Books for Department Chairs

  • Bryant, Paul T. (2005). Confessions of an Habitual Administrator: An Academic Survival Manual. Bolton MA: Anker.
  • Gmelch, Walter H., and Miskin, Val D. (1995). Chairing an Academic Department. Survival Skills for Scholars 15. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  • Gunsalus, C. K. (2006) The College Administrator’s Survival Guide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Both Gunsalus and Gmelch have presented at our Academic Leadership Forum and they were both quite fabulous. I love Bryant's book because it is rather humorous and an easy read. I'm attaching a reference list that I maintain, many of the suggestions have come from this group.

  • The Academic Chair's Handbook, 2nd Edition·Daniel W. Wheeler, Alan T. Seagren, Linda Wysong Becker, Edward R. Kinley, Dara D. Mlinek, Kenneth J. Robson
  • Nancy Chism’s “Peer Review of Teaching,” 2nd Ed. (Anker/Jossey-Bass). Nancy outlines similar principles in her book, and has current references for further exploration.
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