bargaining, faculty workload, hiring and promotion, tenure, etc.

Mentoring Junior Faculty, by Marjorie Olmstead

An article, published in the August 1993 CWSP Gazette that provides recommendations to department chairs about how to mentor junior faculty

Perspectives on Leading an Academic Department (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

An April, 1997 interview with Max Carbon, Professor Emeritus and retired chair of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1962 to 1992, who was regarded as a very effective department chair. It focuses on identifying, recruiting and developing outstanding faculty.

Preparing for Academic Performance Appraisals, by Kina S. Mallard (Union University)

A summary of the preparation process for conducting faculty performance appraisals. Includes understanding career stages, determining goals, and coaching faculty in preparation measures.

Principles of Good Practice: Supporting Early Career Faculty, by Mary Deane Sorcinelli (American Association for Higher Education)

A booklet that provides advice to chairs, deans, and senior faculty about how best to help junior faculty be successful.

Strategies to Achieve a Diverse Faculty and Staff, by Mary S. Spangler and Cathleen Wixon

An article from the June 2000 AAHE Bulletin that lists actions to be taken to find and attract a diverse faculty and staff.

Support for New Faculty Overview (University of British Columbia)

Practical information about mentoring new faculty taken from a 1999 retreat at the University of British Columbia. Includes questions department chairs should ask new faculty and suggestions for helping new faculty reach their potential.

Teaching the Humanities at LeMoyne College: A Manual for Mentors

A brief manual for mentoring junior faculty, adjunct faculty, and "burned out" senior faculty. Although this was written for LeMoyne College, it contains information for any department chair.

What Academic Leaders Should Do About Part-Time Faculty, by Richard Lyons (Union University)

Management techniques for utilizing part-time faculty.

The Academic Chairperson's Handbook, by John W. Creswell et al.
LB 2341 .A217 1990

A guide to using leadership to promote faculty growth and professional development. A few of the useful chapters: Help Newly-Hired Faculty Become Adjusted and Oriented; Improve the Scholarship of Faculty; Refocus Faculty Efforts; and Address Personal Issues of Faculty.

Academic Leadership: A Practical Guide to Chairing the Department, by Deryl R. Leaming
LB 2341 .L269 1998

A guide to being a department chair, including: Evaluating Faculty Performance; Recruiting and Hiring Faculty Members; Dealing with Difficult Faculty; and Strategies for Faculty Development.

Chairing an Academic Department, by Walter H. Gmelch and Val D. Miskin
LB 2341 .G555 2004

A guide to being a department chair. Useful chapters include: Recruit Quality Faculty: The Million-Dollar Decision; Support Your Faculty: 80 Percent of Your Resources; and Motivate Faculty Performance: Your Only Choice.

Coping with Faculty Stress, by Walter H. Gmelch
LB 2333.3 .G58 1993

Summarized forms and causes of positive and negative stress among faculty. Includes forms that help design programs for dealing with faculty stress.

The Department Chair as an Academic Leader, by Irene W. D. Hecht et al.
LB 2341 .D414 1999

A overview of the responsibilities and concerns of a department chair. Some of the useful chapters are: The Chair and Department Members; and Faculty Work and Workload; and Developing and Evaluating Department Members.

Department Chairperson's Role in Enhancing College Teaching, ed. by Ann F. Lucas
LB 2331 .D462 1989

Strategies department chairs can use to assist faculty to be better teachers. Some of the useful chapters are: Motivating Faculty to Improve the Quality of Teaching and Helping Faculty to Help Their Students Learn

The Department Chair's Role in Developing New Faculty into Teachers and Scholars, by Estela Mara Bensimon, Kelly Ward, and Karla Sanders
LB 2341 .B4742 2000

Designed to help chairs recruit and develop new faculty. Divided into three sections: Managing the Recruitment and Selection of New Faculty; Developing New Faculty in the First Year; and Developing Faculty Beyond the First Year.

Developing a Comprehensive Faculty Evaluation System: A Handobok for College Faculty and Administrators on Designing and Operating a Comprehensive Faculty Evaluation System, by Raoul E. Arreola
LB 2333 .A77 2000

A detailed guide to developing and operating a faculty evaluation system.

Effective Communication for Academic Chairs, ed. by Mark Hickson III and Don W. Stacks
LB 2341 .E43 1992

An examination of communication for academic department chairs. Useful chapters include: Assessing Faculty; The Performance Appraisal Interview: Guidelines for Department Chairs; and Motivating Faculty.

Jossey-Bass Academic Administrator's Guide to Hiring, by Joseph G. Rosse adn Robert A. Levin
LB 2331.67 .S44 R67 2003

Guides the academic administrator through the hiring process: preparation, recruitment, legalities, evaluation, and decision making. Divided into two sections: Getting Prepared and The Hiring Decision.

Leading Academic Change: Essential Roles for Department Chairs, by Ann F. Lucas et al.
LB 2341 .L82 2000

A guide to the role of department chairs in managing change. Useful chapters include: The Departmental Statement on Promotion and Tenure: A Key to Successful Leadership; Post-Tenure Review; and Strengthening the Departmental Voice in the Faculty Reward System.

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: Handling Conflict With Difficult Faculty; Dealing With Troubled Faculty; Improving the Odds of Hiring the Right Person; and Using Evaluation to Enhance Faculty Performance.

Managing the Academic Department: Cases and Notes, by John B. Bennett
LB 2341 .B47 1983

Cases that illustrate leadership and challenges of department chairs. See: Dealing with Conflict and Performance Counseling.

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: Giving Raises; Retention, Tenure, and Promotion; Nominating Colleagues for Honors; and Offering a Quality Professional Life.

Strengthening Departmental Leadership: A Team-Building Guide for Chairs in Colleges and Universities, by Ann F. Lucas
LB 2341 .L83 1994

A guide about leadership and faculty development for department chairs. Useful chapters include:Motivating, Evaluating, and Rewarding Faculty Members; Supporting Effective Teaching in the Department; Providing Feedback on Classroom Teaching; and Enhancing Commitments to Scholarship and Service.