Faculty development as institutional leadership: A framework for meeting new challenges

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Research and Development in Higher Education Vol. 25: Quality Conversations

July, 2002, 794 pages
Published by
Tony Herrington
ISBN
0 908557 54 X
Abstract 

Post-secondary institutions are faced with enormous opportunities and challenges to change. A number of trends, including increasing expectations for accountability, technology integration, faculty renewal, and the continuing development of the scholarship of teaching have created a press for change that challenges the traditional values and practices of academic communities. Within this dynamic and uncertain context, faculty developers are often called upon to facilitate institutional problem solving and change. The changing context of contemporary post-secondary education offers faculty developers exciting opportunities to optimize the leadership potential of the faculty development role. Once we begin to conceptualize faculty development as leadership, conceptual and practical tools from the leadership literature become valuable assets. To become more systematic in applying effective leadership principles in the complex task of leading through faculty development, we identified specific principles and qualities from the leadership literature that are relevant to faculty development practice. Rather than attempting to practice these leadership characteristics in parallel with faculty development, we argue that they should be integrated to conceptualize leadership as an inherent role in faculty development practice. This leadership perspective is built on the processes Parker Palmer (1998) uses to frame effective teaching: personal identity and integrity, knowing in community, teaching in community, and learning in community. The purpose of this paper is to engage colleagues in an exploration of a leadership perspective intended to provide faculty developers with a unifying framework to conceptualize their diverse work with individuals, programs, and institutions.

Key Words: Faculty development, academic leadership, change