From the Editors
Richard Badenhausen • Dean of the Honors College • Montana State University • Bozeman, MT
Del Doughty • Dean of the College of Liberal Arts • University of Southern Indiana • Evansville, IN
Bridget Keegan • Dean of Arts and Sciences • Creighton University • Omaha, NE
Sheila Liotta • Vice President for Academic Affairs • Saint Anselm College • Manchester, NH
Brian Norman • Provost and Dean of Faculty • Warren Wilson College • Asheville, NC
Brian Peterson • Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs • Briar Cliff University • Sioux City, IA
May 25, 2026
Faculty-to-Administrator Conversion, Administrative Creep, Career Transition, Faculty Workload, Hidden Costs
Brad Fuster • Provost and Vice President, Academic & Student Affairs • San Francisco Bay University • San Franciso, CA
Peter White • Dean of the School Nursing and Health Sciences • Colby-Sawyer College • New London, NH
May 25, 2026
A structural challenge in higher education emerges through the allocation of course releases to high-performing faculty who assume essential administrative responsibilities. Institutions frequently rely on energetic and capable faculty members to coordinate General Education programs, lead institutional or discipline-specific accreditation efforts, and design or manage new academic programs. When these assignments are expected of early-career faculty who demonstrate initiative and institutional commitment, a tension of priorities invariably arises.
Department Chairs, Academic Leadership, Leadership Development, Mentoring, Organizational Culture
Tia N. Dumas • Associate Vice President for Strategic Alliances, Office of the Provost • Clemson University • Clemson, SC
Thomas Kealy, Jr. • Director of Faculty Awards and Honorifics • Clemson University • Clemson, SC
May 25, 2026
Most department chairs are trained to manage, not to lead through complexity. The Clemson Chair Academy demonstrates a practical, replicable approach to developing chairs as leaders over time.
Resilience, Leadership, Provost
Dianna Shandy • Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs • Augustana College • Rock Island, IL
May 25, 2026
Thick skin is about deflection. It is the capacity to not be offended, to let criticism bounce off, to remain unmoved by negativity. Resilience operates differently.
Academic Affairs, Academic Integration, Career Development, Career Readiness, Faculty Development, General Education, Student Outcomes, Student Success
Sean O’Keefe • Founder & CEO of the Career Launch Social Enterprise and Teaching Professor • Santa Clara University • Santa Clara, CA
May 25, 2026
Skills, experiences, and relationships—not degrees and knowledge alone—drive career readiness and economic mobility. Given the centrality of these elements to student success, access to them cannot remain informal or optional. Core, required courses provide a scalable infrastructure for building alumni-student relationships for all students.
Departure, Retirement, Staff Support, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Succession Planning
Susannah Gal • Associate Dean and Professor of Biology, School of Sciences and Humanities (retired) • Wentworth Institute of Technology • Boston, Mass.
May 25, 2026
Abrupt departures and leadership transitions are all too common in higher education today. This piece offers advice and examples for how to pull off a “kind departure,” including taking the time to draft standard operating procedures, consult colleagues who will remain in their roles, and notifying people in person.
