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Bridging the
Gap is a timely and accessible addition to the literature of
organizational change in higher education administration. It’s the
best read on leadership since Steve Sample’s “Principles of
Contrarian Leadership.” With chancellors and presidents
increasingly consumed by pursuit of external resources and
provosts focusing more and more on management, the obligation for
academic leadership is falling on deans and chairpersons. This
book addresses their needs and opportunities.
Whether a newly appointed dean or chair who has just crossed the
great divide
— as a wise old faculty senate chair once
reminded me, “Once a suit …”
— or an experienced survivor, any dean or
chairperson will find much to savor in Bridging the Gap. Ideas are
presented in a lively and stimulating way, with a minimum tangle
of ed-speak. Six chapters of structured interviews and reflective
discourse present the views of a fascinating panel of
practitioners from a wide range of institutions. I lived several
administrative lives in these chapters and learned something from
each.
The book closes with a summary of leadership characteristics and a
framework of appreciative enquiry leadership that’s worth the
journey for academic administrators at all levels of the
university.
Richard S. Jarvis
Chancellor, Oregon University System
To change or not to
change is no longer an option for public institutions of higher
education. But there are still a variety of options of how to go
about making those changes, some producing greater success than
others. Authors Johnson, Hanna, and Olcott show how successful
change can be achieved by understanding the interconnectiveness of
academic leadership, technology, and institutional culture. The
authors provide the reader with solid theoretical underpinnings,
but more importantly they allow already effective change agents to
tell their own stories of how they have managed change in a
seemingly static academic environment. Reading Bridging the Gap
was like attending a conference and coming back reinvigorated with
a host of new ideas.
Julia Wallace
Dean, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
University of Northern Iowa
Deans and department
chair’s lives are filled with competing and often conflicting
pressures. These range from constantly reengineering our schools
to address budget challenges to responding to new competition.
Keeping our organizations moving forward by making the most
effective use of limited resources requires constant attention to
“thinking differently.” However, no single event in our recent
history has changed the way we do business in higher education
more than the use of technology in areas from data management to
instructional delivery. The successful integration and utilization
of technology can help all of us become more effective and
productive. Bridging the Gap provides a framework for
successfully implementing the kind of changes educational leaders
will need to make to meet current and future challenges. A nice
balance of grounded theory with practical insights makes this a
must read for new and experienced leaders in our schools colleges
and departments of education.
Richard L. Schwab
Dean
Neag School of Education
University of Connecticut
Deans and chairpersons are where the rubber meets the road in
terms of higher education leadership. So this book, which
specifically addresses the needs and concerns of these
administrators as they deal with the impacts of technology and
organizational change, is a valuable addition to our field. The
organization of the book is part of its appeal. I particularly
liked the interviews with various deans and department chairs.
These are not theoretical case studies, but real perspectives from
those who have been there, done that, and done it successfully.
They share with insight and candor their experience with what
worked and what didn’t. Given the challenges facing our higher
education institutions and the inevitable changes we will undergo
as we meet them, these ideas on “bridging the gap” are very
timely, indeed.
Muriel Oaks
Dean of Extended University Services
Washington State University
President, University Continuing Education Association
Bridging the Gap is a
rigorous and yet practical guide for deans and chairpersons that
offers useful insights on leadership, technology, organizational
change, and academic culture. It provides theoretical
underpinnings, crucial insights, and specific advice into the
skills and values that are necessary for implementing change and
building twenty-first century colleges and universities.
David G. Imig
President and Chief Executive Officer
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
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