Program Directors as Collegial Academic Leaders

Introduction

Leadership roles at all levels of the university are most often occupied by academics who usually through outstanding performance in their academic areas have ‘ascended’ to the rungs of leadership in the organization. For many, the first taste of a leadership role is program directorship. The program director role sits in the learning and teaching domain. It involves three main areas of responsibilities: 1) administrative tasks related to the program of study (for example, accreditation of programs, approving graduations etc.) 2) supporting students, addressing their concerns, assisting them with enquiries and developing study pathways as needed, and 3) responsibility for the program curriculum. The role description of the program director found on the author’s home institution’s website highlights the true nature of the role:

Usually, the program director role is assumed in addition to the usual teaching responsibilities of individual courses and thus the program director is in a participatory, rather than management, relationship with colleagues. In the absence of a formal leader-follower relationships; program directors lead by example rather than by ‘clout’ (Milburn, 2010) program director must lead through influence and example. As noted in literature, and as observed within the author’s home institution, often, program directors do not apply for or “ask for the job”, but rather, are asked to take on the role as an extension to their usual course teaching responsibilities (Milburn, 2010), usually based on their competency and academic accomplishment (Yielder & Coding, 2004). Consequently, program directors may be unprepared for their academic leadership role. In higher education such a pathway into leadership is not unusual, and in fact, may be considered one defining feature of higher education leadership. Wherein most other professions, individuals are likely to ascend to leadership through rigorous training and development, academic leaders can be “woefully unprepared for the challenges awaiting them” (Gmelch & Buller, 2015, p. 2). In all likelihood, program directors like many other academic leaders take up their positions without formal training, prior leadership experience, or a clear understanding of their roles and of how to lead in a system of “shared governance”, an awareness of how the role will require a change from perspectives as a faculty member or the cost of the role to scholarly/ research careers or even how to re-balance their personal and professional lives under the new pressures of the role (Gmelch & Buller, 2015, p. 2).

For many program directors, the emphasis remains on their academic and teaching activities as a way forward, but the increasing pressures on the institution also exert pressure on the program director role and is seen as serving only to increase workload. The role of program director is perceived as “all-consuming” and as impacting negatively on teaching and research activities (Carroll & Wolverton, 2004). Additionally, much of the role of program director is taken up by student advice and counseling and other administrative tasks. Consequently, program directors engage in leadership activities to the lesser extent than other leaders in the university (Antonakis & House, 2002; Ramsden 1998).