Open AccessCreating an Academic Ecosystem Where Chairs Can Thrive:
Author(s) -
Yasmin Dean,
Jodi Nickel,
J. Jay Miller,
Ruth Seltner Pickett
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
brock education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2371-7750
pISSN - 1183-1189
DOI - 10.26522/brocked.v30i2.875
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , corporate governance , action (physics) , sociology , public relations , action research , position (finance) , academic community , psychology , pedagogy , medical education , management , political science , medicine , social science , business , paleontology , physics , finance , quantum mechanics , economics , biology
This study aimed to understand the lived experience of department chairs in a Canadian university context. Guided by phenomenological inquiry, twenty-one individual interviews of experienced academic chairs were analyzed. Findings focus on the rewards and challenges of the position, advice for professors interested in taking on this role, and the systemic issues that impact change. Results highlight the importance of preparatory training and ongoing institutional support including the deliberate building of a chair community. This paper includes a call to action which will be of interest to Deans and other senior administrators, faculty leaders, those contemplating the chair role, and those involved with institutional governance.