Abstract
This article examines the department chair’s role in fostering faculty development as a central dimension of effective academic leadership. Arguing that professional growth is too often treated as a peripheral administrative concern, the discussion contends that faculty development must be understood as a continuous and reciprocal process that benefits both the department and the chair. Drawing on research on administrative burnout and personal experience, the analysis distinguishes between chairs who overextend themselves in operational management and those who sustain professional vitality through active teaching and scholarship. Faculty development, the article maintains, requires the cultivation of research productivity, teaching quality, and service engagement among both junior and senior faculty. Particular attention is given to mentoring new faculty, balancing workloads to support scholarship, and equitably distributing developmental resources. The article concludes that department heads must model ongoing professional activity and use their authority to create an environment that sustains growth, creativity, and collective achievement within the academic unit.
Recommended Citation
Lester, Lorayne W.
(1987)
"A Leader Among Peers: The New Department Head's Role in Faculty Development,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 59, Article 11.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol59/iss1/11
