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cademic deans are expected now more than ever to push their schools to evolve. They need to develop a vision, motivate the faculty, transformA the curriculum, manage resources, and raise funds. Sometimes their jobs become even larger than that, as happened at the University of Missouri, where deans worked behind the scenes to remove the university’s leader. This collection offers insights into how deans handle all the demands on them.

It All Comes Down to the Dean 4 Deans have to balance a strong academic orientation with a business one. How Missouri’s Deans Plotted to Get Rid of Their Chancellor 8 Nine deans lose confidence in their chief executive, and then he’s gone. Colleges ‘Unleash the Deans’ With Decentralized Budgets 12 The budget model gives deans an incentive to cut costs and think more strategically. So You Want to Be a Dean? 16 Nothing in a dean’s job is as exciting or complicated as turning ideas into reality. A Tale of 2 Deans 19 If you wait until you are ready to be a dean, you will never become one. Fund Raising for Deans 22 How to match donors’ passions with your college’s needs. Portraits of 5 New Deans 25 Serving as department chair or associate dean helps prepare professors for deanships.

Cover photo by Shawn Weismiller for The Chronicle

3 ho w s m a l l l ib e r a l- a r t s c ol l e g e s a r e f ig h t ing t o s tay a l i v e t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / m a r c h 2015

©2016 THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION INC. Cornell’s Kathryn Boor (center) grouped several departments under a new school of plant sciences. More than ever, administrators rely on deans to push colleges to evolve.

SHAWN WEISMILLER FOR THE CHRONICLE To Change a Campus, Talk to the Dean

By AUDREY WILLIAMS JUNE

hen Kathryn J. Boor became stream of change. In the spring, for example, she a dean at Cornell University, grouped five departments to create the new School change was at the center of her of Integrative Plant Science, with the goal of show- agenda from the very beginning. casing the university’s strengths in plant and soil She began leading the College sciences and attracting federal grants, more stu- ofW Agricultural and Life Sciences in 2010, when the dents, and more top faculty. Ivy League institution—like colleges everywhere at “This took reorganizing people and getting peo- the time—was in the midst of streamlining opera- ple excited about a new structure and a new way of tions and cutting costs. Just four months into Ms. thinking,” says Ms. Boor, a food scientist. “This is a Boor’s tenure, the college announced that its de- way to ensure our pre-eminence five and 10 years partment of education would close. Cornell admin- down the line.” istrators said they didn’t have the money it would More than ever before, Ms. Boor and other aca- take to raise the small department’s national pro- demic deans are the ones top administrators rely file. on to push schools and colleges to evolve. As uni- Since then, Ms. Boor has overseen a steady versities face new pressures to distinguish them-

4 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 selves from their peers and to demonstrate their sity of Michigan at Ann Arbor, directed a research worth, deans have their hands on more levers than center before becoming a dean. almost anyone else on campus. Whether campuses As dean of Drexel University’s School of Edu- can transform themselves, working within tight fis- cation, where she’s been since August, Ms. Songer cal constraints, often comes down to their deans. wants to build on the “mini-CEO role” she saw her- More than almost any other administrator, self playing at the Michigan Center for Essential deans are in a better position to influence people Science, which focused on getting more urban stu- and forge consensus. To succeed, they must man- dents into STEM fields. age up and down, engaging regularly with senior At Drexel, one of Ms. Songer’s main goals is to officials, the faculty, staff, and students. ensure that the school keeps making a difference As leaders of increasingly complex enterpris- outside of Drexel. The university wants to build a es, deans must think big and be the public face of public school on land that it bought near campus. their schools even as they still tend to the day-to- “This is not only a chance for us to define ourselves day needs of professors and students. Deans must as a school,” Ms. Songer said, “but to think of how be able to motivate faculty and staff to embrace a we can redefine how a public school and a school of university’s broad, strategic goals. They need to be education partnership could be.” shrewd money managers who can attract dona- To help herself learn how to be a good dean, Ms. tions to augment limited budgets. Songer is reading books about leadership written “Deans today are almost like mini-presidents,” by a mix of higher-education administration ex- says Jessica S. Kozloff, president of Academic perts and business executives. “I’m trying to look Search Inc., a company that has helped colleges at what I know about being an academic and what find deans for the past decade. “Like every other se- I’m learning about being a good business leader nior administrator today, they’re being called on to and put them together.” make really tough decisions and to try to convince Deans have to be careful, however, in how much people to change.” She adds, “You’re in the line of of the corporate world they embody, says Mimi fire as a dean.” Wolverton, a retired professor of educational leadership who worked at the University of Nevada ob ads reflect the kinds of pressures deans face. at Las Vegas and is one of the authors of College Institutions are turning to executive search Deans: Leading From Within. Jcommittees to help them find movers and shak- “If they’re completely business oriented they ers who are part entrepreneur, part fund raiser, alienate the faculty,” Ms. Wolverton says. “The bet- part marketer, and part seasoned administrator. ter deans are able to maintain an academic men- At Morgan State University, the new dean of the tality at one level, but also embrace a business ori- College of Liberal Arts will be charged with “trans- entation on another level. Being a dean is more like forming the curriculum to reflect the changes tak- running a family business than a corporate busi- ing place in the world of higher education.” East- ness.” ern Michigan University wants its next dean of the In an academic environment, where shared gov- College of Technology to know how to “implement ernance is an integral part of the culture, the best interdisciplinary programs and projects.” Private leaders must be able to forge relationships with institutions have big expectations for deans, too. many people across a campus. If they are going to Shenandoah University, with about 3,700 students, press change, they need a clear understanding of wants someone with “significant experience in fac- the culture where they work. They must be able to ulty and administrative positions” and a record of weigh multiple perspectives when making deci- landing donations and building community part- sions, and to embrace the role of intermediary be- nerships to be its next dean of the College of Arts tween professors and the provost. and Sciences. Patrice Rankine, dean of Hope College’s Arts Compare that with the ads of two decades ago. and Humanities division, leaned on prior experi- Administrative experience wasn’t always required. ence to shape his interactions with the faculty. He Searches were led in house. And the dean’s role was came to Hope from Purdue University, where he described as being internally, not externally, fo- was a professor of classics and an assistant head of cused. the School of Languages and Cultures, a position The candidates who now prove the best fits for in which he first began to hone his interpersonal the job are often senior professors with adminis- skills. trative experience — stints as department chair or “I would be the person people would come to to associate dean here, directing a center or institute talk things out,” Mr. Rankine said. At Hope, where there. And the deans of today need an entrepre- he became dean in July 2013, he has sought out op- neurial bent, too, with the ability to build partner- portunities to meet with faculty and alumni. ships and develop strong new programs capable of “I’m at a small college, and so alumni are really generating revenue. invested in what happens,” says Mr. Rankine. “I Nancy B. Songer, a former professor of science like to spend time with people and listen to them.” education and learning technologies at the Univer- But deans have to listen with a discerning ear to

