Academic Leadership in Action

As critical leaders carrying out a school’s mission, department chairs face a plethora of challenges. However, they may not possess prior leadership experiences for maximizing their department’s performance. Chairs must transform visions and policies into actions, lead faculty and support staff, manage resources, implement executive directives, and recruit staff, often while teaching and conducting research on their own.

Proper preparation and training to manage their many responsibilities helps department chairs thrive in their roles. The Chair Leadership Project is designed to do precisely that by facilitating strong leadership in developing skills that lead to high-functioning departments. The program modules and one-to-one coaching sessions are scheduled every other week and spread out over the course of one semester.

Academic Leadership Program (ALP)

Our signature offering, ALP is designed to help department chairs solve problems and develop critical skills to resolve dilemmas while leading their unit. Through collaborative modules and one-on-one coaching, chairs will develop and enhance behavioral, leadership, relationship and critical thinking skills.

More on ALP

“As a result of ALP I am more actively involved in carving out time to get to know my colleagues and to develop and build trusting relationships. “

Academic Leadership Perceptions 180

Far from the annual faculty evaluation, this powerful tool is designed to assess department chair leadership competencies. Through an online survey, chairs identify professional and managerial development needs and discover how others perceive their leadership style. The survey is completed online by the chair and department faculty. ALP 180 is fast, easy to navigate and user friendly.

Percepctions 180

“I am better able to be positive, appreciative and have a better understanding of where my colleagues are coming from. “

Academic Executive Coaching

This one-to-one process focuses on strengthening leadership skills through self-awareness, self-reflection and problem-based learning. Through solution-focused coaching, department chairs learn to motivate colleagues, facilitate change, resolve cumbersome dilemmas, and lead with guiding principles. In short, our approach develops chairs as inspirational leaders who enable their colleagues and university to flourish.

Executive Coaching

“Executive coaching gave me an opportunity to discuss issues, get feedback on my communication and leadership interactions, develop solutions to difficult situations apply them and then debrief.“

On-Time Executive Coaching

If you have an urgent dilemma in your department you need to resolve immediately, call us to schedule a brief executive coaching, solution-centered session designed to address your specific problem.

One Time Coach

“I highly recommended Dennis Morris and the Institute of Respect for executive coaching in higher education.I worked with Dennis over six months and developed a concrete improvement plan based on my needs, strengths and weaknesses.”