2025-2026
Books:
The Balancing Acts of Academic Leadership: A Guide for Department Chairs and Deans by Jeanne Hey
Tentative schedule for 2025-2026Topics to be confirmed
Updated July 30, 2025
| Date | Topic | Academic Impressions Webinars | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 5, 2025 | New Leaders Bootcamp Introduction/Program Overview | — | — |
| August 22, 2025 | Academic Leadership: Historical, Socioeconomic, and Political Background | Higher Education in America: a 4-Day Foundational Course | — |
| September 5, 2025 | Attend SERP Summit | ||
| September 12, 2025 | Balancing Acts of Academic Leadership Managing Up, Down, and Across | Embrace Your Leadership: The Balancing Acts of Academic Leadership | Read The Balancing Acts of Academic Leadership, Chapters 1-5 |
| September 26, 2025 | Practical Strategies for Tenure and Promotion Reviews | Read The Balancing Acts of Academic Leadership, Chapters 6-10 | |
| October 10, 2025 | Faculty and Staff Recruitment and Hiring | The Department Chair as Talent Manager: A Discussion Series (8 sessions) | Chapter 1, Hiring Faculty, in How to Chair a Department |
| October 24, 2025 | Budget 101 for Academic Leaders | — | Chapter 5, Managing Resources, and Chapter 7, Highlighting the Big Picture in Planning in How to Chair a Department |
| November 7, 2025 | Legal- and Compliance-related Responsibilities of a Unit Leader | — | — |
| November 21, 2025 | Effective Communication and Managing Conflict | — | Chapter 8, Dealing with Stress and Conflict, in How to Chair a Department The ATLAS Guide to Team Building The ATLAS Guide to Conflict Management |
| Thanksgiving Break | — | — | — |
| December 5, 2025 | Supporting Students/Student Success | — | |
| December 19, 2025 | Student Complaints, Title IX, and Grievances | ||
| Winter Break | — | — | — |
| January 9, 2026 | Spring Workload | Chapter 4, Working with Staff and Administrators, in How to Chair a Department | |
| January 23, 2026 | Performance Evaluations (Faculty & Staff) | Taking a Formative Assessment Approach to Annual Faculty Evaluations | — |
| February 6, 2026 | Faculty Development and Support, Personnel Processes | Chapter 2, Mentoring Faculty, in How to Chair a Department | |
| February 20, 2026 | Data-Informed Decision-Making | Selections from How Colleges Use Data | |
| March 6, 2026 | Curriculum and State Board Program Approval Process | — | Chapter 6, Stewarding the Department’s Curricula, in How to Chair a Department |
| Spring Break | — | — | — |
| March 27, 2026 | — | — | |
| April 10, 2026 | — | ||
| April 24, 2026 | — | ||
| May 8, 2026 | Reflections Developing a Plan of Work for Next Year | Optimize Your Transition from Faculty to Department Chair: A Discussion Series | Chapter 10, Maintaining a Scholarly or Creative Profile, and Chapter 11, Reinventing Yourself for Life after Chairing, in How to Chair a Department |