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Self-care has become a familiar concept and an area of interest in faculty development and in student life. For many, self-care has become the substance of our reflections about personality traits that stem from our family of origin to concerns…
Continue readingI came across a book during graduate work whose title still haunts me: When Work Disappears by William Julius Wilson (Alfred A. Knopf, 1996). The book is not without controversy as it argues how poverty came to exist in west…
Continue readingManagement is easy, leadership is hard. Most theological school deans can get up to speed on educational program management in relatively short order. It takes about three to four years to learn the finer aspects of the job, but, given…
Continue readingI have a couple of friends who are really into “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (September 19 in case you’re wondering). One dresses up like a pirate for the day (in Johnny Depp “Pirates of the Caribbean” style) and plays the part…
Continue readingAs “Chief Academic Officers” (CAO) theological school deans provide oversight for the development of an effective curriculum. They are challenged to lead Faculty to develop a course of study that can demonstrably prepare clergy and church leaders for the current, and future,…
Continue readingI find a lot of natural connection between the functioning of effective theological school deans and August Turak’s list of “11 Leadership Secrets You’ve Never Heard About.” Credit given for a catchy title, but these are more proven common-sense realities than “secrets.”…
Continue reading“Using Time.” What a curious phrase. At best, it is aspirational. At worst, it is a wee bit oxymoric. Through ticking clocks and rotating calendars we all bear witness to time’s constant motion.[1] Whether we use time well or not it…
Continue readingDeans in theological schools tend to come from the Faculty, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s a question of who is most willing to serve (or, who missed the meeting when the vote was taken!). Sometimes it’s a decision…
Continue readingWhen some members of the first Deans Colloquy group were together this past January, we spent a part of one day reviewing basic principles of systems theory. Two themes, in particular, that we discussed brought new clarity to my work…
Continue reading“When I grow up, I want to be Dean.” Somehow, I doubt that many of us who currently occupy the office of Chief Academic Officer said this when we were kids. I remember thinking about becoming a pastor or teacher,…
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