Leading from the Middle
A Case-Study Approach to Academic Leadership for Associate and Assistant Deans
Tammy Stone and Mary Coussons-Read Ph.D
Pity the humble academic. Moving from a faculty position to an administrative office frequently entails gaining considerable responsibility-but ambiguous power. The hope of these two authors is that this volume will serve as a reference and a source of support for current associate and assistant deans and as a window into these jobs for faculty who may be considering such a role. Staff positions often come with detailed job descriptions and reporting lines, but the role of associate/assistant deans is often ill-defined and dependent upon the personality of the dean they serve. The authors thus begin their discussion with an examination of the relationship between these two positions, setting the tone for the rest of the book. Stone and Coussons-Read have structured as a series of modules that encompass different situations in which associate/assistant deans may find themselves, and the authors candidly give advice about how to handle the resulting challenges. Case studies illustrate the typical daily work required by this position, with each case followed by suggestions for effective responses. The authors also provide references to sources in which readers can dig more deeply into areas such as conflict management and communication styles.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Amer Council Ed Ace (Post Acq)
Pages: 208 • Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-4422-0464-5 • Hardback • May 2011 • $62.00 • (£42.95)
978-1-4422-0466-9 • eBook • May 2011 • $58.50 • (£39.95)
Series: The ACE Series on Higher Education
Subjects: Education / Administration / Higher, Education / Administration / General, Education / Higher
Tammy Stone is professor of anthropology and former associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver.
Mary Coussons-Read is professor of psychology and health and behavioral science and was a former associate dean at the University of Colorado Denver.
Chapter 1: Academic Leadership for Associate Deans: Tool Kits and Case Studies for Maintaining Your Sanity
Chapter 2: Are You Ready to Visit the Dark Side? Considering Becoming an Associate Dean
Chapter 3: Stepping up to Leadership with your Head and Your Heart
Chapter 4: Working with the Realities of Your Dean's Leadership and Management Style
Chapter 5: Changing Behavior in a Culture of no Accountability
Chapter 6: Something Old, Something New: Working with Department Chairs and the Faculty as an Associate Dean
Chapter 7: Communicating Effectively: Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say
Chapter 8: Dealing with Conflict between and within Units
Chapter 9: Trouble in Paradise: Dealing with Departmental Dysfunction
Chapter 10: The Inmates are Running the Asylum: Getting Hostile and Unproductive Faculty and Staff on Board
Chapter 11: I Know Your Parents Think You are Brilliant but You Still Have to Follow the Rules: Working with Students in an Atmosphere of Entitlement
Chapter 12: Call Me When the Fire Trucks Have Left: Defining and Responding to Crisis
Chapter 13: Meet and Greet: Making Connections outside Your School
Chapter 14: Adapting to Change While Keeping Your Sense of Humor
Chapter 15: Burning the Candle at Both Ends: Drawing Boundaries and Defending Balance
Chapter 16: Moving on: Life after Being an Associate Dean
Chapter 17: Lessons Learned: Distillation of the Principles of Leading from the Middle
Leading from the Middle fills a much needed gap in the literature available to administrators. Assistant and associate deans frequently have the toughest job on campus, faced with huge amounts of responsibility but given very little authority. The resources that Tammy Stone and Mary Coussons-Read provide in this book need to be part of the appointment package for everyone who is asked to serve a dean in a support role.
— Jeffrey L. Buller Ph.D, director, leadership and professional development, Florida Atlantic University