The role of the department chair is considered one of the most thankless jobs in higher education, but there is surprisingly little research on the daily work-lives of faculty members serving in departmental leadership roles. This study updates the literature by using a national sample of 3,317 associate and full professors serving in department…

The research presented here contributes to research and practice focused on faculty leadership development by examining the leadership pipeline for mid-career faculty in a consortium of 13 liberal arts colleges. Research findings revealed that mid-career faculty members are in the leadership pipeline, with the department chair position serving as…

Focused on academic departments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in the United States, we attempt to map department chairs' awareness of family friendly policies and investigate possible determinants of their knowledge levels. Based on a sample of STEM department chairs in American research universities, we find…

Using questionnaire data from the 2010 Survey of Academic Chairs, the study focuses on decision autonomy, a component of the power wielded by science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) department chairs in U.S. research extensive universities. A "power index" is developed to measure chairs' decision autonomy, specifically their…

Tested the curriculum leadership framework that Stark and Lattuca adapted from Quinn's competing values model of management styles. Chairpersons of departments nominated as effective in curriculum planning answered a survey about their leadership activities and styles. Factor analysis partially supported the model. Activities that chairs reported…

Some of the factors underlying differing levels of morale in university departments are analyzed since morale is seen as a potential symptomatic attribute that can be used in diagnosing organizational difficulties. (Author/LBH)

Forty-four chairpersons of departments judged by academic vice presidents at randomly selected institutions to be engaged in especially effective curriculum planning were interviewed about their roles. The interviews suggested seven leadership roles used in the curriculum development process; they varied by institutional type, department size, and…

The effect of administrative service as department chair on the scholarly careers of academic chemists is explored through an analysis of their publication and doctoral student productivity records over a two-decade period. The results indicate no significant difference in the productivity levels of the experimental and control groups. (Author/MLW)

Chairmen at 38 state and land-grant institutions were found to be involved in three major roles: academic (duties of student involvement and research), which they enjoy; administrative, which requires the majority of time and is less desirable; and leadership (related to academic personnel and program development), which is a major satisfaction.…

Measures of attributes of leadership situations faced by department chairmen were theoretically and empirically related. Findings indicated that high task structure (faculty homogeneity and academic task structure) is associated with better member relations and greater cooperation on administrative matters. Implications for administrators are…

A questionnaire was used to determine the effect on job satisfaction of the similarity in philosophic view between faculty members and their department chairperson in four-year institutions in the Midwest. No relationship was found. (Author/LBH)

Introduction of faculty development programs into a university through department chairs and deans rather than faculty found deans to respond with more emotional distance but greater readiness to conceptualize applications and make helpful arrangements. Chairpersons generally reacted more defensively, discounting faculty problems or the…

Results from a questionnaire returned from 354 faculty members at a large university showed that their sensitivity to job satisfaction items centered primarily in three areas of concern: extrinsic job factors, department head actions, and promotion and salary. (Author/LBH)

Based on 1,198 responses from chairmen in 38 state universities, this study focuses on the perception of chairmen on where major decisions are made (university, college, or departmental level), characteristics of departments by academic field, and selected personal attributes of chairmen. (Author/LBH)

The managerial behavior of academic department chairpersons and nonacademic unit managers across 140 colleges and universities were compared. Faculty and administrators completed questionnaires that profiled their formal leader's behavior, their work group characteristics, and their personal satisfaction. (Author/MLW)