Designed for Department Chairs and Other Unit and Program Leaders Across Campus

Past Workshops

Thursday, September 1, 2022

How to Lead a Thorough, Rigorous and Fair Promotion and Tenure Review Process (Access Resources and View Recording)

Join Provost Kornbluth, APT Chair Esther Lee Kim, and Vice Dean Georg Vanberg for an interactive discussion of the APT process and the role of department chairs, deans and other unit leaders, and review committee chairs and members on how to prepare dossiers in a thorough, rigorous and fair way. The discussion will cover various topics in the APT process, including the different stages of the tenure and promotion review, components of the dossier, and potential issues that may arise during the dossier construction and review. The workshop will also discuss recent updates to the APT guidelines.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Best Practices for Leading Meetings Effectively (Access Resources and View Recording)

Faculty often find themselves leading meetings for their colleagues, research groups and departmental and campus committees. The organization and approach used in these meetings deeply impacts the ability to hold constructive conversations, generate consensus, allow different voices to be heard and effectively accomplish stated goals. In this interactive workshop, experts from Duke Learning and Organizational Development will partner with faculty to share  strategies and practical tools on how to lead effective meetings and conversations. This session will serve as the first workshop of a two-part series to support faculty in effectively leading meetings.

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Managing Difficult Conversations (Access Resources and View Recording)

Faculty are often asked to hold challenging discussions and topics in meetings with students and colleagues, and as managers of staff and other members of their research groups. Navigating these situations often requires strategies beyond those typically used to manage daily group dynamics. In this session, experts from Duke Learning and Organizational Development and the Office for Faculty Advancement will partner with faculty to discuss how to handle disruptive and challenging situations that may arise in meetings, and also how to lead difficult conversations with thoroughness, fairness and professionalism. This session will serve as the second workshop of a two-part series to support faculty in effectively leading meetings.

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Empowering Your Faculty to Partner in Improving Climate and Culture in Your Unit

Departmental and school-wide leaders are key in advancing the Duke values of respect, trust, inclusion, discovery and excellence. To further this mission, it is essential for leaders to have the support and engagement of their faculty to serve as strong local leaders who uphold  these norms in classrooms, research groups, committees and day-to-day interactions. This workshop will allow leaders to hear from colleagues about effective ways to engage and empower their faculty as partners to improve the climate in their units.

Tuesday, March 28, 2023
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

HR Matters: Managing Your Unit and Dealing with Complex Situations

In addition to being stewards of the academic mission of their schools and departments, academic leaders spend a significant amount of time on recruiting, hiring, and managing people while also dealing with complex situations that require assistance from HR and other campus partners. In this workshop, we will have a conversation with leaders from HR and experienced faculty leaders who will share key resources and expertise to help with this important part of your role. We welcome your participation in this conversation and invite your questions and contributions.

See previous LAUD workshops, including resources.

The Office for Faculty Advancement hosts the Leading an Academic Unit at Duke (LAUD) Workshop Series. Each session is designed for department chairs and other unit and program leaders across campus to engage in dialogue with peers, experts and key leaders about issues relevant to academic leadership. Participants will also share best practices and strategies to improve and strengthen programs, and discuss topics including financial management, leading during crises, fostering a sense of community, and promoting an inclusive and supportive work, research and learning environment.