Building Academic Leadership Capacity: A Guide to Best Practices

Building Academic Leadership Capacity gives institutions the knowledge they need to invest in the next generation of academic leaders. With a clear, generalizable, systematic approach, this book provides insight into the elements of successful academic leadership and the training that makes it effective. Readers will explore original research that facilitates systematic, continuous program development, augmented by the authors' own insight drawn from experience establishing such programs. Numerous examples of current campus programs illustrate the concepts in action, and reflection questions lead readers to assess how they can apply these concepts to their own programs.

The academic leader is the least studied and most misunderstood management position in America. Demands for accountability and the complexities of higher education leadership are increasing, and institutions need ways to shape leaders at the department chair, dean, and executive levels of all functions and responsibilities. This book provides a road map to an effective development program, whether the goal is to revamp an existing program or build one from the ground up. Readers will learn to:

• Develop campus leadership programs in a more systematic manner
• Examine approaches that have been proven effective at other institutions
• Consider how these approaches could be applied to your institution
• Give leaders the skills they need to overcome any challenge

The field of higher education offers limited opportunity to develop leaders, so institutions must invest in and grow campus leaders themselves. All development programs are not created equal, so it's important to have the most effective methods in place from day one. For the institution seeking a better way to invest in the next generation of campus leaders, Building Academic Leadership Capacity is a valuable resource.

WALTER H. GMELCH joined the faculty of the Department of Leadership Studies at the University of San Francisco after having served as the dean of the School of Education for nine years. He is director of the National Center for the Study of Academic Leadership and serves on the editorial board of several journals including The Department Chair, International Journal of Leadership and Change, Academic Leadership, and the International Leadership Journal. Gmelch has also served as dean of the College of Education at Iowa State University and interim dean of the College of Education, professor, and chair at Washington State University.

JEFFREY L. BULLER is dean of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College at Florida Atlantic University. Previously he held leadership positions at Loras College, Georgia Southern University, and Mary Baldwin College. As a senior partner in ATLAS (Academic Training, Leadership, and Assessment Services), he is currently active as a consultant to many colleges, universities, and university systems, such as the Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia, where he guides them in developing academic leadership capacity. He is the author of Positive Academic Leadership, The Essential Academic Dean, The Essential Department Chair, and many other titles from Jossey-Bass.