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FERPA Clear and Simple: The College Professional’s Guide to Compliance
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) compliance has always been challenging due to complex regulatory language and exposure to risk. However, institutions that do not comply are in jeopardy of losing federal funding. Accessible and user-friendly, FERPA Clear and Simple clarifies the regulations and provides a ready reference for compliance and problem solving. This need-to-have guide offers critical and relevant material (including the 2008 Amendments) from a new perspective to help staff in student affairs, academic departments, and administrative support positions understand and comply with FERPA guidelines.
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ASK THE EXPERTS
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11/1/2011 12:00 AM

Dealing with Criticism

From The Department Chair Insider – October 2010, Vol. 1

Q. How should chairs deal with criticism?

A. One of the toughest challenges for administrators is dealing with unsolicited criticism. Being on the receiving end of criticism is no picnic, but how chairs respond to criticism should model the response you expect from your faculty. To determine if the criticism is valid or invalid, ask the following questions:
  • Does the critic know about the subject?
  • Are the critic’s standards known and reasonable?
  • Do I respect the critic?
  • Is the criticism really about me? If not, what is it about? 
  • Have I heard the same criticism from others? 
Step two involves responding to the criticism in one of four ways:
  • Ignore the criticism. Even when the criticism is valid, it doesn’t always need a response. Consider the consequences of responding versus not responding. 
  • Calmly acknowledge the truth. Acknowledging the truth reduces defensiveness, leaves the critic with little else to say, and demonstrates maturity and confidence. 
  • Acknowledge the critic’s opinion. Without admitting agreement to the criticism, you can calmly reply, “Hmm, I understand how you might view the situation that way.” 
  • Request feedback. This is the best way to deal with criticism and has the following benefits: (1) The critic must defend the criticism. (2) Behaviors that need changing are identified. (3) Communication is opened and allows time to process the criticism. (4) Tone of voice and nonverbal cues determine the seriousness of the problem. (5) Underlying issues may surface. 
One management adage is, “The only thing you have to do with criticism is hear it.” Often the best response is, “I hear what you’re saying. Let me think about that.”

—Kina S. Mallard is provost and vice president for academic affairs at Carson-Newman College.