From The Ground Up: Building A System-Wide Professional Development And Support Program For Academic Department Chairs

Actions of academic chairs can dramatically affect a university's effectiveness and productivity, yet many department heads move into their roles without having experienced any training on many key aspects of the job. Within one multi-campus university system, it became evident that the system lacked a consistent tool, resource, or experience benefitting its 160+ department heads. Thus, the objectives of this study were to: (1) identify existing and needed training and support opportunities for academic chairs; (2) determine the content, commitment, and delivery preferences of the department heads for such a program; and (3) inform the design of a new initiative that addresses the department heads' needs and preferences. Findings revealed a clear need for the development of interpersonal skills and departmental planning abilities, as well as a strong preference for informal, face-to-face programming.