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

WHAT'S THE DEAN THINKING?

11/15/2011 12:00 AM

Opposing Sides of an Issue

From The Department Chair Insider – April 2011, Vol. 1

Q. What should chairs do when the faculty and the dean are on opposing sides of an issue?

A. The single most important duty chairs have is to serve as advocates for their academic disciplines. When there’s a significant difference of opinion between the dean and the faculty, the chair has an obligation to help each side understand the other’s perspective. You don’t do the dean a favor by “protecting” him or her from what the faculty are thinking. The dean could end up being blindsided later in a way that you could have easily been prevented by having a candid conversation. In addition, it’s always possible that your knowledge of your discipline will help you to present the faculty’s views to the dean in a way that makes the issue clearer and encourages the dean to rethink a decision or at least seek a compromise. But you also have an obligation to present the dean’s perspective to the faculty, as objectively as you can, because there may be larger issues at stake than those that are apparent at the department level. Every dean’s style is going to be different, of course, but most deans appreciate it when chairs, collegially but candidly, provide them with insight into how policies are being received by the people most affected by them.

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