About the Workshops

April 8–10, 2025 · Wyndham Atlanta Buckhead Hotel & Conference Center · Atlanta, GA
April 28–30, 2025 · Drury Plaza Hotel · Santa Fe, NM
May 12–13, 2025 · Virtual Workshop for International Members
June 9–11, 2025 · Warwick Rittenhouse Square · Philadelphia, PA

Welcome to the 2025 Workshops for Department and Division Chairs! Department and division chairs are the bridges between department or division members and senior college administrators, and well-trained department and division chairs make a difference in academic affairs. Faculty members who take on the chair role need support to understand how to use the position to achieve both departmental and institutional goals. The four 2025 Workshops for Department and Division Chairs (three in-person for US institutions and one virtual for international institutions) will focus on effective strategies to develop leadership skills and an institution-wide vision in the context of uncertainty and change. It will also support chairs to develop skills that build strong and inclusive departments.

Most chairs begin their positions with little or no training in the chair’s responsibilities and with incomplete knowledge of campus challenges. Effective chairs learn the value of developing an institution-wide perspective, communicating clearly, and collaborating with peers to promote greater institutional effectiveness. They must develop the ability to think strategically; plan actively for the future; and cooperate with both academic and administrative departments, including admissions, advancement, finance, and student affairs. At the same time, most chairs remain heavily invested in their faculty responsibilities of teaching, advising, service, and scholarship.

How can chairs become campus leaders while they balance the competing priorities of their roles as faculty members, departmental advocates, and institutional planners? Participants will gain skills and perspectives useful to their roles and will meet colleagues who face comparable challenges at institutions similar to theirs. Click on “Program” above to view the schedule.

This program is made possible by the generous support of Academic Search.

Who Should Participate?

The workshop is designed for chairs from CIC International Member institutions at all levels of experience, as well as deans, and multiple people can participate from one institution. The workshop can accommodate 60 participants.