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.

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.