Leading Faculty – Enabling the Accomplishment of Goals and Dreams

Carol J. Pardun, professor and director of the school of journalism at the University of South Carolina, recently posted an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled “Why I Am Dropping Out of Administration”. She tells a common story about goals and aspirations as a successful university administrator, and about a second wind back as a scholar on the faculty.

What struck me in particular about Dr. Pardun’s post, was her list of eight reasons why she became disillusioned with university administration. One quote caught my eye:

Leading faculty members is not at all like running a business. It’s about creating an atmosphere that allows faculty members to accomplish their goals and dreams. Some administrators fail to understand that.

I agree 100%.    The successful university leader must realize that their primary job is about creating a productive culture where individual faculty members are enabled to be successful.   If we can do two things:

1. hire faculty that are a good fit with the goals of the college and university, and
2. create an environment where these faculty members are first valued and then secondly encouraged to collaborate,

then …… good things will happen.     Thank you Dr. Pardun.  Good luck with your second career.

– from the pen of Dr. Percy Trappe