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 5 figure out how to balance competing interests. crisscross the globe to make connections with “Everybody’s perspective collides in the dean’s alumni, recruit students, and set up partnerships office,” says Gary S. Krahenbuhl, a retired academ- that will provide students with a global education. ic administrator whose career included 11 years as As universities branch out globally, establishing dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at programs overseas and drawing more international Arizona State University. He is also the author of students, that kind of outreach has become key. Building the Academic Deanship. “The dean is try- In the spring, Mr. Gonzalez will travel to Cuba, ing to manage the expectations of all the different his native country, for a cultural-exchange tour people and move the college forward as best as he with a group of alumni. The School of Education or she can,” says Mr. Krahenbuhl. “It’s not easy be- also has a program that gives students the oppor- cause each group thinks their way is the right way.” tunity to teach in foreign countries, and it hosts He says deans with a track record of advocating scholars from around the world who work with ed- for both faculty and administrative goals are more ucation professors on research. likely to get the benefit of the doubt from faculty “None of these kind of agreements would happen when administrative priorities win out. without the dean,” he says. “I’m the point person.” “There’s almost nothing that buys more good will As the deanship becomes more complex, train- than people knowing that you’re going to be fair ing for the job has become a bigger priority. The and objective and even-handed,” Mr. Krahenbuhl Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences holds a says. summer seminar for new deans. The American Conference of Academic Deans created its Deans’ Institute four years ago after its members—a mix of deans of all levels and provosts—asked for such a gather- “Deans today are almost ing. Attendees at next year’s daylong institute, held during the association’s an- like mini-presidents. … nual meeting, will hear seasoned deans discuss how their role has changed, the challenges of the job, and how to achieve They’re being called work-life balance. Deans with years of experience may on to make really tough have a better handle on the job than newcomers, but they, too, are navigat- ing change as the nature of their job decisions and to try constantly evolves. They’re overseeing schools or colleges that have larger fac- to convince people ulty ranks than in the past, growing student populations, and programs that are changing to reflect student and scholarly to change.” interests. Deans are also spending more of their time as fund raisers, and they’re focused Cultivating internal relationships is part of the on different markers of success than in the past. job, but now so is interacting extensively with out- They are now being asked, for example, to do more siders. For the dean of the School of Education at to measure how much students are learning. Indiana University at Bloomington, external ad- Graduate-school deans are starting to focus vocacy has taken the form of speaking out against more on tracking student outcomes. Karen Klom- proposed policies or laws that he believes could parens, dean of the graduate school at Michigan harm his school or higher education in general. State University since 1997, says she pays more at- “There are a lot of attacks that are being tention now to collecting data about how graduate launched on schools of education,” says Gerar- students move through, and out of, the university’s do M. Gonzalez, who has been dean for 15 years. advanced-degree programs. “I spend a good deal of my time fending off policy The national conversation about graduate edu- initiatives that are ill-informed. I don’t remember cation has included vigorous debate about whether doing this in the early days of my career.” The Indi- it takes students too long to earn a Ph.D. and what anapolis Star this month published a letter to the kinds of jobs await them. The changing academic editor from Mr. Gonzalez, explaining how he sees workplace, in which tenure-track jobs are scarce, Indiana’s school-reform policies contributing to the means graduate schools have to take a broader drop in enrollment in teacher-education programs. view than they have in the past of students’ post- Another recent addition to the dean’s job is the Ph.D. opportunities. Ms. Klomparens has, in re- role of ambassador. Deans are now expected to cent years, works with Michigan State’s Ph.D. ca-

6 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 reer-services office to offer graduate students ca- discovered he wasn’t fully prepared for, even with reer- and professional-development workshops, five years as a department chair behind him. along with an interactive website to help them pursue careers in higher education and beyond. r. Caldwell, in his third year as dean of “We’ve really invested resources in this new focus the graduate school at Missouri Western on career outcomes,” says Ms. Klomparens, who is State University, has learned on the job also associate provost for graduate education. Mhow to do the kind of marketing needed to pro- It’s the kind of focus that calls for buy-in from mote the new school’s programs to potential stu- the graduate programs on campus—a task that dents so the graduate school can grow. He’s also falls to deans like Ms. Klomparens. She relies on been trying to bring in money to offer assistant- her reputation, in part, to help her drum up sup- ships to the students in the master’s-only program. port. Despite the challenges of the job, Mr. Caldwell “What I hope I have is influence. And that influ- wrote a column that ran in a magazine for his dis- ence comes from being a trusted source of infor- cipline this year, with tips on what readers should mation,” Ms. Klomparens says. “I’m a pretty well- think about if they are considering a move to ad- known quantity because I’ve been here so long.” ministration. A key strategy to create buy-in, she says, is to be a Among them: Ask what you can contribute to reliable source of information and a frequent com- the larger goals of your unit or institution and how municator with a wide range of people on campus. can you add to the institution’s main goals. Both “My email group on campus has 350 people— questions underscore how critical it is for deans to deans, associate deans, chairs, graduate program maintain a bird’s-eye view. Ms. Boor, who has been directors, graduate secretaries,” she says. “I think a faculty member at Cornell since 1994, remembers it’s important to have every level of person who is how that shift in mind-set was one of her biggest working with graduate students in the information challenges as a new dean. loop.” “As a faculty member you’re generally doing Ms. Klomparens, dean of a long-established things yourself as opposed to moving to the next graduate school, never faced the learning curve level where you have to delegate,” Ms. Boor says. that goes with being a dean of a fledgling graduate “One of the hardest things was just learning to look school. That’s a position that Benjamin D. Caldwell at things from the 30,000-foot level.”

Originally published on November 24, 2014

SHAWN WEISMILLER FOR THE CHRONICLE

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 7 How Missouri’s Deans Plotted to Get Rid of Their Chancellor

By JACK STRIPLING

AP PHOTO / JEFF ROBERSON The resignation of R. Bowen Loftin as chancellor of the U. of Missouri’s flagship campus, in Columbia, followed weeks of efforts by nine deans to force out a leader in whom they had lost confidence.

8 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 hen R. Bowen Loftin announced his ‘IRREVOCABLY BROKEN’ intention to resign as chancellor of the WUniversity of Missouri at Columbia this The tipping point for the deans came when one month, the decision was widely regarded as a sur- of their own seemed to have been forced out. In render to student-led protests over race relations September, Mr. Loftin announced that Patrice on the flagship campus. But Mr. Loftin’s downfall (Patrick) Delafontaine, who had been dean of the was also, if not exclusively, the culmination of a School of Medicine for less than a year, would re- well-orchestrated coup led by nine deans who had sign. The chancellor told faculty members that Dr. worked for weeks to secure the ouster of a chancel- Delafontaine had decided to resign on his own, but lor in whom they had lost confidence. the dean’s colleagues did not find that credible. Missouri’s deans describe Mr. Loftin’s tenure as “All of the deans felt that Dean Patrick Delafon- a profile in autocratic leadership, where vindictive- taine was doing a good job,” the deans said. “To see ness and ham-fisted decision-making were thin- his efforts dismissed and undermined, when add- ly masked by an affable and goofy public persona ed to our other concerns, led us to conclude that that won over students but never the university’s our relationship with the chancellor was irrevoca- academic leaders. bly broken.” The campus’s nine sitting deans agreed to talk When the deans made their concerns known to in detail about their concerns with Mr. Loftin, but, the chancellor, he responded by arranging indi- as a condition of their participation in this arti- vidual phone calls with them. The deans charac- cle, they asked that questions be emailed to them terized the calls as “highly scripted” conversations together so that they could respond collectively. that lasted about eight minutes each. Their version of events, as described here, is drawn Again, this is a point at which the chancellor’s from those responses and an interview with the and the deans’ narratives diverge. What the deans university’s longest-serving dean, who was desig- perceived as an empty gesture of reconciliation, nated as the group’s spokesman. Mr. Loftin describes as a sincere effort to apolo- It was soon after Mr. Loftin’s appointment, in gize for any transgressions and to forge a path for 2014, that Missouri’s deans say they felt the first greater collaboration. The calls also lasted a lot pangs of buyers’ remorse. longer than the deans have suggested, he said. At first, there were the little things, like the fact “The conversations ranged from 15 minutes to that the chancellor sometimes seemed more inter- an hour,” Mr. Loftin said. “I wrote down the time ested in his phone than in his colleagues. the conversation started, when it ended. I made There was Mr. Loftin’s habit of calling the deans notes.” “essential middle management,” a title that, while Thomas L. Payne, the senior dean and spokes- technically accurate, sounded like a disparaging dig. man for the group, said that during his phone call The deans cringed when the chancellor told with the chancellor Mr. Loftin apologized for hav- them, “I can fire you,” which he once said to the en- ing publicly stated that he could have the dean tire group and occasionally told the deans individ- fired. ually, according to their account. Mr. Payne, who is vice chancellor and dean of “Those who worked with him on campus were the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Re- told, in no uncertain terms, that they worked for sources, said that Mr. Loftin also had a habit of him, not with him,” the deans said. publicly saying, “CAFNR has all the money,” using In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Loftin re- an abbreviation for the college. For the dean, this sponded to the deans’ account, taking issue with was often awkward, undermining his efforts to many of their assertions. His comments about fir- raise money for the college, whose donors were left ing deans were all made in jest, he said, and he with the impression that it was exceedingly well- dropped the “middle management” talk the mo- off. The chancellor apologized for this, too. ment he heard it had offended anyone. By that point, however, Mr. Payne and his col- The deans’ concerns, however, were less about leagues had already decided that apologies were the chancellor’s words and more about his ap- not enough. The chancellor had to go. proach to governing, which they called secretive “Since we’re being candid,” Mr. Payne recalls and scattershot. They were blindsided, for exam- saying, “I feel I must tell you that I don’t think your ple, by a controversial proposal to cut health-care leadership of this university is appropriate. I don’t subsidies for graduate students. think your approach, in many cases of fear and in- That decision was later reversed, but not before timidation, is the way we operate in the Midwest considerable turmoil on the campus. On this point, or anywhere. I think you should resign.” Mr. Loftin said, the failure was one of communi- Until a few days before those phone calls, Mr. cation. He said he did not realize that the decision Loftin said, he had no indication that the deans would be announced before deans and others had were so displeased with him. By the time the con- been informed. “I was absolutely stunned by that,” versations began, there seemed little room for re- he said. covery.

