As the U.S. population diversifies, so do its higher education institutions. Leadership at these institutions should be prepared for this diversification of students, faculty, and staff. The purpose of this study was to gain greater knowledge about the leadership styles and cultural sensitivity of department chairs. Survey research was used to determine if department chairs’ leadership styles correlated with their cultural sensitivity. The target population was department chairs from public universities in the state of Texas. The survey was distributed to 406 randomly selected department chairs. The participants completed three measures: Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire (LDBQ) for leadership style, the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) for cultural sensitivity, and a demographic questionnaire (gender, age range, race/ethnicity, and years of service as department chair). The sample included 165 usable surveys (40% return rate). The department chairs were primarily male (72%), White (78%), and over 50 (71%) years of age. First, a statistically significant negative correlation (r = -.431, p < .0001) occurred between LBDQ overall scores and overall ISS scores: As chairs scored higher on leadership ability, they scored lower on intercultural sensitivity. Second, leadership style by demographic variable displayed mixed results. No significant difference was found for leadership style by age, gender, years of service, or region of service. For ethnicity, White participants scored significantly lower than Minority participants on the LBDQ scales of consideration (t [162] = -2.021, p = .045), structure (t [162] = -2.705, p = .008), and overall (t [162] = -2.864, p = .005). Minority participants might work more diligently to increase their leadership abilities based on their higher LDBQ scores. Third, findings on intercultural sensitivity by demographic variable were mixed. No statistical significance was observed between any of the ISS scales and age, gender, years of service, and region. For ethnicity, Minority participants’ scores showed significantly lower intercultural sensitivity than White participants scores on two of six ISS subscales: interaction enjoyment (t = -2.46, p = .015) and respect (t = 2.107, p = .037). It was concluded that the Minority and White department chairs’ leadership style and intercultural sensitivity differences could be due in part to differences in the chairs’ ethnic affiliations, associated cultural backgrounds, and views of dominant versus non-dominant cultures. Recommendations for study are included.

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Academia is facing a shortage of administrators. Because the foundation of counseling is in its counselor education prep programs, the future of counseling is impacted by issues in higher education. Counselor educators have an opportunity to make a broad systemic impact on the future of the counseling profession through success as a leader in higher education institutions. We will examine the characteristics, knowledge, and skills of counselors against those of successful department chairs.

This research study explored the appointment of untenured faculty as department chairs in three two- and four-year colleges in one Western state's system of higher education. Eleven untenured faculty serving as untenured department chairs were interviewed using the qualitative methodology of grounded theory to analyze the data collected in the form of interview transcripts. At the two- and four-year colleges studied, an untenured faculty member's potential of achieving tenure does not appear to be negatively affected by serving as department chair before receiving tenure. A central finding in this research study is the presentation of an explanatory model that provides a framework for understanding characteristics and risk levels for untenured department chairs. The model integrates the factors of tenure standards and department chair duties to predict the risk to an untenured faculty member of failing to achieve tenure while successfully performing the roles of department chair. Four quadrants represent low to high risk. For the colleges studied, the risk of not achieving tenure for an untenured faculty member serving as chair varies according to (a) the institution's rigor of tenure requirements and standards and (b) the extent to which the chair duties as service to the institution, when taken as a whole, are weighted towards meeting tenure requirements. Additional findings present the untenured chairs' motivation for accepting the position, the benefits and costs that they encountered as a result of that appointment, and how being an untenured chair affected their ability to perform their various roles as department chairs.

This qualitative study sought to gain deeper insights into how English Language Heads of Department (H.O.D.) perceive their roles in teacher development and efficacy, what leadership style inform their role enactment and the different skill sets and beliefs they take to their H.O.D. roles. The population was limited to selected schools in central Jamaica with a sample size of eight Heads of Departments in upgraded and traditional high schools. The motivation to conduct this research arose out of the concerns about Jamaica’s poor ratings in CXC English Language passes and my perception that insights into how H.O.D.s perceived their roles could possibly generate a solution to enable them to facilitate teaching learning experiences that could redound to improved CXC English Language results. Extensive case-based interviews, ranking activity and stimulated recall of artefacts were my primary sources of data, and I used open coding axial coding systems to analyze my data. Presently H.O.D.s engage in more traditional roles align them to a transactional approach as their leadership style. However, the changing roles of the H.O.D.s demand a more transformational leadership style. The findings suggest that some H.O.D.s’ approach is transformational, some transactional, while others display no distinct leadership style. Some play an excellent role in teacher development and efficacy, others play very little or no role. H.O.D.s perception of their role conflict with how they enact these roles and what they believe about them. The conclusion is that i H.O.D.s need a comprehensive system of training in their H.O.D.s specific roles and to help them develop and utilize more transformational leadership skills for use with their departments. Keywords: transformational and transactional leadership, heads of department/department chairs, Jamaican education / Teaching & Learning

A study was conducted to gather information from department chairs serving in the 26 two-year colleges that are members of the North Texas Community College Consortium using the International Community College Chair Survey (ICCCS). The ICCCS is designed to gather insights into four aspects of the chairs' professional lives: personal characteristics, responsibilities challenges, and strategies. The study compared the demographic data and the respondents' perceptions of the challenges their units will face in the next 5 years to the original survey conducted in 1992. The regional sample included 616 first-line administrators, and a 30.5% response rate was achieved. The demographic distribution of the regional respondents shows significant shifts in gender, age, education, experience and release time but constancy in race and stability of the population. Similarities between the two samples exist regarding the challenges of maintaining program quality, providing technology, and managing financial issues. The regional sample expresses greater concern about the challenges of distance education, external accountability, and student matters.

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