Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

What's New

 

                 

Helpful Suggestions for Department Chairs

  • New Faculty Hires Reminder:

    As a matter of University policy, all new employees must undergo a criminal history background check.  This includes all full-time and part-time regular and temporary faculty.  Therefore, FPS needs each department chairperson/director to ensure all newly hired faculty complete the Employment Verification form.  This form must be signed by the prospective new employee and sent or faxed to the FPS office.  The Employment Verification form has 3 sections:  1) verification that the information provided in support of the application for work is accurate, 2) a statement by the applicant about prior (and pending) convictions, which also includes authorization to conduct the criminal background check, 3) notice of the right of CMU to conduct reference checks.  All appointments are contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the criminal background screening.

    This Employment Verification form can be downloaded from the FPS site at: http://www.hrs.cmich.edu/emp/download/employment-verification.pdf.  It is strongly recommended that candidates complete this form when they are brought to campus for an interview.  Include the completed form with the search materials you forward to FPS for review.  For those new hires that are not brought to campus for an interview, you can refer them to the FPS website where they should download this form, sign and fax it to us, at 989-774-4250.  A letter of offer may be delayed if we have not received this form in a timely fashion.  Contact the Faculty Personnel Services office at x3368 if you have any questions concerning this process. 

  • At the April 2003 Chairs Workshop, current chairs offered some suggestions for coping with common problems.  Click here for the list.

  • Don't forget to ask your Dean about attending one of the national conferences for department chairs.

  • Here is a site recommended by Steve Graham.  It has loads of resources for chairs:  http://www.acenet.edu/resources/chairs/

  • Here is a site recommended by Dave Matty:  http://www.pkal.org/collections/DepartmentChairs.cfm

Accreditation

Assessment

Here is a guide put together by Southeastern Missouri State University:  Busy Chairperson's Guide to Assessment

Raising Academic Standards

"Enhancing Learning Through Shared Expectations"
Other Raising Academic Standards material and information is available at:  http://www.provost.cmich.edu/viceprovost/VP/standards.htm

Resources

A summary of resources for chairs -- from the Professional & Organization Development in Higher Education:

BOOKS:

  • The book "Chairing the Academic Department" by Allen Tucker (updated and revised since his death by another author) is an excellent starting place. I knew Dr. Tucker for many years and he authored a very useful commonsense column for a newsletter I created called "Academic Leader." That newsletter is still published by Magna Publications in Madison, WI. They have a web site I believe, though I am no longer editorial director there and haven’t been for many years.  Tucker’s book was based on many nation-wide surveys and then workshops conducted under the auspices of the American Council on Education. More recently Ann Lucas has written some good things on chairing the academic department. They are published by Jossey-Bass.  Regards, James Rhem

  • I have been a department chair for several years, but have only recently come across this book by Lucas, Ann F. "Strengthening Departmental Leadership. A Team-Building Guide for Chairs in Colleges and Universities." Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994. As you probably know, these publishers have some worthwhile publications for educators. I am looking forward to seeing the list you promised to send us.  Mary Frances Dorschell

WEBSITES:

  • The UNC Professional Development Portal contains resources for chairs and deans. This is a work-in-progress, but it does contain about 160 items at the present time.  http://pdp.unctlt.org/browse/index.php.  Ray C. Purdom

PROGRAMS/INSTITUTES/CONFERENCES:

  • Centre for Higher Education Research and Development offers development programs designed for Deans, Directors, Associates and Department Heads.   www.umanitoba.ca/centres/cherd, Email: cherd@umanitoba.ca.

  • We do three-day institutes. You can check out the curriculum at http://www.departmentchairinstitute.net.  Nancy

  • The Chair Academy which is run out of the US is a good resource. They offer leadership training and an annual conference. You can find their website at: http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/other/chair/.  Arlene Cronin

  • ACE workshops: http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=chairs_workshop.  ACE offers a special advanced summer workshop. The 2008 workshop, Leading, Managing, Supporting and Navigating Change, will be held July 8–10, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois.

  • Summer Institute for Academic Deans and Department Chairs - Register now..The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition is currently accepting registrations for the Summer Institute for Academic Deans and Department Chairs to be held July 20-22, 2008 in Asheville, North Carolina. For more information, visit http://www.sc.edu/fye/events/d&d/index.html 

    Academic deans and department chairs hold positions that are among the most challenging in higher education - often working in isolation, hindered by the day-to-day problems of institutionally focused issues. The Institute will provide a setting for participants to examine those challenges and participate in engaging conversations and gain meaningful insights. We hope you will join us for this Institute if you are a dean or department chair or forward this information to those on your campus who are.

    National leaders will convene to engage participants in discussions on such critical issues as:
    * Leadership styles and strategies for leadership success
    * Understanding and attending to the culture of students
    * Managing change in your department and on campus
    * Establishing partnerships across campus
    * Seeking alternative funding sources during difficult fiscal times
    * Demystifying assessment