Creating faculty Creating faculty leaders to sustain leaders to sustain change on campuschange on campus

Adrianna KezarAdrianna Kezar

Associate Associate

University of Southern University of Southern CaliforniaCalifornia

Grassroots leadershipGrassroots leadership

• Study of campus grassroots faculty Study of campus grassroots faculty leaders– examining barriers and leaders– examining barriers and facilitators at multiple institutional types facilitators at multiple institutional types

• Leadership increasingly difficult in last Leadership increasingly difficult in last fifteen years and study demonstrates why fifteen years and study demonstrates why and how to potentially overcomeand how to potentially overcome

• Outcome – not just development of Outcome – not just development of leadership skills that they note lacking, leadership skills that they note lacking, but also removal of barriers that have but also removal of barriers that have become overwhelming with faculty role.become overwhelming with faculty role.

Barriers to leadership Barriers to leadership among facultyamong faculty

• Graduate trainingGraduate training• Tenure processTenure process• Rewards systemRewards system• Pressures for increased publishing and Pressures for increased publishing and

academic capitalismacademic capitalism• Increasing demands to integrate technology, Increasing demands to integrate technology,

assessment, and teach diverse studentsassessment, and teach diverse students• Larger classes and workloadLarger classes and workload• Largely contingent faculty on many Largely contingent faculty on many

campusescampuses

Facilitating faculty Facilitating faculty leadershipleadership

• Mentors and role models – skill developmentMentors and role models – skill development• Send off campus to conferences – skill Send off campus to conferences – skill

developmentdevelopment• Collegiality and campus networks – skill Collegiality and campus networks – skill

developmentdevelopment• Champions who help remove obstaclesChampions who help remove obstacles• Replacing teaching and service with Replacing teaching and service with

leadership work leadership work • Provide autonomy and flexibility in workloadProvide autonomy and flexibility in workload

Facilitating faculty Facilitating faculty leadershipleadership

• Include non-tenure track faculty in Include non-tenure track faculty in governance and have expectations for governance and have expectations for leadershipleadership

• Address lack of community and Address lack of community and dysfunctional departmentsdysfunctional departments

• Campus culture that sees questioning as Campus culture that sees questioning as healthyhealthy

• Prefer informal guild approach to developing Prefer informal guild approach to developing leadership skills but on some campuses leadership skills but on some campuses formal leadership development can workformal leadership development can work

Faculty leadership Faculty leadership Strategies Strategies

• Having a clear and simple vision, Having a clear and simple vision, purpose or goalpurpose or goal

• Understanding that others need help Understanding that others need help understanding the importance of the understanding the importance of the goal goal

• Communicating across disciplines – Communicating across disciplines – knowing different languagesknowing different languages

• Create networks and alliesCreate networks and allies• Know when to leverage alliesKnow when to leverage allies

Faculty leadership Faculty leadership StrategiesStrategies

• Create a model program or experiment, Create a model program or experiment, assess and distribute resultsassess and distribute results

• Appeal to other faculty’s personal Appeal to other faculty’s personal passions and interests – create passions and interests – create intellectual forumsintellectual forums

• Be more politically awareBe more politically aware• Partner with students in classroom, in Partner with students in classroom, in

organizations, in generalorganizations, in general• Hiring more likeminded peopleHiring more likeminded people

Faculty leadership Faculty leadership StrategiesStrategies

• Use data and research to persuadeUse data and research to persuade• Use external communities, groups, Use external communities, groups,

and stakeholdersand stakeholders