For Chairing the Department

Overall references:

Buller, J. L. (2006). The essential department chair: A practical guide to college administration. Anker Publishing Company, Inc.

Buller, J. L. and Cipriano, R. E. (2015). A toolkit for department chairs. Rowman & Littlefield.

Chu, D. (2006). The department chair primer: Leading and managing academic departments. Anker Publishing Company, Inc.

Gunsalus, C. K. (2006). The college administrator’s survival guide. Harvard University Press.

Wheeler, D. W., Seagren, A. T., Wysong Becker, L., Kinley E. R., Mlinek D. D. and Robson, K. J. (2008), The academic chair’s handbook (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

The Department Chair. Quarterly journal that discusses topics of leadership and management for chairs across institutions.  Stanford University has an institutional subscription, so current and past issues are available via Stanford University Libraries.

Managing People, Communication and Conflict

Cheldelin, S. I. & Lucas, A. F. (2004). The Jossey-Bass academic administrator’s guide to conflict resolution. Jossey-Bass.

Crookston, R. K. (2012). Working with problem faculty: A six-step guide for department chairs. Jossey-Bass.

Eddy, B. (2014). BIFF: Quick responses to high-conflict people, their personal attacks, hostile email and social media meltdowns (2nd ed.). Unhooked Books, LLC.

Leaming, D. R. (Ed.).  (2003). Managing people: A guide for department chairs and deans. Anker Publishing Company, Inc.

Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R. & Switzler, A. (2012). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill.

Weston, J. (2012). Mastering respectful confrontation: A guide to personal freedom and empowered, collaborative engagement. Heartwalker Press.

Leading Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Transformation

Chin, J. L. & Trimble, J. E. (2015). Diversity and leadership. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Chun, E., & Evans, A. (2015). The department chair as transformative diversity leader: Building inclusive learning environments in higher education. Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Kezar, A. & Posselt, J. (Eds.). (2020). Higher education administration for social justice and equity: Critical perspectives for leadership. Routledge.

Stewart, A. J. & Valian, V. (2018). An inclusive academy: Achieving diversity and excellence. The MIT Press.

Additional topics of interest

Hansen, C. K. (2011). Time management for department chairs.

Jossey-Bass.Smith, D. O. (2019). How university budgets work. Johns Hopkins University Press.