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 9 “It was very surprising to me how strongly held indeed a problem at Mizzou, the deans said, but their opinions were, and how much they kept it to the chancellor’s decisions on graduate-student themselves for a very long time,” Mr. Loftin said. benefits, including health-care coverage and re- “Why did they stew on it for so long? Why did it duced tuition stipends, had fomented the very re- take so much time?” sentment and distrust on which the protest movement fed. THE ‘STAR CHAMBER’ The day after the deans’ meeting with Mr. Wolfe, student protests started to ratchet up. A group Two weeks later, on October 9, the deans gath- called ConcernedStudent1950, which took its name ered in a boardroom at the university-system offic- from the year Missouri admitted its first black stu- es for a meeting with Timothy M. Wolfe, who was dent, organized a demonstration at a homecoming then president. parade, where protesters surrounded Mr. Wolfe’s “We indicated to President Wolfe that we be- car. The president did not engage with the students lieved our relationship with the chancellor could but moved along the parade route, making himself not be repaired and that he should be dismissed,” a potent symbol of administrative apathy. the deans said. As the student-protest movement gathered By that time, racial unrest was starting to bub- steam and attracted national attention, the deans’ ble up on the flagship campus, where the stu- parallel effort to oust the chancellor continued qui- dent-body president, who is black, reported that etly in the background. a group of young white men in a pickup truck had On October 13, three days after the parade, Mr. screamed racial epithets at him. Mr. Loftin had Wolfe summoned the deans, Mr. Loftin, and Gar- called the incident and others like it “totally unac- nett S. Stokes, the provost, to the system office. ceptable,” but students criticized him as being in- What followed was a re-airing of grievances by sufficiently responsive. six deans who were in the room, along with three The chancellor said that he worked tirelessly more who joined the meeting by teleconference. Mr. Loftin, hearing calls for his resignation, scribbled notes and remained silent. The chancellor described the meet- “It was very surprising ing as a “star chamber” where he was dressed down for more than two hours. to me how strongly held “With a raised voice, one dean said right to me, ‘I don’t want you in my house,’” Mr. Loftin recalls. their opinions were, and The deans interpreted the chancellor’s silence as another sign of his dis- how much they kept it engagement. Mr. Loftin, conversely, saw no opening to do anything other than to take his licks. “How do you re- to themselves for a very spond to that?” he said. “That was the wrong place to engage.” long time. Why did they Mr. Loftin said he followed up with the president days later, hashing out a plan to deal with the deans individ- stew on it for so long?” ually. But all the deans heard was silence. There was no follow-up, and the campus was growing ever more con- sumed with the crisis over race. on race-related issues, but that he was also realistic about how challenging it would be to change BEGINNING OF THE END things. “This is where I got criticism,” Mr. Loftin said. “I said, ‘Look guys, this requires changing In the fervor of the protest movement, scrutiny hearts. We can fix a lot of things here, but we can’t of Mr. Wolfe began to eclipse any student misgiv- change hearts overnight.’” ings about Mr. Loftin. It was the president, pro- In the deans’ view, the chancellor’s response testers said, who had to go. was anemic, and it gave students and the public a Jonathan Butler, a graduate student, began a glimpse of Mr. Loftin’s ineffectiveness. Racism is hunger strike, saying he was prepared to die if

10 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 Mr. Wolfe did not resign. Members of the football backfired, and it is hard to see how many or any of team, showing solidarity with their classmate, said them could have remained in positions of leader- that they would boycott all athletics-related activi- ship at Missouri if Mr. Loftin had not resigned. ties if the president did not step down. “All of the deans perceived risks to their ca- Any target that had been on Mr. Loftin’s back reers,” they said, “and the risk was felt most acutely seemed to disappear. The chancellor befriend- by those who have long careers in higher education ed the student protesters, bringing food to their ahead of them. In the face of this risk, the boldness demonstrations and holding court with them on and conviction of the deans to persist with our the quad. What few people knew at the time was that the wheels were already in motion for Mr. Loftin’s resignation. The first system-level conversation about his de- The deans say the parture occurred on October 23, before the hunger strike or the football boycott. Mr. Loftin met that day with the president and two members of the chancellor was Board of Curators. The only specific criticisms the chancellor says he heard were those put forward secretive and by the deans. There was no “proximate cause,” he said, between racial discord in Columbia and his precarious leadership position. autocratic. They were “It became pretty clear to me,” he said, “I didn’t have the support from the president and others that I needed to be here.” blindsided, for example, On the eve of his resignation, on November 8, Mr. Loftin met again with Mr. Wolfe at Univer- by a proposal to cut sity Hall, the system’s administrative building. The two were focused on the circumstances of the chancellor’s resignation, and Mr. Loftin said benefits for graduate he hadn’t an inkling that the president himself would resign the following day. In retrospect, students. however, the signs were there. “He seemed dis- tracted,” Mr. Loftin said. “He left the room several times.” Mr. Loftin may not have seen Mr. Wolfe’s res- calls for the chancellor’s removal are testaments ignation coming, but that prospect concerned the to our level of dissatisfaction with the chancellor’s deans greatly. The group, unaware that the die had leadership as well as our commitment to put the already been cast for Mr. Loftin, feared that a new institution’s interests ahead of our own.” president might not carry out their will. They had Mr. Loftin is slated to officially step down as one last chance, as they saw it, to overthrow the chancellor on January 1, when he will move to a chancellor. position as director for research-facility develop- In what amounted to a Hail Mary pass, the ment. But the chancellor, who is 66, expects that deans fired off a letter to the president and the his journey will ultimately take him back to Texas, board, calling for Mr. Loftin’s immediate dismiss- where his family has owned a small ranch since al. In short order, the letter was leaked to the news 1858. Maybe then, the chancellor says, a fuller media, and the deans’ weeks-long private efforts picture of what happened at Mizzou will come to were made public. light. They were all in. “I will someday write this story,” Mr. Loftin as- The deans’ high-risk strategy could easily have sures. “I have a lot to say about this.”

Originally published on November 20, 2015

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 11 Colleges ‘Unleash the Deans’ With Decentralized Budgets

By SCOTT CARLSON

Brad Foley, dean of music at the U. of Oregon, was able to buy equipment for a music-technology program because he increased the number of students taking courses in the School of Music and Dance.

