Department Chairs and New Academic Leaders
Department Chairs Cabinet
Recognizing that the roles and responsibilities of the academic department Chair are among the most complex within the institution, Iowa State University established the Department Chairs Council, comprised of all current department Chairs, to provide for communication between the department Chairs as a group and the administration, faculty, staff and students of Iowa State University. To facilitate communication, the Council elects a Cabinet which consists of one Chair from each of the colleges and four at-large Chairs. The Associate Provost for Faculty and the Faculty Senate President sit on the committee as ex-officio non-voting members. The cabinet meets monthly to discuss and establish positions on matters of University concern with particular implications for academic departments and programs.
- 2020-2021 Meetings of the Chairs Cabinet
- Past Minutes of the Chairs Cabinet
Department Chair Workshop Series
The Department Chair Workshop Series aims to provide department chairs with valuable information and useful resources to assist them in their work as managers and academic leaders of their departments. The monthly workshops seek to build a community of practice for ongoing information sharing, problem solving, and support.
Workshops are led by faculty, staff, and administrators with demonstrated expertise in the session topic. Presentation materials and handouts may be distributed during the sessions and/or posted on our website.
All department chairs, associate and assistant chairs are strongly encouraged to attend.
This academic year we are modifying our traditional department chair workshop schedule to reflect the unusual and rapidly changing circumstances we are living through.
Adapting the model we used this summer, we have scheduled virtual Chairs’ Chats twice monthly. These sixty minute sessions will be used for delivering timely information, soliciting feedback, addressing topics of interest to you, or simply connecting.
Schedule of virtual Chairs’ Chats for 2020-2021*:
- September 9, 2020
- September 23, 2020
- October 7, 2020
- October 21, 2020
- November 18, 2020
- December 2, 2020
- January 20, 2021
- February 3, 2021
- February 17, 2021
- March 10, 2021
- March 31, 2021
- April 14, 2021
* dates are subject to change
New Academic Leadership Boot Camp
The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost coordinates orientation, training, and support for new academic affairs administrators (e.g. deans, associate deans, assistant deans, department chairs, academic program directors). This orientation brings administrators and experts from around campus who can offer valuable insight on the new responsibilities of academic administrators and who will serve as a resource. The orientation also provides an opportunity to interact with colleagues.
2020-2021 Schedule:
| Date | Content |
|---|---|
| August 28, 2020 | Welcome and Introduction to Expectations for Leadership in a Time of Uncertainty |
| September 11, 2020 | Your Leadership Style and DiSC |
| September 18, 2020 | Actively Supporting Inclusivity and Student Success |
| October 2, 2020 | Assessing Faculty Performance in the Era of COVID-19 |
| October 9, 2020 | The Art of Managing People |
| October 30, 2020 | Fostering Faculty Success |
| November 6, 2020 | Conducting Effective Faculty and Staff Performance Evaluations |
| November 13, 2020 | Data-Informed Decision-Making |
| December 18, 2020 | Ethical Approaches to ISU's Research Enterprise |
| January 22, 2021 | Managing Financial Resources |
| February 5, 2021 | Mentoring and Supporting Graduate Students, Professional Students, and Postdocs |
Contact:
Katharine Hensley,
Faculty Success Coordinator,
515-294-8823,
khensley@iastate.edu
Resources
- Suggested reading list for new department chairs
- "Ethics, Integrity and Civility in Higher Education: New Approaches to Foster a Culture of Trust" powerpoint presentation by Neil Hamilton
- Iowa State University Department Chair: Role, Progression and Directions
- Sample candidate evaluation form
- For Chairs: The Seat's Gotten Hotter
- Thoughts for New Chairs from Dean Schmittmann
- American Council on Education's (ACE) Department Leadership Programs
- Departmental governance document guidelines
- Effective practices for academic leaders
- Harassment/Discrimination policy/resources
- ISU Policies and Guidelines for Flexible Faculty Careers: Resources for Chairs and Deans (coming soon)
- University of Michigan resources for deans and chairs