Online Training

New Programming!

Gain in-depth knowledge and prepare for the fall semester with hands-on, intensive workshops for department chairs:

Program Assessment and Curriculum Review
June 14, 2012
12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT

The Highly Effective Department Chair
June 21, 2012
12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT

Learn More!

BOOKS

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.

BUY NOW!

See More Books

JOURNAL

This quarterly periodical for department chairs and deans features practical advice, useful information, and up-to-date resources. Its applications, techniques, case studies, strategies, and guidance are directly relevant to today's academic leaders.

SUBSCRIBE!

E-NEWSLETTER

ASK THE EXPERTS

9/30/2011 12:00 AM

Learning on the Job

From The Department Chair Insider, September 2010 – Vol. 2

Q. What is the most surprising thing that new chairs learn about the job?

A. That it’s really more about interpersonal relations than it is about policies and procedures. A lot of chairs come to their positions knowing they’ll be working with issues such as scheduling, budgets, assessment, curriculum development, and the byzantine bureaucracies of their institutions. But they frequently aren’t ready for all the personal problems people dump in their laps. In many departments, the moment you become chair, you’re expected to mediate every dispute, fix every problem, and help every faculty and staff member deal with a variety of issues that you never thought were part of the chair’s job. You often see people at their worst and learn things about them that you wish you never knew. It can come as quite a shock, but skills such as conflict management, mediation, and life coaching can help a chair today as much or more than expertise in his or her discipline.

—Jeffrey L. Buller is dean of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College at Florida Atlantic University.