Developing Deans: Transforming Academic Leadership

'Developing Deans: Transforming Academic Leadership' brings a fresh perspective to the development of higher education deans. Recent books on the deanship focus on ‘becoming’ or ‘being’ a dean, focusing the responsibility of the deanship ‘on the individual’. That is, if you want to become a dean or be an effective dean, this is what ‘you’ must do. This new volume places the onus of developing deans squarely on higher education itself. We know that, in the future, we will need new deans. We also know that we want those deans to be tenured full professors. What are we doing to develop new, effective deans and how might we do that ‘intentionally’ and effectively?
This edited volume includes empirical research, case studies and first-person narratives aimed at highlighting methods and practices designed to develop fundamental leadership skills for university deans who create inclusive, collaborative and cross-functional organizational cultures. Practitioners, researchers and scholars address questions such as: How do deans learn to lead effectively? Is this the optimal developmental path? How might we scale leadership development as a practice across higher education?
The volume is divided into an introduction plus three sections, with several chapters per section. Section One features approaches that focus on the development of department chairs as a preparation for dean-level leadership. Section Two focuses on opportunities and experiences at the campus level used in strategic ways to intentionally develop future deans. Section Three supplements the first two sections with practical suggestions for individuals who are interested in preparing themselves for a deanship.
'Developing Deans' may serve as a reference for anyone hoping to design or improve a leadership development program on their campus, including current presidents, chancellors, associate vice chancellors, provosts, deans and prospective deans. Other readers may include leadership professionals, researchers, consultants and leaders both inside and outside higher education.

List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction
L. Lynn Vidler
University of Colorado Colorado Springs

PART I: LAYING THE FOUNDATION: DEVELOPING DEANS THROUGH THE CHAIRSHIP
Chapter One
Now More Than Ever: Transforming Higher Education Leaders and Institutions with a Skills-Based Approach to Equity-Minded Leadership
Nicole R. Stokes
Pennsylvania State University, Abington
Chapter Two
Developing Deans by Training Chairs: A Proactive Approach
Christopher J. Jochum
Fort Hays State University
Chapter Three
New Deans: The Challenge of Becoming a Strategic Leader
Christopher Mayer
United States Military Academy
Chapter Four
Building a Cultural Foundation: Mentoring Academic Heads Within an Ecosystem of Relational Leadership
Ken D. Elston
High Point University
Jennifer Woolard
Georgetown University

PART II: LEVERAGING INSTITUTIONAL PROCESSES TO DEVELOP DEANS
Chapter Five
External Chairs: An Opportunity for Strategic Leadership Development
Jonathan K. Hodge
St. Edward’s University
Erica Salkin
Whitworth University
Chapter Six
Leading with Purpose Through Responsible Leadership: Crafting Responsible Deans for the Future of Higher Education
Janus Van As
University of the Witwatersrand
Chapter Seven
Cultivating Faculty Leadership: The Crucial Role of Deans in Nurturing Stewardship and Shared Governance
Richard Mora
Occidental College
Mary Christianakis
Occidental College
Chapter Eight
Role Conflict Among Academic Deans and Its Relationship to Job Satisfaction and Institutional Efficacy
Jason R. Jolicoeur
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Katie Jolicoeur
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Chapter Nine
Fostering Dean Development: Leveraging Institutional Planning Processes and Campus Administrative Teams
Tara Hornor
The Citadel

PART III: PROACTIVE FUTURE DEANS: SELF-DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ENGAGEMENT
Chapter Ten
Three Principles for Embracing Collaborative Leadership in the Transition from Faculty to Dean
Phil Taylor III
Southern New Hampshire University
Ryan Roderick
Husson University
Chapter Eleven
Leveraging Slow Leadership to Develop Deans
Sheryl Wilson
Bethel College, Kansas
Rachel Epp Buller
Bethel College, Kansas
Christine E. Crouse-Dick
Bethel College, Kansas
Chapter Twelve
A Roadmap for Administrative Professional Development Programs
Ann Case Hanks
University of Louisiana Monroe
John M. Pratte
University of Louisiana Monroe
Chapter Thirteen
Assessment, Reflection, and Leadership Development Plans: Keys to Decanal Success
Susan Gano-Phillips
University of Michigan, Flint
Chapter Fourteen
A President and Provost Offer Advice to Potential Deans
Brooke Barnett
Rollins College
Kathryn Morris
St. Lawrence University

About the Contributors
Index

L. Lynn Vidler, Ph.D. (they/them), is Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Professor of Spanish at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and co-directs UCCS’s Higher Learning Commission Quality Initiative on Leadership Development. Additionally, Vidler is the founder and CEO of Blooming Branch Group, a leadership and performance coaching firm. They have taught foundational leadership skills for the Pikes Peak United Way, the Women’s Community Leadership Initiative, the Association for Hispanic Classical Theater and the Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences. They have also provided leadership on various boards, including the Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences, the Association for Hispanic Classical Theater, the Pikes Peak Workforce Development Board, the Bee Vradenburg Foundation and the Unity Project. Vidler was previously Interim Provost and Dean of the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences at UCCS; Professor, Program Director of Spanish and Associate Dean at the United States Military Academy (West Point); and Chair and Associate Dean at the University of South Dakota.

Higher education, higher-education leadership, deanship, leadership theory, leadership development, change management