Please register below to the following sessions:
September 6, 2023 (3 – 5pm ET/2-4pm CT): Who am I as a Leader? This first session will kick off the year by touching upon the big picture of chairing a department. In this session we will explore who we are as leaders; how to transition effectively into our new role. We will also develop a community of academic leaders from across the consortium of ACS. We will discuss leading from our values and through a DEI lens; the importance of communication; thinking like a department chair; running an effective meeting; and onboarding new faculty and staff into our departments. We will also review upcoming topics, and have time for some just-in-time discussions. In this first session, the goal is to create a community among ACS new department chairs, and to provide an overview of some of the issues and activities you are likely to encounter.
October 5, 2023 (3-4pm ET/ 2-3pm CT): Supporting Students as Department Chairs. This second session recognizes that the new department chairs are settling in to their new roles, and are moving towards both mid-terms and the development of the spring schedule. This session will intentionally look at ways that the department chair is called upon to support students – sometimes navigating conflict when student expectations and faculty expectations are not aligned. Topics include developing the schedule that accounts for student needs, as well as the needs of the departmental faculty and the institution (as a whole), maintaining the department as an inclusive environment, balancing tensions between faculty and students (if in conflict). When does a decision become less of a departmental matter, and more a matter to resolve institutionally. The goal of this session will be to remind us all that issues are often seen through different perspectives and that this complicates the decision-making; attending this session will help us learn to mediate conflict.
November 2, 2023 (4-5pm ET/3-4 pm CT): General Discussion.
January 16, 2024 (4-5pm ET/3-4pm CT): Informal Coffee Hour with New/Emerging
Department Chairs. Join us for discussions of just-in-time issues.
February 5, 2024 (4-5pm ET/3-4 pm CT): The Budget: dispelling myths and rumors. The goal of this session is to learn how the departmental (or divisional) budget is formed, how to make compelling data-driven requests, and to gain a better understanding of resources and finance in higher education. Undria Stalling, Senior Vice President of Business and Finance, Chief Financial Officer at Morehouse College will be joining us.
February 29, 2024 (4-5 pm ET/3-4pm CT): Supporting departmental faculty as Chair. The goal of this session is to promote faculty/staff (and students) through developing an inclusive environment and a positive departmental culture. We’ll focus on mentoring new faculty and resolving faculty conflicts.
March 18, 2024 (3-4 pm ET/2-3pm CT): Support for Chairs: In this session we will explore resources available for avoiding burnout and promoting self-care. We will provide some examples for when faculty feel distant from their identities as scholars (when taking on administrative duties); delegating; saying “no” when appropriate. We will discuss effective conversation and use of email, humor, ways to listen, understanding the need to collaborate with other units; the limits of what a chair can and cannot do. We plan on having you hear from a panel of long-serving department chairs, as well. The goal of this session is to let you know that you are not alone in feeling a bit of burnout, and to share a few solutions.
April 2, 2024 (3-4pm ET/4-5 pm CT): Topic to be selected by group in early February.