Identifier

etd-11152006-103338

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership, Research and Counseling

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Leading a large, highly productive department that must compete on the global stage requires an increasingly broad skill-set. This study investigates whether there are methods that life science department chairs can employ to enhance the research productivity of their pre-tenure faculty and examines if leadership at the department chair level matters. Using a qualitative approach to examine six highly successful life science departments and their leaders as well as focus group interviews with nine pre-tenure faculty members, this study brings new discovery to the field of department chair leadership. This study validates the importance of department chair leadership while revealing the special skill-set that is important, the positive effects of mentoring on pre-tenure faculty, and that motivation may be linked to the culture of an organization. The results of this research are important for higher education institutions looking to build department of scholarly excellence, especially in the life sciences.

Date

2006

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Becky Ropers-Huilman

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.1227

Included in

Education Commons

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