Managing Up: Dealing Effectively with Deans, Provosts, and Presidents

1. Physics Department Chairs Conference June 2016 Managing Up: Dealing Effectively with Deans, Provosts, and Presidents Karen Magee-Sauer Dean College of Science & Mathematics

2. Outline • Knowing what is important to Dean/Administrator • Communicating: • Email • Good News/Achievements • Issues/Problems • Asking for Resources

3. 1. What is driving your Dean/Administrator? • Institutional Priorities • State mandates • Development activities • Faculty interests • National affiliations/interests / movements

4. Institutional Priorities • Learn them • Address them • Shape them • At Rowan: STRATEGIC PILLARS • Affordability • Access • Quality • Economic Engine

5. At University of Colorado Boulder(Noah Finkelstein, Dept of Physics & STEM Center, UC-Boulder) Revenue Reputation Retention

6. Priorities: What are your Institution’s? Dean’s? • Break Out: • Take a few minutes to share: • 1. What are your institution’s “priorities” or “strategic goals” • If you don’t know, look them up • Be ready to share ! • 2. What does your Dean/Provost/President care about? (what is something you know will resonate with him/her?)

7. 2. Communicating: Getting your Message to the Dean/Administrator Emails • Keep email messages short - the higher up, the briefer the communication • Bullets best • Subject line – important – and IF time critical, be sure to state in subject line • Attach files that have more detailed information for reference

8. Example: (not desirable) • I’m hoping we can have a conversation sometime very soon about the future of my animal research program. There are a few developments worth discussing. • I am in the process of completing or submitting two different IACUC protocols to do rodent research at XXXX (one with a collaborator, Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, for work together; one for work I plan for myself). From conversations with the XXXXvivarium coordinator, space is an issue at XXXX currently due to a room needing significant repairs (for which I have no timeline knowledge). As I am merely a guest researcher at XXXX, my space needs are going to likely register low on their priority list, so I have some worries about whether my planned summer work will proceed as expected. To make it more complicated, the vivarium coordinator currently happens to be out on long-term sick leave, so it’s difficult to get a clear picture of the current and likely future situation. I’m working on clarifying everything—and plan to forge ahead as much as I can—but this is probably going to be a recurring issue on some level as long as I don’t have dedicated vivarium space of my own. What plans are at work to establish permanent animal research access for me—at XXX or XXXX—and what can I do to facilitate the process? With the new XXX hires, I’m hoping that a pod of us rodent researchers can carve out a place for animal work soon. • Relatedly, I am in the midst of preparing an NIH grant for submission June 16 specifically to buy more behavioral research equipment (NIDA B/START R03 grant). The grant period would run Jan-Dec 2016 (and will bring in ~$X of overhead); this grant has a 40-50% funding rate, from what I hear, so I’ve got a good chance. This raises a few issues, though. Since the grant is specifically for rodent behavioral work, it all must be done outside of the Glassboro campus. If the work is to be physically done at XXXX, will some shared overhead negotiation need to take place? But am I likely to be at XXXX by 2016? I, and OSP, need some guidance on this within the next few weeks to properly prepare the application. Further, XX& I have plans to submit an R15 or R21 together in the fall which will feature similar types of behavioral work, so this is a general issue that will need to be resolved for that grant as well. • There’s a lot of questions here, so please let me know if I can provide any more information. I’m free to meet the rest of the day today and all next week (except Tuesday) at your pleasure. I’m itching to get some research done and want to facilitate things as best I can.

9. Suggested Improvements: • List the challenges with bullets • I am finding it challenging establish my rodent work at XX or YY vivarium. (XX is crowded and YY is more expensive). • I will be applying for NIH grant with summer deadline and need to know how IDC will be split with Glassboro and XX or YY vivarium site • Suggest the preferred solution • Can you help me with a MOA for space at XX (preferred) or YY by date? • Attach more detailed info • Suggest dates/times for phone call or meeting

10. Give Good Talking Points • Example: High School Physics Teacher Shortage • The National Task Force on Teacher Education reported that “the need for qualified physics teachers is greater now than at any previous time in U.S. history.” • Physics is the top subject with “considerable shortage”2014-2015 Educator Supply and Demand report, American Association for Employment in Education

11. Chronicle of Higher EducationPhysTEC 5+ Club recognition

12. Visualization is Important:Data & Tables • “Rowan Physics majors have a high representation of UR groups” • Include table and graph:

13. APS: How does your institution compare?

14. 2011-2013 Physics Bachelors

15. Anecdotal stories important since they are memorable – Recent Rowan grad was 8 for 8 in grad school acceptances: MIT, Princeton, Cornell, Duke, Penn State, Illinois, Wisconsin, UNC – she will attend MIT the summer camp was the most valuable experience I have had as a future secondary science teacher. … This empowering leeway allowed me to truly grow as an educator, develop my teaching philosophy, and learn to adapt to the classroom environment. I was also an integral component of the data analysis. …[this] is an invaluable opportunity that should be extended to all prospective secondary science teachers -CU Boulder

16. Break Out Activity: Knowing your Institutional Priorities:Create a “talking point” that is linked to an institutional priorityTell a “story” that is linked to an institutional priority • Examples: • Student or faculty achievement • Dept activities improving retention • Significant “good news” for research, awards, etc. • Significant challenge for dept (space?)

17. 3. Asking for Resources • Never ask prospective donors or industry for resources – that is Advancement’s job • Prepare “one pagers” • Policy • Information • Asks

18. Tips for 1 pagers(N. Finkelstein – CU Boulder) • Know your audience • Know your message • Keep it simple • Make an Ask / Action* * With Advancement approval if for outside • Keep it to 1 page (bring copies) • Include contact info • Cultivate relationships • Bring a student

19. CU Boulder

20. Resource Asks • Improve your chances if: • Investment will save money or create revenue • Aligns with priorities • “Skin in the game” • Is sustainable

21. Remember: • Department’s best interest to take responsibility for giving “talking points” to Dean/Administrator • Make it a “to-do” item • Don’t ignore institutional priorities – they are yours too • Keep it simple, keep it short