Department chair, program coordinator, team leader or director
Department chair
Many colleges or schools are organized around disciplinary departments. These units may have their own budgets and responsibilities. The individual who is responsible for the leadership of this group is the department chair. These positions usually come with a monetary stipend or release time that lightens the teaching load in order to provide time to accomplish the additional tasks. This may be an elected position chosen by peers, an appointed position, or one that is rotated among faculty members in a department.
Program coordinator
Program coordinators provide leadership for programs that are offered across disciplinary areas. For example a teaching credential program will consist of a group of courses that may include language arts, science, math and social studies. Program coordinators assist with scheduling course sequences, finding instructors for courses, answering questions or concerns of students in the program, etc. This is typically an elected or appointed position. Some colleges use program coordinators instead of department chairs in their governance structure.
Team leader
Higher education is a dynamic and continuously evolving field, which makes it both exciting and full of opportunities to take the lead on new initiatives. Faculty members serve as the engine for these efforts to continuously update the educational experiences for students, develop new knowledge, and provide important service to the campus and community. There will be ample chances for junior faculty members to be involved in such activities, and the ongoing challenge is to choose which to be involved with wisely. Leadership is one way to demonstrate competence and commitment to innovative teaching, research and service.
Director
Some campus projects are more extensive or ongoing rather than for a limited time, and may offer faculty members opportunities to serve as Directors, while being released from teaching duties to serve as coordinator, facilitator, or administrator of a series of activities. These opportunities offer yet another way to serve the campus or community. New faculty members should seek out leadership roles as part of their scholarly service, but be mindful that their service obligations not take away from the fundamental teaching and research responsibilities they hold.
Department Chair
The Essential Department Chair
Buller, J. L. (2006). Anker Publishing Company, Inc.
This book is about the “how” of academic administration, and is based on a series of workshops. It contains information chairs need to address particular challenges.
What Department Chairs Can Do
Schuh, J. H. & Kuh, G. D. (2005). Occasional Paper No. 10, Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University, Bloomington.
This paper outlines what department chairs can do to promote student success.
The Chair’s Role in Helping Faculty Negotiate Work and Family Issues
Ward, K. & Wolf-Wendel, L. (Summer, 2007). The Department Chair, Vol. 18 No. 1, p. 1-3. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., ACE Department Chair Online Resource Center
This paper outlines the role of department chairs in the support of faculty who are balancing work and family in fair and equitable ways. These are findings from a study about ways to create policy environments that support faculty with families.
The Department Chair’s Role in Dealing with Disruptive Students
Kelly, R. (2009). Academic Leadership, Faculty Focus
This article asserts that the department chair is a resource for faculty who need to address student behaviors such as coming to class late, talking excessively, or being disrespectful, uncivil or threatening.
The Role of the Department Chair
University of California Irvine
This article is adapted from Hecht, Higgerson, Gmelch and Tucker (1999). The Department Chair as Academic Leader, American Council on Education, Oryx Press. It addresses the challenges of the transition from faculty member to department chair that some faculty members face.
Department Chair Online Resource Center: Constructing the Role of Department Chair
Graham, S., & Benoit, P. ACE Department Chair Online Resource Center, 2004
This article examines the role of chair, reflects on the changes in the role over the last ten years, and asserts that it is increasingly complex.
Program Coordinator
Authority and Responsibilities of the Program Coordinator
Office of Academic Affairs, IPFW (1996)
This memorandum outlines the duties of a program coordinator at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Program Coordinator Responsibilities
University Assessment Committee, Faculty Manual, Park University
This website describes the various individuals, and their diverse backgrounds, who are program coordinators.
Alternative College Governance Structure
College of Education, California State University San Marcos
The CSUSM College of Education offers one example of a college without departments that uses a shared governance model run by program coordinators.
Team Leader
Professional Development for Leaders of a Large Teaching Team: A Dual Role
Davis, C. (May, 1998). International Journal for Academic Development, Vol. 3, Iss. 1, p. 12-17, Routledge, informaworld website.
This article outlines ways for team leaders to develop their skills.
Working with TAs: Supervising TAs Calls for Faculty to be Managers, Team Leaders, Role Models, and Mentors
Breslow, L. (November / December 1998). Teaching Learning Library (TLL), MIT, Vol. XI, No 2.
This article suggests that workshops for training TAs are not enough, and that success of TAs depends upon an ongoing relationship between a faculty member and a TA in a role as team leader.
How Team Leaders Show Support
Amabile, T.M. (May, 2004). Working Knowledge, Harvard Business School, Findings published in The Leadership Quarterly (Feb 2004).
Q&A about a study of creativity in organizations that involved analysis of 12,000 daily diary entries from employees. One of the primary research questions was, what do leaders do to make employees in creative functions feel supported or not?
Faculty Director
Role of the Director for the Center for International Education
Center for International Education, Truman State University
This site outlines the responsibilities of the faculty director.
Faculty Center
California State University San Marcos
Each Faculty Center has a Faculty Director that administers the activities of the center. This is one example at a California State University Faculty Center, which indicates the sorts of activities that take place.
