Many challenges face community; technical, and junior colleges as they prepare for the 21st century. The more than 1,400 community colleges in the United States and Canada are led by approximately 14,000 academic deans and department heads, each of whom must balance the demands of the students, faculties, sponsors, community, and the college itself.

As college enrollments increase, so do responsibilities, problems, and stress. Fur-ther stress will come to bear upon com-munity colleges in the next decade, when 40% of their academic leaders are expected to retire. There is...

Practically focused, easily accessible, this book is directly relevant to the academic environment in which department chairs operate. The authors--internationally known experts in academic administration--conducted interviews with department chairs and heads at 38 academic institutions from across the U.S. and Canada, public and private, two-year and four-year.

The extensive interviews resulted in four thematic patterns that covered the overarching issues department chairs face: quality, change, culture, and leadership. Each chapter is packed with practical advice and concludes with...