The ACC is a forum where academic chairpersons, administrators, and faculty from all areas of higher education share the most successful, innovative ideas and strategies to assist each other in becoming more effective in their positions. The emphasis of the conference is to provide practical, usable information in a climate of open discussion and collaborative exchange.
Session Themes
Presentations will be categorized into five broad themes to provide strong direction for the conference, while maintaining the diversity of presentations which attendees have found so beneficial in the past.
Exploring new and pressing developments in higher education including subjects like campus culture, diversity, new technologies, new interdisciplinary opportunities, impacts of the growth in distance education, economic stresses on the field, changing roles and demands, etc
Managing internal relationships with those you manage and who manage you, handling difficult people, maneuvering the university bureaucracy, working with adjuncts to tenured professors, negotiating for resources, etc.
Exploring the practical roles and goals of the department head, including subjects like assessment, budgeting, fundraising and grant writing, faculty searches and interviewing, faculty performance and review, strategic planning, curricular development and quality, navigating accreditation, legal issues, retention, external partnerships, etc.
Covering general leadership-focused presentations including subjects like work-life balance, career trajectory, managing stress, defining mission and values, effectively pursuing both scholarly and administrative duties, civic engagement, conflict management, building consensus, effective meeting leadership, delegating, etc.
Details TBD
Presentation Types
The Academic Chairpersons Conference is comprised primarily of concurrent sessions, presentations given by those with experience and best practices to offer their peers fellow academic leaders. Three presentation types are given. These allow presenters to operate in the environment that best fits their style and substance, and attendees the opportunity to get the most out of the conference.
105 minutes
A single or group presentation that is interactive and focuses on a solution-based approach. Participants may be involved in a variety of ways such as taking part in small-group activities, role-playing, case studies, simulations, problem solving or other hands-on instructional activities.
Typically an individual presentation. The presenter gives a 30-35 minute talk on a specific best practice or approach to a leadership issue. The talk should include a description of the problem, how the presenter approached it, and the results achieved. Then the audience is provided with 10-15 minutes of Q&A.
30 minutes
A presenter facilitates a discussion centered on a key topic. The roundtable discussions will take place during Lunch on Thursday or Friday during the conference. Participants will grab their lunch and take it to the table with the discussion topic of their choice. This is a great opportunity for chairs who would like to have a conversation about a specific topic, share ideas, and explore solutions without a more structured, full presentation.