resis
Junior member
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« on: March 01, 2008, 02:08:13 PM » |
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I searched on Amazon, and noticed a few intriguing books on chairing a department.
But some of the reviews on those books look suspicious (i.e., several possibly written by the same reviewer), so I'm looking for further recommendations.
Thanks!
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sciencephd
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« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2008, 02:20:38 PM » |
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1. Have masters.
2. Would like to teach online.
3. Spouse teaches and have read good books on online teaching, so I know what I'm getting into. But will colleges take a chance on me?
Forgive me if this post is sincere, but are you a chair online ? |
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I just hate it that I constantly have to like everyone and everything. -- moonstone
O, what a hateful feminist concoction!
Jews, communists, "lesbians", feminists and marihuana addicts --Pyshnov
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rockprof
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« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2008, 06:21:37 PM » |
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The Prince by Machiavelli
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The secret of teaching is to appear to have known all your life what you learned this afternoon.
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zharkov
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« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2008, 09:10:51 PM » |
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Overcoming Organizational Defenses by Chris Argyris
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__________ Zharkov's Razor: Adapting Zharkov a bit to this situation, ignorance and confusion can explain a lot.
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 18,285
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2008, 09:30:16 PM » |
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1. Have masters.
2. Would like to teach online.
3. Spouse teaches and have read good books on online teaching, so I know what I'm getting into. But will colleges take a chance on me?
Forgive me if this post is sincere, but are you a chair online ? Yes, what is going on here Resis? |
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resis
Junior member
Posts: 65
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« Reply #5 on: March 02, 2008, 02:27:05 PM » |
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Online teaching query was my partner's query; didn't want to bother with a separate account.
But back to the question... would appreciate suggestions, thanks.
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sibyl
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« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2008, 10:29:06 AM » |
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How Colleges Work, by Robert Birnbaum; great guide to how decisions are made in academia and how colleges differ from other kinds of organizations.
I'm less familiar with the literature on chairs than on deans, because the literature on deans is richer and older than that on chairs. But I think it's still useful for chairs because, like the chair, the dean mediates between the faculty and the trustees/president/provost. I like The Academic Deanship by Bright and Richards, as a comprehensive guide, and Failing the Future by Annette Kolodny, as a personal approach.
Good luck.
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"I do not pretend to set people right, but I do see that they are often wrong." -- Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
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eddean
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« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2008, 08:43:55 PM » |
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In general, I am not that fond of Birnbaum but I like Management Fads and why they Fail. It is a good read. Take a look at Bridges' work on Managing Transitions. The Chair Academy out of Arizona has a good reading list but they depend a little too much on the business literature. Florida State has some good stuff that is linked from the Provost homepage. ACE has a good book on departmntal leadership that might be work a look.
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obprof
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« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2008, 05:14:20 PM » |
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_Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense_ by Jeff Pfeffer and Bob Sutton.
I have been tempted to put copies in certain mailboxes...
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irhack
Marshwiggle
Senior member
Posts: 476
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« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2008, 09:22:38 AM » |
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"Straight Man" by Richard Russo. You'll need a good laugh.
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resis
Junior member
Posts: 65
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« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2008, 06:38:55 PM » |
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Thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions. Very helpful.
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jimbo45
Junior member
Posts: 51
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« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2008, 09:39:04 PM » |
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The Art of Administration by Kenneth Eble. He was a chair of an English dept. in a large college on the plains for several years. It's made relevant by several stories that could have easily been drawn directly from these fora. It was required reading in my interdisciplinary grad program. Most of the graduates went on to become chairs or deans.
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stickball
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« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2008, 02:34:05 AM » |
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"The No a**hole Rule" by Robert Sutton. The name alone is worth the price of admission...
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"Television isn't a medium. It's a small" - anon
"Sh!t happens" - George Carlin
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anthroid
Annoying bad luck snails
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,002
No happy socks because nobody gets Manitoba.
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« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2008, 07:44:15 PM » |
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I have to say that most of the books I read were worthless for my department, as were the books on leadership and all such as that. Talk to chair colleagues, keep your mouth shut with your faculty and don't buy anyone's story at first telling, and observe, observe, observe. Attend ACE summer Chair workshops or CCAS seminars if you can; they're good fora to get to know some of the larger issues.
Mainly I haven't found the books on academic leadership to be worth anything though. Read books on developing and maintaining a sense of humor and a thick skin, and post here on the really difficult threads to help you with that. And remember that all communication should be productive. Think about what you want before you say stuff. That's essentially what the books tell you, and here: you got it for free!
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Do you hail from Planet Hello Kitty? It's like an action movie, but boring.
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minor_t
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« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2008, 07:49:18 PM » |
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I have to say that most of the books I read were worthless for my department, as were the books on leadership and all such as that. Amen. |
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