Academic Departments Books

It has been said there are three approaches to dealing with mistakes: Dumb people make mistakes and do not learn from their mistakes; smart people learn from their mistakes, and really smart people learn from the mistakes of others.

Dr. Deryl Leaming provides that third approach in a way. This is not to say he made mistakes in his many years as a college administrator, but his excellent book does provide the reader the opportunity to learn from his significant experience.

He has been there, done that, so to speak, when it comes to leadership in heading a program.

His latest work deals with all the key aspects of being a university department chairperson -- legal issues, faculty matters from hiring effective faculty to dealing with faculty problems, and student matters.

Through the tips in his book he provides experience-based advice that can be of significant benefit to the new or even veteran department head.
He has been a university professor, department chairperson, director of a school of journalism and dean of liberal arts. The reader of this second edition of his academic leadership book can learn from his experience to avoid mistakes in leading a department.

He covers a great deal of advice on procedures, including a number of forms that will be useful.

This second edition is a good read and provides practical advice, particularly for the new department chairperson.

REVIEWER: Ralph J. Turner, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Marshall University
lph J. Turner, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Marshall University

This second edition of Academic Leadership: A Practical Guide to Chairing the Department is an extraordinarily comprehensive treatment of ways to address the variety of challenges facing department chairpersons in institutions from all types and sectors of higher education. The author, Deryl Leaming, provides an inviting and accessible style of writing that joins abundant references from relevant authorities with occasional episodes from his personal experience of several decades as chair and dean at some four different institutions. The result is a preeminently practical primer that will give new department chairs a valuable roadmap to success in a notoriously difficult position. It is excellent reading for those contemplating serving as a department chairperson or other academic leader. The volume is so comprehensive that even experienced chairpersons will find the book to provide a helpful review of ways to meet their responsibilities and challenges.

This new volume is almost twice as long as its predecessor, offering an expanded treatment of issues raised in the first edition and reflecting more emphasis upon the complexities of today's financial realities. Major sections deal with common concerns about leadership, handling matters of department vision and management, addressing legal issues, contending with a large variety of faculty and student matters, as well as attending to one's own career. The 30 chapters are compact and quite accessible. All are useful and contain lists of web and print resources. I particularly appreciated the units on sexual harassment and the implications of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the one on dealing with chronic low achievers. Some 17 appendices provide helpful examples of different policy guidelines and methods of communication.

Anker Publishing has a large variety of often-expensive volumes for academic leaders. Some overlap and others lack originality or comprehensiveness. By contrast, this is a stand-out value that will set a standard for some time to come.

Dr. Leaming is truely a gifted writer and instructor. He has given more to his students than some are capable of comprehending. The books he has written and his experiences throughout his life make him a special gift to all who read his work or get to know him. He is an extremely precious gift to his students. He goes out of his way to encourage and teach his students. He makes sure his students are preparing for life within their current level,but more importantly,for their future endeavors. A gifted person who only wants to share what he knows in the hopes of helping others.

I wish the dean had given me this book a year ago. It would have made my life much easier. The book is easy to read and has solid ideas on how to be a more effective chairperson.

If only I could get some of the administrators of my university to read the book!

I am not only new to academic leadership, but I am new to this country. Deryl Leaming's book has served as an enlightening guide for me, and has helped me earn the assistance and respect of my faculty. This book is among the best investments I have made in my academic career. Thank you.

6/26/01

Dear Dr. Toh-Ming Lu:

I believe that I have learned a good deal from "Turmoil and Opportunities in Higher Education." The emotional intelligence that you demonstrated in this book was heartfelt. I was struck by the story of when your uncle asked you to write a letter. The observation you made: that curriculum changes as society changes, was excellent. Since your uncle's grade school education focused on reading and writing, and yours included many more disciplines, it was not fair of him to judge your education based upon his own.

Changing times and technology will offer new teaching methods, but I am amazed by the studio programs you have implemented. The change from big lecture halls to interactive classrooms is dramatic, and I find myself wondering how it would be to learn general physics in the studio setting. Surely the change would result in increased interaction between student and teacher, opportunity to learn from one's peers, a more concrete understanding of basic concepts for the student, and more stimuli to keep the student awake.

Many of the changes and suggestions you have made to the administration would be beneficial to students. In particular, the streamlining of registration and the push for a more customer-friendly service at many offices would prevent a lot of hassles. I can think of countless times when I was passed from office to office at my college to straighten out a financial aid or work-study issue. It is disheartening when someone is absent from his or her office and you are not able to resolve an issue until the next day. Asking office staff to cross-train one another helps to prevent occurrences such as these.

I am impressed by your fairness with teacher evaluations. My college experience has been blessed with wonderful teachers and I have never had to write a negative comment on a teacher evaluation. However, it is important to the students that faculty members are willing to change teaching styles to become more effective. Your implementation of financial motivation (0.5% leverage) of faculty is great.

