FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR INITIATIVE:
A new program that provides high-quality support and consistent guidance for Department Chairs.
Resources
- Enhancing Faculty Excellence
- From Academic Culture and Well-being at Dornsife:
- Reimagining Faculty Hiring provides guidance for faculty and departments engaged in a search process. The guidance here is borne of an in-depth review of current best practices and research in the topic.
- From the NCFDD:
- “From the Chair’s Perspective: Insights on Academic Leadership” provides an insider’s look at the realities of serving as a university department chair. Over four sessions, veteran chairs will share their experiences and perspectives on this uniquely vital leadership role.
- From the National Center for Principled Leadership & Research Ethics (NCPRE) in the Big Ten Academic Alliance:
- Big Ten Academic Alliance Leadership Development programs for faculty leaders
- As part of our efforts to strengthen the support and leadership development of our faculty leaders, USC sends a cohort of faculty leaders to participate in these distinct leadership development programs throughout the academic year:
- BTAA-USC Fellows On-Campus Programming 2024-25:
- In support of their continued professional development and in response to their identified needs, we organized a series of on-campus meetings with university leaders to help build connections and expand their knowledge of university operations.
- Andrew Guzman, Provost and Steve Shapiro, SVP for Health Affairs
- Tim Brunold, Dean of Admission and Interim VP for Enrollment Management
- Carol Folt, President
- Josh Kun, Vice Provost for the Arts
- Willow Bay, Dean of Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
- Sam Garrison, Senior Vice President for University Relations
- Jen Cohen, Director of Athletics
- Beong-Soo Kim, incoming Interim President
- In support of their continued professional development and in response to their identified needs, we organized a series of on-campus meetings with university leaders to help build connections and expand their knowledge of university operations.
- From The Chronicle of Higher Education:
- From Inside Higher Ed:
- How to Chair a Department by Kevin Dettmar
- To receive a copy, please email facultydevelopment@usc.edu with your name and mailing address.
Previous Events and Topics
- New Chair Orientation
- How to set up proper norms in your department.
- Dealing with unreasonable requests from faculty, staff or students.
- How to communicate so a team of allies are created.
- How to take care of yourself as well as getting your own professional goals met.
- You are not alone: knowing the resources and who to turn to for what.
- Monthly Meetings
- “The Deans”: Successfully dealing with upper administration.
- The need for leadership and shared responsibilities: The importance of common goals, fairness equity, and psychological safety in a department.
- Difficult Conversations: Specific tools, language, and strategies when faced with disengagement and dominant voices.
- Case Studies from current department chairs
- Panel with seasoned chairs
- Provost Social Hour with Department Chairs
- Collaboration with Keck’s Physician Leadership Initiative
- A Conversation on Leadership with Ellen Ochoa
- To view this recording, please email facultydevelopment@usc.edu for login details.
- A Conversation on Leadership with Ellen Ochoa
- USC Culture Journey – Importance of values-centered leadership on achieving a department’s vision and goals.
- Presentations from the Office of Professionalism and Ethics and the Office of Employee Relations
- USC WorkWell Center
- USC Campus Support and Intervention (CSI)
- Graduate students and union interactions
- Tenure and promotion dossiers and the University Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (UCAPT)
- Managing Difficult Dialogues (A version of this resource was tailored and presented to department chairs).
- Strategic Planning for Academic Departments
Contact
- Donna Garcia, Ed.D., Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, dlgarcia@usc.edu.
NCFDD
As part of its efforts to support faculty development and success, the Office of Faculty Development and Recognition, in partnership with the USC Culture Team hosts an institutional membership with the NCFDD. NCFDD is a professional development resource to help faculty thrive in meeting the multitude of responsibilities of a faculty member. This resource is intended to supplement existing resources and services already provided by the Schools and other sources of support at USC.
To register for your free Institutional Membership, complete the following steps:
1. Go to https://www.ncfdd.org/join
2. Choose your institution from the drop-down menu
3. Select “Activate my Membership”
4. Complete the registration form using your institutional email address (i.e. @usc.edu)
5. Go to your institution email to find a confirmation/welcome email. Click “Activate Account” in the email.
If you have any questions about the membership, please contact: facultydevelopment@usc.edu. If you have any technical questions, please email NCFDD at help@ncfdd.org.
The Faculty Handbook states that, “Mentoring is an important component of faculty responsibilities. Depending on the discipline, the research effort involves the supervision and mentoring of undergraduate students, graduate students, other faculty, and those occupying post-doctoral or other research positions. Such mentoring is also part of a faculty member’s teaching effort. Mentoring of junior faculty is a significant service responsibility of senior faculty members.”
To assist faculty with their mentoring responsibilities, each school and several central university units make available information on best practices and guidance for becoming more effective mentors.
General Mentoring Resources:
FOR FACULTY MENTORS:
Below are some resources and best practices for mentors that can be adapted for personal use:
- New Faculty Welcome
An online resource to help faculty new to USC get set-up and acclimated during their first few months.
FOR MENTORING STUDENTS:
- Advisor, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering (National Academy Press)
FOR FACULTY MENTEES
- Self-Sabotage in the Academic Career (The Chronicle of Higher Education – April 29, 2013)
15 ways in which faculty members harm their own futures, often without knowing it.
Last updated May 2025