JOHN GIUSTINA, U. OF OREGON

12 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 or many years at the University of Oregon, which requires “every tub to stand on its own bot- Brad Foley got a lump of money dropped in tom,” as a president put it in the 1800s, adapting a Fhis lap to run the School of Music and Dance. line from The Pilgrim’s Progress. It didn’t matter how many courses he offered, how It’s a budget model that seems to fit the spirit big or how small they were, says Mr. Foley, who has of the times, given the focus on enterprise amid been the school’s dean since 2002. “You seemed to economic decline. “At a time of lean budgets and get the same budget year in and year out.” difficult decisions, people think of RCM as a way Then, about six years ago, the university’s bud- to make clear why they get money when they get geting system changed radically. Mr. Foley start- money,” says David Attis, senior director of aca- ed getting a sum commensurate with the number demic research at the Education Advisory Board, of students in his school and how many made it who studies the model. It has become a popular to graduation. If he thought carefully about the topic of discussion among institutions, he says, demand for courses, adjusted offerings so enroll- something of a “religion” in higher education, at- ments grew, and trimmed costs, the school got to tracting converts. keep some of the money at the end of the year. “People grow up in an RCM model, and they That spurred him to design more general-edu- move to a new institution, and they adopt that cation courses that appealed to undergraduates, model there,” says Mr. Attis. But those without which helped pay for a couple of new faculty posi- personal experience can be wary, he says: “They tions and a new program in music technology. At have heard the stories about the downsides.” Some the same time, he had to track his costs for facili- institutions have considered RCM and balked. ties and maintenance, services like the library and The model does come with baggage. Some find student recruitment, and salaries for faculty mem- it too corporate for higher education. If improperly bers, keeping all of those in check. managed, it can pit college against college with- Sink or swim, it was on him—and he happened in a university, creating winners and losers, and to thrive. “We found that we could control our own leave the central administration with little cash. destiny,” he says. Experts cite the University of Pennsylvania, which The decentralized budget model adopted by Or- adopted RCM in the 1970s, and where deans cre- egon has a long history at some elite institutions ated their own fiefdoms. A chief budget officer at and often goes by a jargony name: Responsibility another institution recently told Mr. Attis that to Center Management, or RCM. But it’s likely to be buy a chiller or another piece of equipment for his increasingly familiar. In recent years, as institu- campus, he has to go “hat in hand to each of the tions have struggled with financial pressures amid deans.” declining sources of revenue, many more adminis- Moreover, Mr. Attis says, the model might just trators have pushed RCM to “unleash the deans,” be a way for presidents and provosts to slough off as the budget model’s advocates like to put it: to the burdens of running a university in tough times. give deans and the professors under them a finan- “Some think that this is a way to push the problem cial incentive to cut costs, find new sources of reve- down to the deans and let them make the hard de- nue, and think more strategically about where the cisions and take the flak.” college is headed. Since 2000, the responsibility-center approach has spread across sectors. Iowa State, Ohio, Rut- MONEY TALKS gers, and Texas Tech Universities have adopted it; One appeal of the model is transparency. Both so have the Universities of Florida, New Hamp- administrators and professors normally see a tra- shire, and Virginia. Northeastern and Syracuse ditional budget process as a black box. Universities are among private institutions to have “Ultimately, money comes in, and money goes made the move. out,” says Maria Pallavicini, provost at the Univer- In theory, Responsibility Center Management sity of the Pacific, which plans to adopt RCM in has an elegant simplicity: A university calculates about two years. “We need people to have a broad- its revenues and expenses, allocating them to its er understanding of the fiscal realities,” she says, various colleges and other divisions. Each unit “how the university is run and what impact a pro- brings in money—through tuition, grants, philan- gram has on university finances.” thropy, and other means—and pays “taxes” to the But it’s not like Responsibility Center Manage- central administration to cover shared services, ment is a formula that simply allows an institution like the facilities Mr. Foley started tracking at Ore- to run itself. It has to be actively managed. That’s gon, plus admissions, student affairs, and so on. partly because on any campus, even prominent If a college draws in students or otherwise rakes schools or colleges are often money losers, in need in money, it gets to keep that for expansion or stra- of subsidies—and that doesn’t necessarily change tegic investments. Colleges with few students or under RCM. high costs remain poor. For almost two centuries, A strong central administration must help re- Harvard University has exemplified this approach, distribute money within the university. That ad-

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 13 ministration also has to levy high enough taxes to Mr. Curry, as if to dispel doubts.) Tom Sullivan, maintain a strategic reserve and uphold rules both president of the university, worked with the mod- to prevent deans from haggling over the taxes and el as provost at the University of Minnesota-Twin to bar competition, like an engineering school of- Cities. Vermont’s existing budgeting system, he fering composition courses to draw students away says, “did not have sufficient incentives built in.” from the liberal-arts college. In a state and region facing significant demo- The model doesn’t do away with negotiations graphic declines, UVM is one of the costliest pub- over money between academic units. “Some peo- lic universities. It had to find a budget model, Mr. ple would like to think that RCM should be con- Sullivan says, that pushed goals of affordability, fi- versation proof,” says John R. Curry, director of nancial sustainability, and innovation. strategic initiatives in higher education for De- Incentives work best with entrepreneurial peo- loitte Consulting and a leading expert on the ap- ple on the front lines. And Ms. Roberts and other proach. On some campuses, he says, standing faculty members at Vermont point to the univer- committees continually revisit how much colleges sity’s current lineup of deans as their main con- are taxed and how money is distributed within the cern: Some will be very good at starting programs, institution. boosting revenue, and cutting costs. Others, may- Under RCM, the finances of an institution are be not. laid bare, allowing people to see which programs In fact, experts say that deans end up being are costly and not strongly tied to the mission, the main casualties of a transfer to RCM. Mr. At- making them candidates for elimination. “Most tis, of the Education Advisory Board, says there universities can’t do that right now,” Mr. Curry is often a turnover of deans after a university adopts the budget model. If they have spent decades simply dividing up money handed down from the top, says Mr. Curry, they can forget how to be entrepreneurial. “People think But if they take to it, he says, “a good RCM system is a magnificent training ground to be a proof RCM as a way vost or president.” Under the model, a dean has to understand costs, revenues, enrollment, facilities, human resources, and all of the other elements to make clear why that presidents deal with. “Once you are in that kind of job and successful at it, you are a wonder- they get money when ful candidate for a big job,” Mr. Curry says, “be- they get money.” cause you have to see the big picture.” CHERRY-PICKING Of course the decentralized budget model isn’t for every institution. It can be useful at large re- says, “because they don’t know their costs.” search universities, while smaller colleges might The prospect of that knowledge can be promis- be able to accomplish similar objectives with a ing and nerve-wracking. At the University of Ver- cost-accounting process that sets up rewards for mont, which will adopt RCM this fall, administra- meeting goals. Mr. Attis has seen many instances tors have held more than 200 meetings about the in which an institution decides to adopt RCM and move, posted online all of the documents associ- gets most of the way through the planning process, ated with the transition, and issued an open invi- only to give up and go back to a central budget. tation to meet with “anyone, anytime, anywhere” Dominican University of California has a simi- about the process. lar story. In 2010, at the urging of a business dean Faculty members there hope for continued who eventually became provost, Dominican start- transparency. “Everyone will be able to see the fig- ed planning a switch to RCM. Harlan Stelmach, ures and know why a decision was made, even if a professor of humanities who became a champi- we don’t agree with it,” says Julie Roberts, a pro- on for the new model, says faculty members were fessor of linguistics and president of the faculty wooed by the possibility of a transparent budget senate. “Just getting the budgetary decisions out (at the time, he says, the departing president was closer to the faculty has the potential to be very not known to be very open). The university had beneficial both to the faculty and to the teaching lined up administrators and deans who relished and research mission.” the entrepreneurial opportunities. Vermont calls its new program “incentive-based But sometime after Dominican hired a new budgeting” rather than Responsibility Center president, Mary B. Marcy, the whole thing “fiz- Management. (“Everyone avoids the term,” says zled,” Mr. Stelmach says. Luís Ma. R. Calingo, the

14 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 provost who had pushed the idea, left to become several years ago but backed away when the re- president of Woodbury University, where he plans cession hit. Experts say that RCM can be difficult to adopt the model. At Dominican, discussions to put in place during a downturn. It’s hard to sell generated good ideas, Ms. Marcy says, and the something new to faculty members and the rest of budget process is no longer the work of the central the campus when money is drying up. administration. A committee representing faculty Now, though, Arizona is once again planning to and administrators now takes part, and the uni- move to RCM, starting next year. Andrew C. Com- versity has set aside money to support entrepre- rie, the provost there, says the university, like oth- neurial ideas. ers, wants to fire up innovation and entrepreneur- As for a shift to RCM, Ms. Marcy was uncom- ialism. Meanwhile, he has to remind people that fortable with the way the model decentralized the mission is not just about dollars. fund raising. She believes it does not fit a small “Everyone wants to go to the bottom right-hand college like hers. corner to see how much we cost or how much we’re “We cherry-picked,” she says. “There were a lot getting—a natural tendency, but of course we’re of good ideas that we implemented. So, I didn’t feel not in the business of producing financial bottom that RCM was bad or good. I felt that we would lines,” he says. If you get right down to it, none of take what was useful and not the rest.” the colleges there makes money. Making money is The University of Arizona took a run at RCM not what higher education is about.

