The Chair’s Workshop series was co-developed by Jessica Fields, Vice-Dean Faculty Affairs, Equity, & Success and Yuki Tanaka, Postdoctoral Fellow in Faculty Equity and Solidarity. The series consisted of five two-hour sessions offered over lunch. Participants were encouraged to attend in person, but remote access was arranged where needed. Recommended reading and discussion questions were provided in advance of each session.
Workshop #1: Getting Started: The Academic Calendar, Administrative Supports, and Decanal Initiatives in 2023-24
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
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Description: In this introductory session, we will orient new and continuing chairs to the year ahead. New and returning chairs will meet one another and learn more about the Office of the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean (OVPD)—its organization and members. Participants will learn about 2023-24 OVPD priorities and activities, understand their units’ role in advancing those priorities and activities, and become familiar with OVPD and other campus resources available to support their work as unit leaders.
Workshop #2: Working with Faculty
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
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Description: This session will cover topics related to chairs’ work with faculty. Chairs will become familiar with the faculty hiring practices and policies, including complement planning and faculty searches, with attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the hiring process. Chairs will be introduced to best practices for the career reviews in the teaching and tenure streams and for the PTR process. Presenters will also explore strategies for supporting and mentoring faculty as scholars across all streams and career stages.
Workshop #3: Students and Curriculum
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
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Description: This session will cover matters relating to students, including undergrads, graduate students, and alumni. We will discuss strategies for supporting student retention, completion, and graduation, particularly in our work with traditionally underrepresented students. Other topics include student advising, academic integrity, and responses to conflict. Procedures around allocating teaching assistants, timetabling courses, and assigning teaching responsibilities will be introduced.
Workshop #4: Working with Staff and Managing the Department
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
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Description: Managing departmental resources, including budgetary and human resources, is a key part of the chair role. This hybrid session being held on 14 February, 1-3pm will consider how to allocate funds, space, and other resources in line with the unit and U of T Scarborough’s strategies priorities. Our discussion will focus on better practices in staff hiring, performance assessment, conflict management, and professional development. Chairs will explore how to use faculty meetings, committees, and retreats to work with department members toward departmental, campus, and university-level strategic plans.
Workshop #5: Professional and Personal Development
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
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Description: One of the reasons faculty are reluctant to take the chair role is the anticipated impact on their research agendas. However, Dettmar (2022) makes the case that maintaining a scholarly or creative profile is not only possible, but something that benefits the chair role. This session will cover how chairs can maintain a scholarly profile while serving their term and offer strategies on protecting time for research among the other demands of the chair role. As the chair’s term comes to an end, they face another crossroads: whether to return to faculty or seek another leadership position elsewhere in the university. This session will open space for discussing the unique opportunities and challenges of each pathway and strategies to navigate them. Pathways to leadership for women, Black, Indigenous, racialized, and teaching stream faculty will be given particular attention.