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

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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.

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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.

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E-NEWSLETTER

OTHER RESOURCE

2/1/2012 12:00 AM

Effective Leadership

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

Q. What does it mean to be an effective leader?

A. Effective leadership requires that the chair be well organized, have systems and people in place to deal with the everyday issues and needs, and stay focused on the priorities to move the department where it needs to go. Some departments have the foundation to move forward when a new chair arrives; others will need to build that foundation and make tough decisions in order to move forward.

Chairs should address both the task and relationship aspects of the department—overemphasis on either will lead to unwanted consequences such as a perception of lack of caring (overemphasis on task) or inability to get things done (overemphasis on relationships). Finding that balance is a challenge. The chair must also keep one eye on the future and one eye on the present. Ignoring details to be done in the present (reports, assessments) will have immediate negative consequences. Longer-term aspects (planning, faculty development) do not immediately show up as deficits but they will be seen as hazardous to the chair’s leadership and the department’s reputation.

—Daniel W. Wheeler is a higher education consultant and professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.