Originally published on February 9, 2015

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 15 ADVICE

So, You Want to Be a Dean? You’d better be skilled at risk management and compromise

By DAN BUTIN

am done. After six years of founding and may be your greatest asset. The bad news is that leading the School of Education and Social it may also be your undoing as a capable adminis- Policy at Merrimack College, I have returned trator. to the faculty. In those six years I hired 17 fac- The role of a dean has been characterized as ulty members, started seven academic pro- “dove, dragon, and diplomat.” A dean is often in Igrams, and worked with two presidents, four pro- the unfortunate liminal position of being no lon- vosts, and eight deans. ger truly a professor but not completely an ad- I started out idealistic, and adamant that I could ministrator, either (like the provost or president) develop a better model of a school of education. — and thus prone to role conflict and ambiguity. What could be so hard, I thought, in “operation- One study found that deans perform as many as alizing” one’s ideas? What I have since learned: 168 different duties. The job has had its defenders. Nothing is more exciting or complicated in high- Back in 2003, Stanley Fish, in a column for The er education as turning ideas into reality. It is way Chronicle called “First, Kill All the Administra- harder than rocket science. tors,” described administration as “an intellectual So for any of you faculty members considering task” and, in his trademark brazenness, declared: moving into administration, I have good news and “James I of England once famously (and propheti- bad news. The good news is that your background cally) said, ‘No bishops, no king.’ I say, no adminis-

16 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 trators, no life of the mind.” ers in order to make sure we have every angle fig- So what does it take to be an academic dean? ured out, every argument thoroughly vetted, every I see three distinct characteristics central to the last article read. An academic project may be years role: strategic thinking, risk management, and in the making and not bear fruit for a decade, if compromise. ever. Let me start with the good news. Strategic But that’s not the world in which most colleges thinking is really what all of us in higher education and universities operate. As dean, my day-to-day have been trained to do. We thrive in the complex- life has been a constant series of meetings that re- ity of large heaps of often-conflicting data, search- quired quick decisions. It was like playing 10 si- ing for connections and implications and unex- multaneous games of chess — blindfolded. pected findings, striving to synthesize, or at least I would walk into a meeting more or less know- hold the tension in balance, of a wide range of sto- ing who would be there, with what issues, and ries and narratives, all the while working to artic- with what desired outcomes. Then someone else ulate just the right framing to make sense of and would show up. Or a new bit of information about give prominence to our key findings. budgets would be mentioned. Or a different idea That, in a nutshell, is the power of academic would emerge. And I would have to pivot and deans who can think strategically. It may come decide: Was this new development important? into play in a decision about how an admissions Should we discuss it more? Should I steamroll policy is developed, what subfield the next faculty ahead with my original plan or refocus? How will hire should be in, or where to allocate scarce re- my actions be perceived by, and affect, the president, provost, department chairs, faculty, administrative staff, students, their parents, community partners, and key donors. (Did I leave anybody You are just the out?) How might it play out on social media or in the local press? All of which brings me to my final characteris- leader. Your success tic of being a dean. If I had to articulate the one fundamental difference between faculty and ad- is absolutely and ministrative life, it would be the ability and need to compromise. As a professor, I would almost never compromise. Why should I compromise on fundamentally linked how I think about a conceptual problem or how to best teach a specific topic? I can of course accom- to, and determined modate diverse student needs and abilities, and change my mind if I learn something new. I can be incredibly flexible in my ways of thinking and by, the people you teaching. But compromise on what I believed or what I did? Nope. work with. As a dean, I compromised literally every single day. I compromised when a policy was vague on whether a student should be expelled, and when the marketing department wanted to rephrase how we described our academic programs to make sources. As dean, you may have to think creative- them more understandable and appealing. I com- ly about how to devise a new type of scholarship promised when the provost asked me to reconsider fund or how to restructure existing courses into an a cap on our class sizes, and when I couldn’t pay exciting program that will attract students from our adjuncts what they deserved. I compromised across the campus. The job is about moving a wide because, well, if I hadn’t, nothing would have ever range of highly complex puzzle pieces around in been done. real time with a foreknowledge that the implica- My six years have been very rewarding — but tions could resonate for years or even decades. also very long. The average length of a deanship is It’s exciting stuff, and it’s what we as academics about four years. It is a tiring job. So, dear reader, thrive at in our own research. if indeed you desire to be an administrator and can But that brings me to the bad news. Strategic deal with the risk management and the compro- thinking as a dean requires two other skills that mises, let me close by offering four “Deanship 101” most academics are lousy at: risk management suggestions. and compromise. Follow the money. Time and again, you will be Academics tend to be risk-averse. We are more put in positions where you have huge responsibili- than happy spending years in front of our comput- ties and minimal authority. The quickest and sur-

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 17 Deans should never see their jobs merely as making a system run smoothly, as if the institution were producing widgets.

est way to have any semblance of success is to be in damentally linked to, and determined by, the peo- control of the budget for those responsibilities. Ask ple you work with. for it, demand it, negotiate for it; get it if you can. Always remember that you were hired (im- You’ll thank me when you do. plicitly or explicitly) for your vision. Academe Think in terms of systems. No matter how is about ideas, and a dean is the representative of well you work with your faculty and staff — or how a vision. Deans should never see their jobs mere- much you believe that you (or someone you trust) ly as making a system run smoothly, as if the in- have things all figured out — you still have to stitution were producing widgets. We are here to transform practices into policies and procedures. teach and prepare students to become thoughtful The point is not to create a bureaucracy; though if and engaged citizens of a complex and pluralistic done poorly that is exactly what will happen. Rath- democracy. Academe is about knowledge produc- er, policies and procedures, when well crafted, will tion and dissemination, and deans are supposed to allow you to do your job carefully and decisively. have a vision for what that means and how it looks They will facilitate communication, enhance buy- in their fields. in, and mitigate unforeseen issues. Look at it this So as you consider whether to move into ad- way: What happens when you’re gone? Systems ministration, dig deep into that most basic ques- and processes are the heart and soul of how insti- tion: Why? If you can answer that confidently, and tutions continue to function long after you have stomach the reality that success will be messy and stepped down. complicated and never to your complete satisfac- Within those systems are people. Never tion, then … welcome aboard. forget that. Being a dean requires an immense amount of relationship-centered work. The nature Dan Butin is a professor of education at Merri- of that work will change: negotiating, collaborat- mack College, and executive director of its Center ing, mentoring, counseling, brainstorming, hiring, for Engaged Democracy. He stepped down as dean firing. But the big-picture reality is this: You are of the college’s School of Education and Social Pol- just the leader. Your success is absolutely and fun- icy in December.

Originally published on January 13, 2016

18 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 ADVICE

TIM FOLEY FOR THE CHRONICLE A Tale of 2 Deans What is the difference between an effective dean and a mediocre one?

By M. MARK WASICSKO and BRAD BALCH

t is the best of jobs, it is the worst of jobs, venture that we call the “lifecycle of a dean.” What it is marked by occasional wisdom and am- follows are our insights on the position to help you ple amounts of incredulity—well, you get the decide whether it is a career path you should pur- idea. Being a dean today is a challenging, sue. Nancy K. Schlossberg’s theory on adult tran- daunting, and repeatedly gratifying experi- sitions applies well to the dean’s lifecycle: It is a Ience—one that we would highly recommend if you “moving in,” “moving through,” and “moving out” have what it takes. process. Effective deans are in high demand as ba- How do I know if it is my turn to move in to by-boomer deans like us continue to step down a deanship? If you wait until you are ready to be or retire. Returning to the classroom last fall has a dean, you will never become one. No one enters provided us with the time, space, and distance to the job completely prepared to be a dean, no mat- reflect on our combined 65-year leadership ad- ter how confident some may seem. It’s like every-

