Office of Faculty Affairs
Academic Leaders
Faculty & Leadership Development
Leadership development opportunities provided by the Office of Faculty Affairs include workshops and cohort programs designed to enrich the skills and knowledge of faculty whether they hold a titled leadership role or lead where they stand. Our programs offer a range of opportunities for leaders to learn with one another, build community, stretch their knowledge and skills, and advance their careers.
As Walter H. Gmelch and Jeffrey L. Buller explain in Building Academic Leadership Capacity (2015), “Academic leadership is the act of empowering members of the faculty and staff by working with them collegially to achieve common goals, build a community of scholars, and sustain a high level of morale.” C. Clinton Sidle’s leadership development model informs our emphasis on four leadership competencies: personal mastery, interpersonal communication, team management, and systems thinking. We also draw on Gmelch and Buller’s paradigm of habits that leaders should employ to increase learning and effectiveness: Habits of Mind: The Development of Conceptual Understanding; Habits of Practice: The Development of Skill; and Habits of the Heart: The Development of Reflective Practice.
Opportunities
Advanced Leader Program
The Advanced Leader Program provides a select cohort of seasoned academic leaders the opportunity to learn from senior administrators, experts in leadership development, and peers.
Emerging Leader Program
The Emerging Leader Program celebrates the signal academic career achievement of promotion to the rank of professor and provides newly promoted professors an opportunity to consider the next phase of success and career progression.
Faculty Leader Series
The Faculty Leader Series is comprised of individual workshops designed to provide opportunities to learn both fundamental and more advanced leadership skills and knowledge.
Intensive Professional Development
Intensive professional development opportunities are sustained, cohort-based programs designed to strengthen faculty capacity and success in support of one’s career trajectory.
Leadership Luncheons
The Office of Faculty Affairs invites academic leaders to join us for small group lunches to meet with UGA leaders and enjoy peer networking.
New Leader Program
The New Leader Program, previously New Department Head Training, introduces newly-appointed unit administrators to UGA policies, offices, and systems.
Promotion and Tenure Workshops
The Office of Faculty Affairs provides workshops on promotion and tenure.
SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellowship
The University of Georgia’s SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellowship allows faculty to gain valuable knowledge and experience in academic leadership.
Women's Leadership Fellows Program
The University of Georgia established the Women’s Leadership Fellows Program in 2015 to provide a selected group of current faculty and administrators with dedicated time to develop and hone leadership skills and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities confronting research universities.
Select Books and Resources
Books
- Buller, J. L. (2014). Change leadership in higher education: A practical guide to academic transformation.
- Buller, J. L. (2015). The essential academic dean or provost: A comprehensive desk reference (2nd ed.).
- Buller, J. L. (2011). The essential department chair: A comprehensive desk reference (2nd ed.).
- Buller, J. L. (2013). Positive academic leadership: How to stop putting out fires and start making a difference.
- Cameron, K. (2008). Positive leadership: Strategies for effective performance.
- Gmelch, W. H., and Buller, J. L. (2015). Building academic leadership capacity: A guide to best practice.
- Gmelch, W. H. and Miskin V. D. (2004). Chairing an Academic Department.
- Gunsalus, C. K. (2021). The College Administrator’s Survival Guide.
- Kouzes, J. M. and B. Z. Posner. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th ed.).
- Kouzes, J. M. and B. Z. Posner. (2019). Leadership in higher education: Practices that make a difference.
- Marturano, J. (2014). Finding the space to lead: A practical guide to mindful leadership.
- Seligman, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14.
- Sidle, C. C. (2019). Empowered: Leadership development for higher education.
- Stanier, M. B. (2016). The coaching habit: Say less, ask more, & change the way you lead forever.
- Wolverton, M. and Gmelch, W. H. (2002). College deans: Leading from within.
Journals and Web Resources
- The Chronicle of Higher Education is a must read for academic leaders. The Advice section regularly publishes series such as “Admin 101” and “Ask the Chair,” as well as a range of essays on leadership topics.
- The higher education website Faculty Focus offers articles to grow the skills and knowledge of deans, department heads, and other academic leaders. Topics include how to set priorities, evaluate faculty, plan for succession, make the transition from faculty to administrator, create a culture of mentoring, build community, and many more.
- Inside Higher Ed (IHE) has a series of articles on “Advancing as an Administrator.” Both new and seasoned leaders may find insights of value. Two examples include an essay entitled Why Is Change So Difficult? and ‘Leave the Gun. Take the Cannoli.’
- AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom
- Department Chair, Wiley
- Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning
- Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research
- Jossey Bass Higher Education Newsletter Series
- Journal of College Student Development
- Journal of Faculty Development
- Journal of Higher Education
- Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice
- Research in Higher Education
- University Business
Further Information
If you have questions or want to receive the OFA Faculty and Leadership Development newsletter, please email the Office of Faculty Affairs at [email protected].
