1. Indiana State University Academic Affairs Retreat 2016
Report on Academic Leadership Conferences
Liz Brown John Pommier
Erik Southard Don Rogers
Stephen Patton Donna Selman
Jessica Nelson Marcee Everly
With gratitude to Provost Licari who generously supported our professional development.

2. Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences CCAS Seminar for Department Chairs/Heads October 2-4, 2016 (next seminar)

3. CCAS For new/newish chairs, not just Arts & Sciences
Seminar style, ≈36 attendees
Whole group meetings and smaller breakouts
Focus on discussion, networking
Vingettes/case studies thoroughly discussed
Individual consultation

4. How I can be helpful Conflict management Stress management

5. Academic Chairpersons Conference
February 8-10, 2017
New Orleans, LA
Great conference co-sponsored by Kansas State University Global Campus and IDEA
Focus on chairs; attended by many academic leaders
Plenary sessions, interactive workshops, roundtable discussions, best practice presentations

6. Lessons Learned Bonding and Bouncing
Great deal of time spent with ISU colleagues, reflecting on take-a-ways from sessions, common challenges or triumphs
There are some things we do better
Insight offered
Heartaches and Headaches are common and universal
Congenial Language is common in many institutions

11. ACE Leadership Academy For Department Chairs
How to handle/manage the volume of demands and responsibilities in a large dept.
Make time for yourself: try to set aside 3 hours, twice a week.
Use an appointment system (30 minutes) to schedule faculty and students.
*American Council on Education

12. ACE Leadership Academy for Department Chairs
Facilitate an awareness of the positive things happening in the Department and University.
Share these at department meetings.
Have faculty share these as well.
Get out in front of news that could be misinterpreted as negative or is indeed negative, and provide facts, context and facilitate a discussion

13. ACE Leadership Academy for Department Chairs
Networking and the Power of Weak Ties.
Encourage faculty to expand their on and off campus network and use it.
Recognize weak ties and cultivate them.

14. ACE Leadership Academy for Department Chairs
Topic based lunch: Institutional Politics, Diversity issues, Budgeting, Assessment, Conflict, Technology, Planning.
Interactive Activities: Chairs a provided scenarios with a realistic background stories. Solutions are discuss and assessed in groups.
Conflict Management Vignettes: Role playing activity
My advice is to research topics in the agenda prior to the event to get the most out of the activities.

15. ACE Leadership Academy for Department Chairs
Budget model frameworks (Lecture from Natalie Krawitz Former VP for Finance at University of Missouri)
Incremental budgeting
Zero-based budgeting
Activity-based budgeting
Responsibility Center Management
Centralized budgeting
Performance-based budget

16. ACE Leadership Academy for Department Chairs

17. Positive Academic Leadership ATLAS
ATLAS: Academic Training Leadership & Assessment Services
Jeffrey Buller: Small Group Work (2-3). 50 Attendees. One Day.
ATLAS Leadership
Professors, Chairs and Deans
Collegiality, Evaluations (all levels), Problem Solving, Decision Making, Recruitment and Retention of Faculty

18. How I can be helpful (takeaways)
Perspective: From Disaster to Opportunity
Proactive: Focusing on strengths of the individual, elevating those AND rewarding them. (IE) Alternative Models of Tenure and Promotion.
“You don’t build a program or an organization. You build people. People build programs and organizations.” Systems Approach to Chairing
Scenario: Two days before classes start a faculty members who works in a very rare specialty comes to you and informs you that she has been awarded a highly prestigious international award. The award will make the faculty member’s career and will bring an incredible amount of positive attention to the department and the university. BUT—the faculty member needs to leave immediately for at least one full year and you have no one else to cover her courses. 5 reasons this is a Disaster—Five ways in which it is an opportunity.
Positive Leadership does not ignore negative events but builds on them to develop positive outcomes. not about being positive all the time—or a cheerleader—but it is about recognizing opportunities that arise from very real and tough decisions.
Systems approach to Chairing: Know what motivates your people? Salary? Appreciation? Job Security? Promotion? Passion? Find out the things that they do best and like to do. Know how best to invest in that, position that within your department and reward it equitably.