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 19 thing else in life: You start where you are, learn by We think there is no better job in academe. Dean- trial and error, improve as you move along, and ships come with: (a) resources that can directly af- discover things while practicing the trade. fect academic operations, (b) decision-making au- There are, however, precursors for doing the thority to create and sustain changes, and (c) op- dean’s work well. Effective leadership, wrote the portunities to interact with a wide range of people. late Thomas J. Sergiovanni, takes three things— As a dean, to ensure the success of both students the head, hand, and heart. All three are import- and faculty in your care, you need ample compe- ant, but we believe the difference between a medi- tence in the college’s disciplines. You need a will- ocre dean and a good one is primarily a matter of ingness to be honest and transparent, along with a the heart or what we call “dispositions.” healthy dose of naive optimism . All of those quali- Certain core dispositions are at the heart of good ties can help you build a positive campus culture in leadership and are a priori conditions for effective which people enjoy their work and look forward to deaning. We have seen ample evidence that knowl- a personal and professional affiliation with the col- edge and skill can improve rapidly for the rookie lege. If all of that resonates with you—and you are dean. Dispositions, however, are more difficult to willing to be vulnerable and persistent enough to change and improve upon, as they emanate from model those imperatives—a deanship may be your our most deeply held values and beliefs. You either cup of tea. have them or you don’t. Among the dispositions we On the practical side, we would be remiss if we see as necessary for success in the dean’s office: didn’t mention the 60-hour work week (and sometimes more). There are no “spring breaks” or sum- n Believing in the people you lead—that reason- mer down periods; instead you have vacation and able people provided with reasonable information sick days. Student issues arise in the evenings and will make reasonable decisions. on weekends. Donor and alumni activities occur n A keen predilection for listening to diverse during holidays and at the same time as your chil- viewpoints, finding common ground on most is- dren’s events. Travel is a must. sues, and seeing the big picture. You soon discover that your calendar is no lon- n Understanding that good relationships, ef- ger under your control. It’s a 24-7, 365-day com- fective teams, and shared responsibilities (and re- mitment. Being willing to accept such obligations wards) are the pathways to important accomplish- and then balancing the busy dean’s schedule with ments. all of life’s events is essential to surviving and thriving in the job. Some people might be able to fake such disposi- Finally, moving through the dean’s job brings a tions over the short haul. But since much of what a rollercoaster of highs and lows. You go from en- dean confronts requires improv, the mask quickly joying a heartfelt welcome to finding out about the falls away and the soul of the leader is exposed. hidden agendas and left-over scores to be settled. So what indicators can help you decide if you You spend hours hiring energetic faculty and staff would be an effective dean? A good clue is the de- members only to discover that, even with spending gree to which others are telling you, unsolicited, most of your days with people, your job can leave that you would make a good dean and encourag- you with feelings of isolation and loneliness. Fortu- ing you to pursue the job. Another clue: Are senior nately, deans have many opportunities to network administrators interested in nominating, sponsor- with their fellow deans both within and outside of ing, or mentoring you on the administrative track? the campus. Both of us stayed on as deans so long, Several professional organizations offer annual in part, because of the vast network of supportive institutes for aspiring deans. Those sessions are an people we met doing like work. excellent opportunity to hear from veteran deans How do you know when you are effective as and join others who are considering the position a dean? If you examine all the duties and respon- as well. sibilities of the position—compounded by the fact Other common indicators include a feeling of that deans must lead and serve in a shared-gov- professional restlessness, a need for a challenge, a ernance environment that ranges from idealis- perceived duty to help an organization grow, and tic to unrealistic—you will find a near impossible a sense of responsibility to channel criticism, both and thankless task from which any sane and rea- your own and other people’s, into positive action. sonable person might justifiably run. So, without Oddly enough, many of best deans we have doubt, the effective dean must have confidence and known were initially reluctant to take the job. Re- a strong sense of purpose to keep getting up in the luctant leaders end up being some of the most ef- morning and going to work in hopes of making a fective and beloved. While a strong ego is essential difference. for a dean to keep jumping back into the ring af- Confidence, vision, and strength of purpose are ter each round, it has to be balanced with ample hallmarks of effective leadership. But even the amounts of humanity and humility. most charismatic leader will never achieve signif- Do I have what it takes for moving through? icant and sustainable outcomes unless others are

20 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 willing to join in. We regularly gauged our effec- by three- to seven-year cycles. As those bench- tiveness by the degree to which others were willing marks are achieved, take the time to gauge your to work with us on difficult and often competing interest in leading the next new multiyear project. tasks. Sometimes there is one more round left within us Effective deaning, like good teaching, is im- and sometimes there’s not. proved through assessment. Providing opportu- In other cases, your reasons for quitting may be nities for people to give you an anonymous, con- far more tactical. Personnel problems, fiscal woes, structive criticism (usually in the form of an annu- productivity targets, and donor and alumni rela- al review) is a good, even if at times painful way to tions can trigger significant stress. On one hand see how you’re doing and make course corrections. the pressure amps up our energy to face the chal- Effective deans have the personal strength to ac- lenges of the job and on the other it wears on our cept the criticism as well as the praise and see how health, wellness, and productivity. Occasionally, both inform decisions and directions. problems that seemed short-term and minor can How do you know when it is time to move escalate and wise deans will know they have ac- out? That’s more challenging than you might complished all they can in the position. think. There is no bell that tolls or clap of thunder Predictability is another meaningful gauge of that announces the moment. Sometimes there is your readiness to stay or leave. We both found that a little voice in the back of your head that tells you our role as dean was largely predictable after five that your thirst is graciously quenched and it is years. Patterns became regular and we were able time to pass the cup to the next generation of ener- to anticipate and head off many problems. Para- getic and enthusiastic leaders. Sometimes it is your doxically, while that adds much comfort to the job, loudest faculty critics who are always generous it also adds an element of mundaneness. When with advice and criticism but stingy with support the job started to feel more mundane than com- or assistance. Sometimes it is blunt trauma like fortable, we found ourselves far more interested when your doctor, concerned about your stress lev- in mentoring other future deans in academe than els, asks, “Would you rather be dean or live?” attending routine meetings on our respective cam- The decision is different and difficult for each of puses. We both preferred to focus on broad chal- us. It would be so much simpler if we had one per- lenges affecting the academy at large rather than son, like the innocent child in the story about the forwarding reports that appeared redundant and emperor’s new clothes, who would yell out, “It is meaningless. Whether the predictability of your time to move on.” Minus that critical friend, there deanship is a source of comfort or distress, it serves are a few subtle but telltale signs. as another signpost to guide your career decisions. One of the best pieces of career advice that one Higher education needs strong and sustain- of us ever received came over a plate of burritos able leadership. We hope that our ramblings have with the writer Ray Bradbury. He said, “I never piqued your curiosity to consider the greatest job felt what I did was ‘work’ and never needed a va- in the academy—the deanship. cation.” He said he promised himself, while still Of the academic dean’s lifecycle it can rightfully a young man, that if he couldn’t leap from bed in be said, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than the morning excited to get going three out of the I have ever done,” and when the time comes to re- five week days, he would find something else to turn to the faculty ranks, “it is a far, far better rest do. When your enthusiasm for academic problems that I go to than I have ever known.” and bureaucratic puzzles wanes, that is a good first gauge that it may be time to step down. M. Mark Wasicsko is a professor of education at Often times the energy and enthusiasm neces- Northern Kentucky University and former dean sary for the job is sustained by strategic bench- of its College of Education and Human Services. marks. The completion of a multiyear strategic Brad Balch is a professor of education and dean plan, the success of a new student program, or the emeritus of the Bayh College of Education at In- end of a capital campaign are all generally defined diana State University.

Originally published on March 3, 2014

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 21 ADVICE

Fund Raising for Deans How to match donors’ passions with your college’s needs

By DAVID D. PERLMUTTER

n acquaintance who was a depart- nonprofit dedicated to: (a) the discovery, creation, ment chair at a small liberal-arts col- and dissemination of ideas and knowledge; and (b) lege described one of the nightmare- the preparation of students for successful careers come-to-life scenarios of every aca- and thoughtful citizenship. But to achieve those demic administrator faced with fund ends at the highest level possible, we need to raise raising.A He had met an alum with “a very high a lot of money from private sources. capacity”—the development term for wealth avail- That is a distinction with a difference. One way able to give—who was ready to make a major gift. to keep on track as an academic involved in fund The catch was that the donor embraced “fringe raising is to remember that loyalty should be to phenomena” (let’s call them leprechauns here to the mission, not the money. The latter is a tool to protect his privacy). His ambition was to finance achieve the former. an endowed chair in leprechaun studies—not as in That said, it’s not always easy to stay mis- folklore but as in scientific fact. sion-focused. As a December 2013 article in The To their credit, my friend, his faculty, the college Chronicle on department chairs highlighted, an foundation, and the upper administration stood average day on the job may consist of reviewing tall and politely turned down the proposed gift. schedules, preparing assessment plans, dealing The anecdote, although unusual, typifies a com- with personnel issues, filling out forms, recruit- mon apprehension of academics who are thinking ing, answering email, fielding complaints … and about becoming administrators and thus entering trying to find money to support the program. the world of fund raising: the danger of selling out, The big picture—the department’s intellectu- of being pushed around by outsiders whose mon- al and pedagogical goals and priorities—may get ey drives the department and its constituencies to lost in the hourly minutiae. Nevertheless, when places they don’t want to go. a windfall dangles before your eyes, you need to So if you are a department chair, director of a make a hard-headed calculation of whether it can center, or dean of a college, what should you do if work and if it really will help. you find that what the donor wants is not what you Know what you want—in detail. One of the great need? benefits of thinking about development is that it Remember your mission. We recently hired a prompts careful consideration of the department’s new development officer for our College of Media future by you and your faculty: What are your ex- & Communication here at Texas Tech. In interact goals and needs? How much money would help viewing the candidates, I emphasized that we are you achieve them? not in the business of making money. We are a If you think that can be done in a single after-

