Leadership

As a department chair at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), you play a pivotal role in fostering a positive departmental culture and boosting morale. Effective leadership involves clear communication of goals and objectives, actively listening to faculty and staff, and building consensus within the team. By establishing a shared departmental mission and vision, you can inspire and motivate your colleagues, creating an environment where everyone feels valued and engaged. 

Additionally, supporting professional development opportunities and recognizing individual and collective achievements can further enhance morale. Encouraging open dialogue, providing constructive feedback, and promoting a collaborative atmosphere are essential strategies for building a cohesive and high-performing department. By focusing on these areas, you contribute to a supportive and dynamic academic environment that benefits both faculty and students.

As a department chair at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), you have access to a variety of resources designed to support faculty development and enhance departmental effectiveness. Here are some key resources available to assist you and your faculty:

Faculty Handbook: A comprehensive guide that provides essential information about institutional policies, procedures, guidelines, services, and resources central to the faculty experience. Link

Faculty Affairs: Offers support in areas such as administrative assistance, IT services, access to library resources, and important documents and forms for tasks like travel reimbursement and curriculum proposals. Link

Faculty Development: Prioritizes helping faculty become successful in the classroom by providing tools and resources needed, including offerings through the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of the Provost. Link

Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE): Provides resources, support, and services aimed at enhancing teaching effectiveness and promoting inclusive and equitable learning environments. Link

Academic Technology Services (ATS): Offers online training, faculty D2L resources, online course resources, and Zoom support to assist with the integration of technology in teaching. Link

Course Design Resources: Provides best-practice resources for course design, including materials from course design experts, to aid in developing effective online or hybrid courses. Link 

Leadership Development: Supports academic chairs in assuming leadership and administrative responsibilities, focusing on meeting the needs of faculty, staff, and students to ensure quality instruction. Link

University Career Services: Empowers students, alumni, and stakeholders by educating them through flexible services and resources to enhance their quality of life, building a culture of career readiness essential to the ETSU experience. Link 

These resources are designed to assist you in supporting your faculty's professional growth, enhancing teaching effectiveness, and fostering a positive and productive academic environment within your department.

 

Faculty Development: Prioritizes helping faculty become successful in the classroom by providing tools and resources needed, including offerings through the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of the Provost. Link

The "Managing Faculty Workload" presentation by Dawn Rowe and Amy Johnson at ETSU emphasizes the importance of equitable workload policies to support faculty productivity and satisfaction. It highlights the need for transparency, clear benchmarks, recognition of contributions, and flexibility in assignments, considering factors like rank, role, and experience. Key strategies include engaging faculty in policy development, offering professional development opportunities, and maintaining transparent communication and accountability. By implementing fair workload policies, departments can foster a more effective and committed academic community. Access the full presentationLink

The faculty Ombuds provides a confidential, neutral, and independent resource for all ETSU faculty. We are available to listen, help you explore issues of concern, facilitate informal resolution of conflict, clarify university policies and procedures, and identify the appropriate person or department within the university to respond to your questions. The faculty Ombuds aligns with the standards and practices of the International Ombuds Association. Link

At East Tennessee State University (ETSU), mentoring junior faculty is a key component of faculty development, aimed at enhancing teaching effectiveness, research capabilities, and service contributions. The university offers several programs and resources to support this initiative:

Faculty Mentoring Program: ETSU's Faculty Mentoring Program provides structured support for newly hired academic educators, assisting their transition into academia in areas such as research, teaching, and service. The program emphasizes a cohort mentorship model, fostering a nurturing environment that promotes professional success and retention. Link 

Faculty Development Workshops: The Office of the Provost offers workshops tailored for new faculty, focusing on high-impact teaching practices, community-engaged learning, and dossier preparation. These sessions are designed to equip junior faculty with the tools necessary for academic success Link

You are likely the only person in your department that is thinking about, and worrying about, the long-term success of your department on a daily basis.  There are constant immediate needs and priorities to consume everyone's time.  These might be internal pressures for schedules, T&P, etc., or external pressures from administration.  Your view as Chair needs to be much longer, looking at the long terms trends, preparing budgets, time and people, for larger scale opportunities and constant change.

This is likely in form of questions that occupy your thoughts:

• Curriculum
  • Is it stale?
  • What are other universities doing?
  • Where is the field going?
• Partnerships
  • Are there potential partners off/on campus?
  • Would this involve curriculum, or money, or something else?
• Money
  • Money drives a lot of your options.
  • Are there external sources, grants, partnerships, business opportunities?
• Facilities
  • Where are your facilities headed long-term?
  • Will you need more space, less, or different space?
  • Will your equipment or computer needs change?

Since the future is all conjecture there are going to be valid and varying opinions in your department.  You'll need to build a consensus with your faculty to get them behind your vision of where things are going.  This involves acknowledging that there are divergent view in the department, and that you might be wrong.  Your vision will also be strengthened by incorporating input from others.

This vision will guide your decisions in staffing, budget, curriculum, etc.