Chairing a Department Moving Forward in Difficult Times Mark B. Rosenberg October 12, 2008

1. Chairing a Department Moving Forward in Difficult Times Mark B. Rosenberg October 12, 2008 • What is the current situation? • Three challenges for Department Chairs • Environmental • Institutional • Individual State University System of Florida u Mark B. Rosenberg, Chancellor

2. State University System of Florida • A great state must have a great public university system • 302,000 students • 11 universities • 65,000 graduates annually • 60,000 employees • $8.5 b. annual budget • $25 b. annual impact

3. State University System of Florida • What is the current situation? • State economic recession =continuing budget cuts/service reductions • $100 m. reduction for ‘07-08; $100 m.+ for ‘08-09; $100+? for ‘09-10 • Florida’s universities are losing competitiveness/brand value declining • Facilities funding remains robust • Centers of Excellence & commercialization funding • Governor and legislators are looking for solutions • State College System can help with access

4. System strategy to enhance competitiveness through accountability and operating efficiencies Accountability Measures Academic Learning Compacts World-Class Academic and Research Programs Graduation Rates Degrees Awarded Licensure Pass Rates Operating Efficiencies State University System of Florida u Mark B. Rosenberg, Chancellor

5. Environmental Challenges • Rapid Change/Globalization • Process that has contradictory impacts: • It fosters both coherence and fragmentation • It brings us closer together, it also pulverizes communities by fostering greater income inequality • Technology • Ray Kurzwell: technological change is exponential: • The Age of the Spiritual Machine—amount of change in first two decades of this century etc. • The Singularity is Near—information technology and human knowledge will merge—human and machine cognition will be one. • Francis Fukuyama –”posthuman’ stage of history • Micro- and Macro Trends • We see a variety of new developments • Internet marrieds, working retireds, extreme commuters, 30 winkers, pet parents, pampering parents, helicopter parents, mildly disordered, young knitters, high school moguls, aspiring snipers, social geeks, new luddites, tech fatales, gamers, homeschooled, State University System of Florida u Mark B. Rosenberg, Chancellor

6. At the Institutional Level: • First, Universities are complex enterprises • Merge some of the most diverse skill sets in the country • Now playing a key role in 21st century well being given the pivotal role of knowledge as a driver of the economy • Rapid growth in knowledge sharpens this challenge • Faculty, like most professionals, are in their own silos: • Little meaningful dialogue between faculty and students • Little attention to curriculum reform/simplification • Possible Action Steps • Understand the context • Work with and through faculty senates • Take responsibility for improvement State University System of Florida u Mark B. Rosenberg, Chancellor

7. At the Individual Level: • Literature is rich with detailed descriptions of roles and challenges facing department chairs. • Concern is with other facets of your work • Evaluate your communicationstyle State University System of Florida u Mark B. Rosenberg, Chancellor

8. At the Individual Level: • There are two critical components to this: Do you listen well? • Do you focus on the what people are saying and NOT saying? • Do you link their body language with their words? • Are you patient enough to listen well? • Most of us are poor listeners—particularly as we move up the leadership hierarchy! State University System of Florida u Mark B. Rosenberg, Chancellor

9. At the Individual Level: • Are you understood? • You speak but are you understood? • Stated another way—do you take responsibility for being understood? • Most of us are too lazy to take responsibility for being understood! State University System of Florida u Mark B. Rosenberg, Chancellor

10. Summary: • Your work is critical to our universities—you must move forward! • There are challenges at the environmental, individual and institutional levels • These challenges can be transcended as long as you are willing to step up and provide the leadership to help your institutions move forward State University System of Florida u Mark B. Rosenberg, Chancellor

11. Where do we go from here? You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else. Winston Churchill State University System of Florida u Mark B. Rosenberg, Chancellor