22 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 noon meeting, just try it. Most people who become productive faculty members. professors are passionate about, and inwardly di- Be willing to shift gears. Don’t be hypnotized by rected to, their own area of expertise in research your agenda. Keeping your priority list handy does and teaching. That’s as it should be to maximal- not mean you should ignore out-of-the-box oppor- ly benefit students and scholarship. But when it tunities. comes to picking out, say, the department’s five When I started as an administrator, at the Uni- top-priority areas for outside funding, having 25 versity of Iowa, two foundation officers—who were professors all advocating for their passions as the both graduates of our journalism program—came obvious focus may lead to gridlock or, worse, dis- to me with an idea from a donor. He was not a sipation—as in, “OK, we are agreed: We have 25 graduate of our program, but he was trying to maximum priorities!” find a home for a certain concept: Nonprofits des- Still, the conversation is vital. Every department perately needed more professional help in raising should set realistic goals and needs, and then choose money, so why not create a training program for which ones are the actual priorities. If you hope to undergraduates interested in becoming develop- get private money for your “tops” list you must: ment officers? At the time, I was just venturing into fund rais- n Create justifications for the goals and needs ing myself. I certainly knew that we had no such that you can easily explain to lay outsiders. program or any variation of it within our universi- n Attach a price tag to the goal or need. What ty. And it was an intriguing idea, because the basic amount of money is required to make it happen, skill sets to work in development included effec- and to make it last? tive communication skills we were already teaching: data analysis, listening, reading, writing, and The exercise may well be painful, but the result speaking. I also liked that our journalism program will help you stay on mission. could make this new offshoot a standout, some- Accept that some of your department’s priori- thing that few other programs offered. ties will be more attractive than others to donors. Fast forward three years: With major gifts from When I interviewed for the deanship I now hold, the original donor and others, a lot of help from I was asked, “What are your priorities?” My an- professionals, and hard work by faculty, the pro- swer was that I thought there were organic prior- gram became a success. ities that made sense for the college already, one Recast and redirect, gently and thoughtfully. of which was increasing research, teaching, and Consider the “undergraduate scholarships” de- community service in Hispanic media. The college fault mode of most donors versus the other needs already had an about-to-be-named Hispanic Me- and priorities of your department. While I have dia Center that did great work and even edited an never attempted to talk donors out of helping un- influential journal. Our city itself has a large and dergraduates through scholarships, I have tried to growing Hispanic/Latino population. persuade some of them that: And Hispanic media in general—from news to digital gaming to advertising—is booming in jobs, n Our national reputation is often tied to the venues, and research. In short, with continuing prestige and accomplishments of doctoral students outside help, the college can become a leader, per- and research faculty. haps the leader, in this area. It was a slam dunk n While helping young people go to college is for the faculty to agree that it should be a priority. admirable, you also want top faculty members and And it was one (the center did get a naming gift) graduate assistants teaching them. that was attractive to donors. n Undergraduates can gain increased applied Finding a project that makes sense to a depart- skills and cognitive development by getting experi- ment’s internal and external constituencies is not ence with research. And again, the best professors usually so simple. Take, for instance, a common and graduate students are necessary for that out- challenge in donor relations. The kind of gift come. most alumni tend to think about first, since it most obviously connects with their own experi- The point is: A donor’s passion is achievable via ence and “helps students,” is scholarships for un- many vehicles. dergraduates. Yet when I participated in a meet- Leave doors open. Sometimes a donor’s idea will ing of department chairs at the University of not work at a particular time but will be worth re- Iowa a few years ago, and we were asked to name trieving if circumstances change. A dean in the our two top fund-raising goals, all of us listed sciences at a major research university told of a “Ph.D. student support” and “faculty-research retired faculty member who loved his home de- support.” None of us were opposed to enhancing partment, had done well in life because of personal undergraduate scholarships, but in tight budget thriftiness and several lucrative patents, and want- times we were most concerned with the surviv- ed to create an endowed chair in his subfield. The al of our doctoral programs and the retention of catch: The area of research he had in mind—his

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 23 own—was not one that was a focus of the depart- everybody was happy. ment anymore. Creating a chair in that subfield If you are an academic administrator involved in would, the dean and the faculty worried, be of only fund raising, you are your department’s face, voice, short-term benefit. and character to the wider world, and the inter- Wisely the dean (and the department chair) did locutor, especially between faculty and donors. In not just say “No, thanks” and walk away. He con- dealing with donors whose ideas don’t match your tinued the conversation with both the donor and department’s, don’t give up easily or force a fit. Just the department. Finally, some years later, a group as with good teaching and research, a little cre- of faculty members made the case that the college ativity and playing with alternative scenarios can needed to invest in a new and exciting area of re- help fund raising move forward. search. The dean explored the topic, and they all agreed that the new area was, plausibly, a pathway David D. Perlmutter is a professor and dean of of research derived from the old specialty of the re- the College of Media & Communication at Texas tired professor. Tech University. He writes the Career Confiden- What happened next was truly win-win: The tial advice column for The Chronicle. His book emeritus benefactor recognized the relationship on promotion and tenure was published by Har- between his passion and the revised idea. He gave; vard University Press in 2010.

Originally published on July 14, 2014

24 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 5 Pathways to Becoming a Dean Serving as department chair or associate dean helps prepare professors for deanships

grew from 1 percent to 4 percent, for a total of about 1,300. Eli Jones Leads His Alma Mater’s Deans from underrepresented minority groups are also scarce, Business School in part because it takes years for a faculty member to rise to an administrative level, says Bernard J. Milano, president of the Eli Jones had not in- PhD Project and the KPMG Foundation, the project’s lead sup- tended to leave the Uni- porter. versity of Arkansas after There are 43 deans from underrepresented minority groups just three years as busi- leading business schools in the United States, Mr. Milano says. ness dean. But he still Seventeen of those deans are at historically black colleges. That’s had the Aggie spirit, he why work by deans like Mr. Jones is so important, Mr. Milano says, so when he got a says. He remembers getting a phone call from the University of call from his alma mater, Arkansas when a search committee was interviewing Mr. Jones. Texas A&M University, "I told them he’s too good to be true," Mr. Milano says. "Every- he couldn’t say no. where he’s been, he’s made a huge difference." Mr. Jones, who be- Now Mr. Jones works to support graduate students and fac- came dean of Texas ulty members in the PhD Project. He says he wants hiring to A&M’s Mays Business reflect "our country and our world." When he talks to students School in July, credits considering a graduate degree, he can provide a reason to feel many professors there encouraged: "I tell them this career has been good to me." for "planting that seed" — Kate Stoltzfus that led him to pursue TEXAS A&M U. a doctorate. He earned Originally published on January 10, 2016 Eli Jones a Ph.D. in marketing at Texas A&M in 1997, after having earned a bachelor’s degree at the university in 1982 and an M.B.A. four years later. Early in his career, he worked in sales management for com- Matthew Waller Figures Out How panies like Nabisco and Quaker Oats. Now he brings perspectives in business theory and practice to his academic and ad- to Navigate the University Bureaucracy ministrative work as an "accidental dean," he says. "Universities saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. The new dean of the To be invited back by professors who taught me is a huge bless- business school at the ing." University of Arkansas is In his two previous business deanships, at Arkansas and believed to be one of the Louisiana State University, Mr. Jones led successful fund-rais- first leaders of a major ing campaigns and developed international partnerships. He business school drawn has grand plans for Texas A&M as well. He spends "17 hours a from the ranks of the day" thinking about how to move the school forward, he says, supply-chain-manage- and will hold a strategic-planning meeting this week with ad- ment discipline. ministrators and selected faculty and staff members at the A short trip north of Mays school. the Fayetteville, Ark., Mr. Jones, who is African-American, is also concerned about campus, on Interstate 49, creating greater diversity in the field of business education. goes a long way toward Soon after he earned his doctorate, he became a member of the explaining the choice. then-fledgling PhD Project, whose goals include diversifying Within 25 miles are the business-school faculties. He saw the project’s Marketing Doc- headquarters of Tyson toral Student Association grow from 20 members in 1997, the Foods, among the largest year it was founded, to 200. meat processors in the In the past two decades, the percentage of business profes- BETH HALL world; J.B. Hunt Trans- sors who are African-American, Hispanic, or Native American Matthew A. Waller port Services, one of the