Your solution to small enrollment classes was an excellent application of technology. Using distance learning and splitting the responsibility of lecture up between several institutions would prove to be very efficient. It is wonderful that you saved the small enrollment classes by decreasing the load on our faculty. I agree with your emphasis on creation of knowledge rather than absorption of knowledge at the graduate level. However, I find that the more I learn, the more creative I can be.

Sincerely, Damian Huising

This book is charming, informative, and inspiring. It is the story of a person who became chair of a Department of Physics, and had the vision and courage to change it in a very fundamental way. I read this book at the beginning of a similar appointment myself, and took great inspiration from it. The author, Professor Lu, accomplished some amazing feats in his administrative role. Furthermore, the book is quite enjoyable to read, mainly because the personality of the author shines through so clearly. One forms the clear picture of a person who is smart, optimistic, honest, and has a great sense of humor. Professor Lu is not afraid to 'think outside the lines.' I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in progress in higher education, especially in developments taking place at the intersection between science and education.

This book is charming, informative, and inspiring. It is the story of a person who became chair of a Department of Physics, and had the vision and courage to change it in a very fundamental way. I read this book at the beginning of a similar appointment myself, and took great inspiration from it. The author, Professor Lu, accomplished some amazing feats in his administrative role. Furthermore, the book is quite enjoyable to read, mainly because the personality of the author shines through so clearly. One forms the clear picture of a person who is smart, optimistic, honest, and has a great sense of humor. Professor Lu is not afraid to 'think outside the lines.' I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in progress in higher education, especially in developments taking place at the intersection between science and education.

Toh Ming Lu clearly discusses the difficult and challenging circumstances under which he became the head of the Physics Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He then explains his unusual approach for solving the problems that the department was facing. His lessons, based on common sense and shrewd observation of the similarities and differences between academia and the business world and how you can motivate the faculty, staff and students to work harder and work together, are truly worth learning. He succeeded in moving the department to a much higher level, where few could have even managed to keep it from disintegrating. His approach is quite universal and based on a few basic principles that I belive can be applied to many situations. Therefore, I recommend this book not only to academics, but also to many businessmen facing tough problems as they move into the new century.

A compelling story of a top scientist who was arm-twisted into academic administration. He tells how his view of academia was transformed and led him to transform his department. After an awesome run as department chair he proved his sanity by returning to the faculty ranks to concentrate on his first love - teaching and research in physics. An outstanding description of the challenges and opportunities of higher education at the dawn of the new century.

This is a valuable guide for new chairs of the departments. It is a practical guide. It must be on the desk of every new chairman of the department

Great transaction. I highly recommend this text for anyone who is in a leadership position (or wants to be) in academia.

Though I have not read this book, I would imagine it to be interesting and of high quality. The author is currently a dean at the school that I attend, and is a fantastic rolemodel for any current or aspiring dean, or any other member of a college's administration.

If you are searching for a job or job options you owe it to yourself to invest in this book. In my book, "How to find your dream job and make it a reality: solutions for a rewarding and meaningful career." I reference previous editions of this book.

In addition, most authors on the subject of job hunting and career use this information. The only problem is these references are not very comprehensive. If you want comprehensive information on the job out look this book is for. If you want to find your dream job invest in my book, "How to find your dream job and make it reality: solutions for a rewarding and meaningful career."

Good luck in your job search.

I really was very close to an emotional mental/physical breakdown at some points during my dissertation & this book let me know that no matter how alone I felt, I was not alone. Other people actually DID know what I was going through. Good use of humor too. Read BEFORE you embark on this last step, it will help to prepare you. Remember the "P" in PhD is for perseverance.

The book dates from 1997, and the author did not to go into academia. (He went to work for the government.) These facts are evident in the author's perspective and affect how useful this book will be for you. Despite these biases, the book has useful advice for masters students and the first few years of a PhD.

Biases I found most problematic:
- No mention of dissertation formats (e.g. collection of essays) which help a candidate finish sooner;
- Few details on academic job searches: no timeline nor process outline;
- No advice on writing CVs; resume advice needs improvement;
- Nothing on negotiating terms of an academic job;
- Aging information on presentations with respect to technology;
- Nothing about importance of having/managing web presence;
- Outdated advice on usefulness/importance of technology; and,
- Little advice on private sector jobs or effective ways to find them.

Where does the book shine? I appreciated its advice about departmental politics, the early stages of grad school, finding an adviser, and the advice for masters students. I liked that it pointed out often-overlooked resources for students: buying a house and renting the excess space, getting a CS student to help with coding, consulting with a stats student about methodology of analyses, and formalizing group critiques of research and ideas. Most of all I liked the overall tone: that you need to be sure you want the degree and then to focus on getting done.

If you want a book about getting a masters degree or getting through the first half to two-thirds of a PhD, I think this is a great book. For the last third of a PhD and the job search, the book has far less useful advice.

Desperately needs updating. Advice on computers is somewhat laughable, and job situation has likely changed substantially for some Phd's since this was written. Other aspects may be useful, hard to tell without experience...

