Department Chair Conversation Series
The Office of Faculty Affairs continues its conversation series to help department chairs more effectively lead and respond to challenges they confront in their departments and/or units. We look forward to another year of robust and engaging conversations about departmental life at UB.
Over this academic year, the division of Faculty Devlopment within the Office of Faculty Affairs will be hosting a series of monthly lunch-time sessions to discuss various issues related to academic leadership. We will address issues related to effective communication, budgets and resources, mentoring and work/life balance, faculty and student diversity, recruitment and hiring, tenure and promotion to name a few.
Conversation Series sessions are:
- held monthly as 2 hour lunch-time seminars from noon-2 p.m. (refreshments provided).
- intended to be interactive and responsive; your feedback and requests drive the conversation and future planning.
Fall 2026 Series Schedule
Moving from Strategic Plans to Strategic Priorities During Times of Environmental Uncertainty
October 14 | noon–2 p.m. | B2A Abbott Hall (South Campus)
Higher education is changing too quickly for many traditional strategic plans to remain useful for long. Assumptions change, new challenges emerge, and unexpected opportunities can require departments to move quickly. But abandoning planning altogether can leave departments reacting rather than shaping their future. This interactive workshop explores a more flexible approach: moving from detailed strategic plans to a focused set of strategic priorities. Participants will learn how to identify the few priorities that should guide their department, anticipate likely challenges and opportunities, and make better decisions as circumstances change.
Through practical exercises and discussion with other chairs, participants will develop tools for deciding when to stay the course, when to adapt, and when an emerging opportunity is worth pursuing. The goal is to help departments become more focused, more entrepreneurial, and better prepared to act when opportunities arise.
Building Leadership Capacity: Identifying and Avoiding Leadership Derailers
November 11 | noon–2 p.m. | 567 Capen Hall (North Campus)
The transition from academic scholar to Department Chair is one of the most challenging career shifts in higher education. Excellent scholars are suddenly thrust into a high-stakes middle-management role—sandwiched between the strategic mandates of the Dean and the fierce independence of their former peer faculty. Often, the very traits that made you a successful scholar (intellectual critique, fierce autonomy, and perfectionism) are the exact behaviors that can cause you to derail as a university leader. Through case discussion with other chairs and self-reflection, participants will build leadership skills to help you succeed as a Chair. The cases are based on realistic scenarios in the academic context.
Understanding Unit Budget and Opportunities for Generating Departmental Revenue and Resources
December 9 | noon–2 p.m. | B2A Abbott Hall (South Campus)
Register Today
Past Workshop Presentations
Requests for past workshop PowerPoint presentations should be directed to facultyaffairs@buffalo.edu.