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 25 largest trucking companies in North America; and Walmart, of College Graduates. the largest retailer in the country. The university’s Sam M. The former, in particular, blew the mortarboard off academe Walton College of Business is named for the retail chain’s with national survey results that showed that a large percent- founder. age of students study, read, write, and learn very little in col- “For many companies around here, supply-chain manage- lege. By establishing that sorry reality with data, both books ment is one of the critical success factors of their businesses,” had more impact than had decades of jeremiads against Amer- says Matthew A. Waller, who became dean in May. ican higher education. The region provides a fertile laboratory for Mr. Waller, His own findings do not make him despondent. “I have such whose research has focused on retail supply-chain manage- high hopes for what ed- ment — how retailers decide which items to stock, how much ucation can deliver to to stock, and how to get the items to their customers. He was young people,” says Mr. so drawn to the region 22 years ago that he gave up a ten- Arum, who is chair of so- ure-track position at Western Michigan University for a one- ciology at New York Uni- year appointment as a visiting professor at Arkansas. versity, and a professor of Mr. Waller cites two reasons for the emergence of the dis- sociology and education. cipline: deregulation of the trucking industry, in 1980, which He expects to assume gave companies more transportation options, and the technol- the deanship at Irvine on ogy boom of the 1990s, which made it easier to store and ana- June 30. lyze large data sets. One great strength of The field’s growing importance among the region’s top com- American higher edu- panies — employers of many business-school graduates — led cation, he says, “is that the college to establish a supply-chain-management depart- it’s open to criticism ment in 2011, with Mr. Waller as its first chair. and willing to confront When the dean position opened, in 2015, he was initially re- problems” particularly luctant to apply, concerned about his fund-raising ability and COURTESY OF RICHARD ARUM through “rigorous eval- about the impact on his family. He first agreed to only a one- Richard Arum uation and assessment year appointment as interim dean, but soon realized that he where you take an honest liked the position after all. look at what’s going on, to be able to move forward.” Now Mr. Waller hopes to increase faculty pay and expand Since he started out teaching and being a technology con- the Fleischer Scholars Program, which brings high-school stu- sultant for six years in public schools in Oakland, Calif., Mr. dents from underserved parts of Arkansas to the campus for Arum has worked in many education-school teaching and re- summer training. search roles. Some of his future Irvine colleagues encouraged He also hopes to bring greater efficiency to what some might him to apply for the deanship, he says. consider a challenge more daunting than even a global supply His goal at Irvine, he says, will be to help shape “a 21st-cen- chain: the university bureaucracy. tury education school” in a stronghold of “the education scienc- On the advice of a colleague, Mr. Waller set up short meet- es” that already boasts high citation counts and external finan- ings last year with about 70 administrators across the campus. cial support per faculty member. He kept detailed notes and included in his notebook a photo of “I am optimistic,” he says. “And my move to UC Irvine is a each person he met with. sign of my optimism.” “Within a university, decisions are made in a very networked The most deflated he sounds, during an interview, is when kind of way,” he says. “By having that network, it allows me to he recounts that some faculty members around the country really get things done more quickly.” — Ben Wieder wrote to him to ask — in regard to Academically Adrift’s rev- elation that students reported that few courses asked them to write even 20-page papers — the question that they often Originally published on July 17, 2016 get from students: “Are those pages single-spaced, or dou- ble-spaced?” — Peter Monaghan

Originally published on April 17, 2016 Richard Arum, Who Found Colleges ‘Adrift,’ Becomes an Education Dean Jenna Carpenter Wants to Create As he prepares to become dean of the School of Education a Less Traditional Engineering School at the University of California at Irvine, Richard Arum is far more optimistic about the promise of higher education than As founding dean of the School of Engineering at Campbell might be expected from his and Josipa Roksa’s 2011 book, Aca- University, Jenna P. Carpenter has the challenge of building a demically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, and new program from the ground up. its 2014 sequel, Aspiring Adults Adrift: Tentative Transitions To do that, she is relying on what she learned during 26

26 ho w t o b e a d e a n t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion / o c t ob e r 2016 years on the faculty of the College of Engineer- Gillian Lester Asks More ing and Science at Lou- of a Successful Law School isiana Tech University, where she was associate At a time when legal education is in turmoil, Columbia Law dean for undergraduate School is in an enviable position, with students still clamoring studies and director of to be admitted to the top-tier program whose graduates over- the Office for Women in whelmingly land full-time jobs. Science and Engineer- The law school’s new dean, Gillian Lester, doesn’t plan to al- ing before she joined low the school to simply rest on its reputation. Campbell, in July. The “We feel very privileged that we still have many more people curriculum she is trying applying to Columbia Law School than we can admit,” says Ms. to create at Campbell Lester, a scholar of employment law. “That said, we do want to combines strong foun- train students in a way that emphasizes being the best possible dational courses with professional for the needs of a challenging profession.” project-intensive work. Ms. Lester came to Columbia in January from the University CAMPBELL U. That format was inspired of California at Berkeley, where she was acting dean of the law Jenna B. Carpenter by Louisiana Tech’s first- school. Information gathered from months of conversations year program, Living with Columbia alumni, With the Lab. faculty members, stu- Campbell’s new program will be the seventh undergraduate dents and administrators engineering school in North Carolina, but only the second at a — some of which took private university in the state. place during trips to New Students at Campbell had long requested an engineering York before she formally major, says Ms. Carpenter, and interest in the subject was took office — helped her greater than the number of spots at other schools in the east- shape her priorities as ern and central regions of the state. The new major will start dean. off with two concentrations: mechanical engineering, with a Among those priori- focus on 3-D printing, and chemical/pharmaceutical engineer- ties, she says, are tweak- ing. ing the curriculum to “A lot of engineering schools have gotten where they real- help students see them- ly specialize those degrees, but if you get students to focus too selves as “global actors” narrowly too early, it limits their job opportunities down the and as entrepreneurs road,” says Ms. Carpenter. “Every kid needs circuits, every kid who can intentionally needs thermo. Nanotechnology, for example, didn’t exist when craft a career that, over I was an undergrad, but I can understand it because I had the PETER FRIED, COLUMBIA LAW time, spans the private basic courses.” Gillian Lester and public sectors. Ms. Now Ms. Carpenter is working on developing partnerships Lester also wants to forge with companies in the state’s Research Triangle Park and over- stronger ties between alumni and current students and main- seeing the renovation of a building to temporarily house the tain “people’s pride about this community.” school. “Traditional classrooms with desks won’t work,” she says, and the university is instead creating spaces that have Students at Columbia Law School are already talented, “so tables and chairs that can be reconfigured alongside white the question is what do we do to make them the best version of boards and lab stations. themselves,” Ms. Lester says. “I talk to our students about tak- Campbell expects to have about 50 students in its first en- ing full advantage of their three years here, to not just ask what gineering class this fall. The students who have been offered the law is, but what the law ought to be.” places so far would put the class at or above the national aver- Administrators, students and faculty are excited about age for race and gender diversity, she says. what’s next, she says. “We want to turn away from the traditional ‘trains, planes, “I see people wanting to roll up their sleeves and get to automobiles’ perception to focus on the aspects of engineer- work.” — Audrey Williams June ing that might attract more women,” she says. For example, the recruitment posters, instead of emphasizing math and sci- Originally published on April 13, 2015 ence, depict engineering as a creative field that uses design and problem-solving skills. — Angela Chen

Originally published on March 20, 2016

o c t ob e r 2016 / t he chron icl e of highe r e duc at ion ho w t o b e a d e a n 27 THE CHRONICLE of Higher Education®

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