This book really gave me the ins and outs of earning a PhD...From applying to finishing. I am just beginning to research PhD programs and schools. After having read this book I feel like I have a much better idea of how to select and apply to schools and what to expect once I am accepted. I plan to keep this book for reference throughout my academic career. If you are interested in earning a PhD or MBA, or any other graduate/professional degree, this book is a great read!

Although Dr. Peters does offer some insightful information regarding the rigorous process of graduate school applications, his book is entirely pessimistic--actually, to the point that I found it disturbing. Applying to graduate school is a really do-it-alone process, so when you set out to buy a book for guidance the last thing you hope to hear is, "you probably won't get in," "graduate school is too hard for most people," "good luck; you'll need," etc.

Instead, I recommend the book, "Graduate School: Winning Strategies for Getting in With or Without Excellent Grades" by Dave G., Ph.D. Mumby. It gives the same information as this one, but actually encourages you throughout the book. In addition, the writer, who also has a Ph.D., discusses his own shortcomings when he applied to graduate school (his lack of good grades). He disproves the myth that everyone who applies to graduate school is a perfect candidate. Everyone, he argues, has a shortcoming somewhere, but nothing to worry about because everything can be fixed. His positive advice and practical solutions to enhancing different areas of your application that need help are much better than Dr. Peters attitude of doom and gloom.

Don't waste your money on buying this book. If you are desperate to read it, check it out from the library.

As a current PhD student about to embark on the heavy matters required after coursework, several people have recommended Peters' book to me. Apparently a lot of academic heavyweights have noticed this book. But whether that influence is deserved in another story, because the book's supposed usefulness is either an anachronism or an idealization. Other reviewers have noted that the book is severely outdated, with its focus on the admissions environment and job market of the early 1990s, and especially its coverage of ancient software and databases. Granted, no author should be expected to see into the future, and such criticism is unreasonable. But this certainly has an impact on the book's true usefulness, as modern readers will find large portions to be a waste of time.

Regardless, this book deserves some more timeless criticism. For starters, Peters has written for the segment of graduate students who go straight through from a bachelor's program all the way to the PhD without ever leaving school. This is not the case for many grad students including myself, as I was a not-so-uncommon "returning" grad student after several years in the working world. But that phenomenon is glossed over in a mere three pages here, making much of the book nonsensical to a large percentage of its potential readership. During my master's program I was also irritated by academia's lack of concern for master's students in the face of PhD students - an unfortunate phenomenon that Peters generally repeats throughout this book. More generally, Peters' advice on managing time and stress, and navigating the job search process, are essentially the same as that found in any old self-help manual.

Peters' advice on more specific matters of grad school itself is usually more robust. But for every good piece of advice on evaluating potential thesis topics or preparing for an oral defense, there are tidbits of dubious practicality like finding potential advisors years before applying to a school, or joining Toastmasters for six months to practice public speaking; and occasional outright groaners like leaving your office light on all the time so professors think you're a real hard worker. Peters' thoughts on the grad school process overall are rather limited and one-sided, with a focus on ingratiating one's mentors to the point of dependency and taking an overly pessimistic (even bitter) view of degree requirements and the job market. Granted, I detected some good advice here about my own near-future requirements. But I found much of the book to be based on an academic atmosphere and environment that might be in Peters' experience but is much different than my own so far - and I'm sure I'm not that far out of the ordinary. [~doomsdayer520~]

I have never seen such pithy insights into why major development projects fail - and succeed. Rarely does anyone speak to management with such candor about their mistakes. And provide such clear and well founded examples of both success and failure. Anyone in a position to make decisions about new systems development should read this book.

This book prepares buyers of custom software for the pitfalls inherent in developing a system. It explains why there must be give and take between buyer and developer, and why "tough" contracts offer little protection. I suspect this will come as news to many first-time buyers.

As a consultant involved in strategy change and training, I have seen the fruitless internal conflict over who is to blame when new systems are late or clumsy to implement. Any company involved in or considering new systems development will find Ripin and Sayles an invaluable resource for negotiating with potential vendors and facilitating IS development projects. They stress what is so often forgotten: the critical role of line manager and user participation ... including more realistic trade-offs between costs (and failure risks) and ambitious client wish lists. Their vivid case studies illustrate how client managers obtain new skills by project participation that enable them to make more effective use of these costly new technologies and even to fine tune applications. Outsourcer professionals and client staff and line managers will find Ripin and Sayles an engaging, well documented, and widely useful book on developing and implementing new information systems. A must read!

Tucker offers a variety of advice to the newly appointed chair of a university department. On subjects like recruiting promising new researchers and lecturers. Or retaining the interest of students, so that they will take a wide range of courses offered by the department. And hopefully some will declare majoring in the department's field.

Awkward subjects like evaluating the performance of lecturers is also covered. Including when they are coming up for tenure review. Here, the need for criteria that are as objective as possible is vital, to avoid various types of discrimination. Or charges thereof.

Sure, the book was published well over 10 years ago. But none of its remarks are outdated.