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?

7/15/2011 12:00 AM

How to Handle an End Run

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

Q. What should a dean do when a faculty member end-runs the chair and brings a complaint directly to the dean?

A. An end run provides an excellent teaching moment for any leader. If a faculty member comes to the dean to complain about the chair or about a departmental matter, the dean should be polite and listen, but very soon ask if the visitor has first approached the chair. If the faculty member has not done this he should be informed that it will be inappropriate to continue the conversation until he has talked with the chair (exception being a criminal or “dangerous” issue such as sexual misconduct). The dean can then counsel the faculty member about how to approach the chair, but should not continue to field the complaint further. If the complainer has spoken with the chair, and perhaps been met with a rebuff or put down, the dean could advise him to return and inform the chair that he will be taking the matter up with the dean. The dean should then insist that the faculty member invite the chair to accompany him when he returns.

If this procedure is followed several things are likely to happen. First, the faculty member will rethink the matter and determine whether further pursuit is warranted. Second, the chair will not be able to dismiss the issue and may self-correct without involving the dean. Third, if the two parties do come back together the faculty member will likely tone down his spiel, as well as his emotions. Fourth, the dean will hear both sides with a measure of balance. Fifth, the dean may be able to help the pair work out a resolution to the matter. Finally, both parties will know that the dean can be trusted to not fall into collusion with rumors and unjustified accusations, and this knowledge will be quickly shared with the rest of the college.

—R. Kent Crookston is professor and associate director over academic administrative support at the Faculty Center at Brigham Young University.