A Statewide Survey of New Department Chairs: Their Experiences and Needs in Learning Their Roles
✍ Scribed by Albert B. Smith; Gloria A. Stewart
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Weight
- 175 KB
- Volume
- 1999
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0194-3081
- DOI
- 10.1002/cc.10504
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The academic administrator is vital to institutions of higher education that are redirecting their efforts, moving forward toward new organizational forms, and creating climates conducive to cooperation and collaboration among divergent constituencies (Creswell and others, 1990;Seagren, Creswell, and Wheeler, 1993). Yet many of those who assume the role of department or division chair in community colleges are not prepared for what is in store-a multiplicity of demands, long hours, and a change in perspective (Seagren and others, 1994). Many find themselves "learning the ropes" as they go along-thus making an inherently stressful role even more so (Tucker, 1993).
A variety of factors can hinder or facilitate the new chair' s transition into her or his role. Among these factors are the skills and knowledge brought from previous faculty roles, the impact of unexpected elements of the new job, and how the individual goes about learning the demands of tasks, roles, and interpersonal relationships. If indeed most new two-year-college chairs learn how to function in their roles through informal and discovery learning (that is, by consulting colleagues or by doing, watching, and reading), then it appears that institutions should facilitate and support these activities in addition to providing formal training and development opportunities. When tasks, roles, and interpersonal relationships assigned to an administrative position are improperly discharged, the effectiveness of the organization as a whole is impaired. Developing a deeper understanding of the role-transitioning process of new department chairs will assist administrators and faculty in evaluating the efficacy of current practices as well as in equipping newly appointed chairs for success.