Andrew Hibel, HigherEdJobs: Dean Bangs, you went from an associate professor to chair of the economics department and recently to dean of the School of Business and Professional Studies. What were the three biggest lessons you learned making this move from faculty to administrator?
Dr. Joann Bangs, Dean, School of Business and Professional Studies, St. Catherine University: I think lessons one and two are about the same thing — balance. There is always more to be done than can be done at any point in time. Every day I work to find the right balance — keeping the day-to-day operations going but also planning for the future, working hard at my job but also making time for my family. Lesson three is about being willing to step out of your comfort zone. I never planned to be a dean. I was a good professor and could have comfortably stayed in that role for the rest of my career. I was encouraged to take a risk and step in as an interim dean. I was more than a little surprised to find that I enjoyed it.
Hibel: What were the resources, mentors, and colleagues that helped guide you in your transition? What are the particular resources that you would recommend faculty members utilize?
Bangs: The deans at St. Catherine University work very collaboratively with each other, so I’ve been able to learn a tremendous amount from each of them. Our provost has been very generous with her time with me and has given me wonderful advice as I faced new situations in my new role. I also joined the American Conference of Academic Deans. They provide a wealth of information for deans, including guidance on making the transition from faculty to dean.
Hibel: In an article published on the ACE website, the author states, “The leap from a faculty position to one in administration is full of risk. When this transition fails, faculty and their universities lose a great deal of time, training, resources, and opportunity.” In order to mitigate a degree of risk, what would you recommend a faculty member consider before making a move to an administrator role?
Bangs: Leadership experience is a must — chair major committees, lead task forces, manage projects. If you don’t have experience in managing large budgets, get some training. You also have to be prepared for changing relationships with the faculty. From time to time, there will be conflicts between faculty and administration. As a former faculty member, you can help to bridge the gap, but now you’ll be on the other side.
Hibel: To reduce the risk from the university side of the transition, what are the common core qualities or values a search committee is looking for when filling a chair, dean position, etc. and how can they determine if the person will be a good fit?
Bangs: The good and the bad of being an internal candidate is that everyone already knows you well — both your strengths and your weaknesses. Search committees need to consider if the strengths of the candidate are good match for the position. Even more important is to take the candidates weaknesses seriously. Are those weaknesses going to affect a critical component of the job? What would need to be done to help the candidate address those weaknesses? Can the university provide any resources to help? Can the university afford to take the time needed for the candidate to work on these areas? If the search committee ultimately decides against the internal candidate, do the candidate the favor of letting them know what s/he needs to work on to be a stronger candidate next time.
Hibel: For some new administrators who may not have experience “being the boss,” what advice do you have for transitioning from being a faculty member to successfully leading faculty members?
Bangs: A big part of the job is making decisions and most of the time your decision will be unpopular with someone. I think it helps to focus on the process — be transparent, seek input as much as possible. When I led faculty committees, my goal was to have participants be able to support the process that brought us to a decision, even if they didn’t agree with the decision. I keep the same ideal in mind as a dean. I also came to understand that as a dean I need to be clear when I’m making a suggestion, or voicing an opinion as opposed to communicating a decision.
Hibel: With many transitions in life, anxiety or other emotional factors can set in. What are some common fears or feelings that one may experience going through a role change and do you have any words of wisdom to alleviate some of these feelings?
Bangs: Making a transition means giving something up. I miss working directly with students. What I loved best about teaching were those moments when you could see students ‘get it,’ particularly the students who struggled to get there. I had to give up those moments, but I still get to be making a difference. Focus on the good you get to do in the new role. And sometimes remind yourself of the headaches you left behind — like grading!
Hibel: One final question we ask all of our guests–what aspect of working in academia are you most passionate about and why?
Bangs: In academia we are in the business of changing lives. What could possibly be better than that?