Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction 1: Your New Professional Identity 2: You Don't Have to Be a Reluctant Chair 3: Understanding the Chair Position at Your University 4: Changing Relationships with Your Colleagues 5: The Power Paradox: Leading without Levers 6: The Slippery Slope of Accommodation 7: Chairing from a Beginner's Mindset 8: The Art of Information Management 9: Boundary Spanning (Betwixt and Between) 10: A Chair's Inbox 11: Department Meetings as More than Agenda Items 12: Creating an Agenda for a Department Meeting 13: Cultivating Constructive Dialogue in Department Meetings 14: Effectively Participating in College-Wide Chairs' Meetings 15: Setting Goals 16: The Power Paradox of an Academic Middle Manager 17: Big-Picture Budgeting 18: Your University's Budget Model and Where You Fit In 19: Budgeting Strategies and Tactics 20: Grade Appeals as Pedagogical Process 21: Becoming Privy to Department Drama 22: Informational Asymmetry, Confidentiality, and Managerial Trust 23: You Are Chair of Students, Not Just Faculty 24: Networking with Other Chairs 25: Agenda Interrupted 26: Advocacy and Influence from the Middle 27: Writing Memos for Resource Allocation Requests 28: Student Misconduct 29: Inappropriate Faculty Behavior 30: Unilateral Versus Multilateral Decision-Making 31: Focus on Where It Counts: The Pareto Principle and Demanding Faculty 32: Generous Leadership and the Power of Sharing Recognition 33: The Emotional Labor of Being Chair 34: The Visible Chair 35: When to Address Problems with Collective Policies 36: When to Address Problems with Private Conversations 37: Mentoring Junior Faculty 38: Working with Senior Faculty 39: Supporting Part-Time Faculty 40: The Art of Annual Reviews (The Big Picture) 41: Strategic Approaches to Annual Faculty Evaluations 42: Do Not Play Politics with Your Course Schedule 43: Course-Scheduling Strategies 44: The Summer Schedule 45: Your Department's Social Media Presence 46: Digital Dilemmas 47: Academic Bullies 48: Practical Advice for Handling Academic Bullies 49: Committee Assignments 50: Classroom Teaching Observations 51: Your Department's Approach to Online Education 52: Imposter Syndrome 53: Your Relationship with Your Dean 54: Your Relationship with Your Dean Continued 55: Your Relationship with Your Office Associate 56: Your Relationship with Your Provost 57: Supporting International Faculty 58: Assembling a Search Committee 59: Candidate Selection and Search Committee Processes 60: Your Increased Legal Liability 61: Strategies for Navigating the Legal Aspects of Being Chair 62: Hallway Diplomacy 63: Keys to Relationship Building in Your Department 64: Approaching Virtual Meetings 65: Effective Strategies for Virtual Meetings 66: Status-Based Inequality in Your Department 67: Fundraising and Interfacing with Donors 68: Departmental Culture 69: Your Blind Spots 70: Inclusivity, Diversity, and Departmental Culture 71: Enrollment Management 72: Recruiting New Students 73: Retention 74: Transfer Students 75: Students Switching Majors 76: Crisis Communication 77: Public-Facing Events and Public Speaking Anxiety 78: Your New Raise 79: Formal Discipline 80: One-on-One Meetings 81: Maintaining Your Scholarly Agenda 82: Higher Ed in Flux: Chairing through Uncertain Times 83: Your Department Website 84: Beyond Reluctance: Chairing toward Unexpected Opportunities and Growth 85: Contemplating the Pursuit of Upper Administration 86: Embracing Feedback: Learning to Listen and Adapt 87: The Value of Classroom Engagement 88: Leading Meaningful Assessment 89: Gossip, Trust, and Leadership 90: Chairing through the Tenure Process 91: Justifying Your Decisions 92: The Calculus of Change 93: Parent Complaints 94: Balancing Academic Leadership and Academic Management 95: The Academic Cycle 96: Performing as Chair 97: Summer and End-of-the-Year Planning 98: Authenticity and Pragmatism 99: Effective Communication 100: Lessons Learned and Paths Forward Index About the Author