Service as department chair makes a perennial challenge of faculty life even worse: the concept of “work/life balance.” That is, the duty of care chairs have to their children, partners, and elders, to their students and faculty and staff colleagues — and to themselves as mortal human beings with limitations and needs. The pandemic has only made this burden more acute.
In this 75-minute session, our panelists have a frank discussion about the challenges of human sustainability in academic leadership, focusing on questions such as:
- How do we set limits on chair responsibilities when we seem to be accessible around the clock?
- How do we sustain the emotional resources to care for ourselves and our loved ones, after long days in the chair’s office?
- How do we support our colleagues to develop a sustainable approach to a healthy balance of work and life?
Panelists:
- Vanessa Beasley, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Vanderbilt University
- Richard Pitt, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of California at San Diego
Moderators:
- Carolyn Dever, Dever Justice LLC
- George Justice, Dever Justice LLC
The link for viewing the roundtables and accompanying resources will be provided via PDF download.
View all five roundtables from The Chronicle's Strategic Leadership Program for Department Chairs here.
