Effective Communication for Academic Chairs

Edited by Mark Hickson III & Don W. Stacks

Subjects: Organization Theory
Series: SUNY series in Communication Studies
Paperback : 9780791408629, 231 pages, March 1992
Hardcover : 9780791408612, 231 pages, March 1992
Out of print (Paperback)

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Table of contents

Preface

Introduction
Christopher H. Spicer and Ann Q. Staton

1. Departmental Leadership and Departmental Culture
Stanley A. Deetz

2. Establishing Effective Relationships with Faculty and Staff
Anita Taylor

3. Communicating with Administrative Peers
Ronald L. Applbaum

4. Managing Grievances
Fred E. Jandt and John A. Kaufman

5. The Budget Process
June Kable

6. Assessing Faculty
Robert M. Smith

7. The Performance Appraisal Interview: Guidelines for Department Chairs
Michael Stano

8. Being Assessed
Edward L. McGlone and Susan K. Kovar

9. Departmental Assessment
Patti Peete Gillespie

10. Motivating Faculty
James C. McCroskey and Virginia P. Richmond

11. External Public Relations: Analysis of Image and Directions for Change
June Kable and Carla Bennett

Appendix A. Acquiring Information
Mark Hickson III, Don W. Stacks, and Randall K. Scott

Appendix B. Providing Information
Don W. Stacks and Mark Hickson III

Contributors

Index

Description

This handbook examines the communication aspects of the management position in academia. Most academic department chairs are not trained in management skills, including communication strategies. While previous works have dealt with personnel and time management issues, this book illustrates how to communicate with faculty, students, consultation teams, and other administrators in ways that improve the workings of a department while decreasing the workload and tension that often accompany the appointment.

Mark Hickson III is Professor and Chair of the Department of Communications Studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is the co-author of NVC: Non-Verbal Communications Studies and Applications, with Don Stacks and Introduction to Communication Theory, with Don Stacks and S. R. Hill. Don W. Stacks is Associate Professor at the University of Miami, Florida. He is co-author of The Southern Redneck, with J. B. Robuck and Marxian Perspectives on Human Communication, with Fred Jandt.

Reviews

"This book should be in the library of every department head or aspiring department head. It treats the most vexing problems of a departmental administrator completely and competently." — Don Richardson, Auburn University

"There is precious little of value that talks about the process of chairing an academic department, and with the frequency of chair turnover there is need for material that can help new chairs to adjust to the job and anticipate what they may have to contend with over the span of a day, week, or semester." — William F. Eadie, California State University, Northridge