All Tech Minded Deans Should Read These 7 Books – Being a Dean is no easy feat. There’s a lot of pressure put on you from all sides to make a difference in your role. It’s up to you how you go about defining yourself and that role at your school. If you want some help and guidance, these seven books reviewed by Mary Walton are a great place to start.
– Being a Dean is no easy feat. There’s a lot of pressure put on you from all sides to make a difference in your role. It’s up to you how you go about defining yourself and that role at your school. If you want some help and guidance, these seven books reviewed by Mary Walton from Santa Monica, CA are a great place to start. Follow her on Twitter at @marywalton27.

1. Positive Academic Leadership: How To Stop Putting Out Fires And Start Making A Difference, by Jeffrey L. Buller

• As a Dean, you probably find that you’re often racing around trying to fix problems. Once you’ve put one fire out, there’s another one you have to contend with. It’s an exhausting process, but you don’t have to work like this. This book shows you how to look at your work in a different way, and become a coach and counselor for your staff. This way there will be far less crises to deal with on a day to day basis.

2. The College Administrator’s Survival Guide, by C. K. Gunsalus

• If you become the head of a department, you’ve probably found that you’re deep in a situation that you’re really not trained for. You’re a professor, and you’re not equipped to deal with the thousands of problems that happen every day. This book uses real life examples to help you get to grips with this new role. “If I hadn’t read this book, I would have felt utterly lost. Thankfully, I now have the knowledge to approach any issue and solve it easily,” says Frank Muller, head of department at Assignment Help Service.

3. The Changing Nature Of The Academic Deanship: ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Research Report, by Mimi Wolverton et. al.

• Becoming a Dean is a cause for celebration, but it comes with its own set of challenges. With resources ever strained and new problems being created by an ever evolving student body, how do you cope? This book offers six distinct strategies to get you through.

4. Seasons Of A Dean’s Life: Understanding The Role And Building Leadership Capacity, by Walt Gmelch, Dee Hopkins and Sandra Damico

• This book draws on real life experiences of over 50 current Deans, to truly understand what the role entails and what is needed of any Dean. Linda Sanders, a Dean herself, says “I was impressed that they drew from the experiences of so many people in the same position as me. I felt the advice given was really genuine.”

5. Change Leadership In Higher Education: A Practical Guide To Academic Transformation, by Jeffrey L. Buller

• A Dean often has to lead their school through changes, and that process can go one of two ways. If you want to enact positive changes that your staff can get behind, this is the book for you. “I felt that this book really understands the practicalities of being a Dean,” says Nina Davies, former dean.

6. Building The Academic Leadership: Strategies For Success, by Gary S. Krahenbuhl

• No Dean can be fully prepared for their first day in their new role, but some prepping is highly useful. This book will lead you through what you need to know for your new job, and how to handle any challenges that are thrown at you.

7. The Essential Department Chair: A Comprehensive Desk Reference, by Jeffrey L. Buller

• This book is the essential ‘how to’ guide for any department chair. “It’s helped me so much again and again,” says department head Roger Leaves from UK Admissions Service, “It has practical examples of almost any situation you’ll come across.” It’s a guide that you can dip into whenever the need arises, and you’re sure to use it again and again.

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