Explore how you can enable the engagement, collaboration, and success of your faculty and staff.
Overview
Leading as an academic department chair is difficult under the best of circumstances. You must balance the competing interests of faculty and administration and stretch limited resources, all while maintaining your own scholarship and teaching loads. Add to this the uncertainty and complexity of leading through an ever-changing higher ed landscape, and it becomes clear that the current environment can test even the most seasoned leaders.
Join us in person for this essential two-day conference designed specifically to help academic department chairs discover or reconnect with the most effective ways to lead in a variety of situations and circumstances. On day one, you’ll begin by reflecting on your approach to leadership, where you’ll explore ways to enhance your overall leadership effectiveness. You’ll also examine how your position of influence can support and enable the engagement, collaboration, and, ultimately, the success of your faculty and staff. The focus for day two will be to explore one of the trickiest topics a leader must face—conflict—where you’ll practice tools and strategies that will allow you to navigate that conflict with greater confidence and ease.
Who Should Attend
We invite academic department chairs, program directors, and center directors of all experience levels to attend. This is a terrific opportunity to step away from the day-to-day to focus on your leadership development alongside a cohort of other department chairs from across the country. If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to gain a greater self-awareness of yourself as a leader—while also expanding your network—this conference is for you!
Agenda
DAY ONE
- Embracing Your Leadership: The Department Chair’s Balancing Acts
- Enhancing Your Leadership Effectiveness: The Five Paths to Leadership℠ Assessment
- Revitalizing Academic Passion: Strategies for Combating Burnout and Enhancing Professional Fulfillment
- Designing Your Department’s Culture: An Inclusive Approach to Creating a Healthy Workplace
- Networking Reception (included in registration fee)
DAY TWO
- Designing Effective Meetings: Applying the “Five Paths” Assessment
- Navigating High-Stakes Conversations to Drive Positive Outcomes
- Navigating Challenging Conversations: Communicating Critical Feedback
- Bringing It All Together: Final Take-Aways and Next Steps
Pricing
June 12 - 13, 2025
Orlando, FL
Starting at:
$2,595
/person
October 23 - 24, 2025
Baltimore, MD
Starting at:
$2,595
/person
What Our Attendees Are Saying
“The content was rich, and the teaching style was engaging and interactive. The faculty team did a great job of providing engaging activities that allowed us to think critically about our leadership and conflict styles, and the ways we can grow as leaders.”
- Angelia Nelson, Chair/Associate Professor, Lincoln University
“I really liked the interactive experiences that were combined with lecture/listening and that we were able to ask questions as we went.”
- Kristine Levan, Associate Professor and Dept Chair, University of Idaho