The College President Builds a Faculty: Approaches and Strategies for Success

Abstract

College presidents have a broad range of areas of responsibility and perhaps no single area is more important than those front-line faculty. Though presidents often spread authority across multiple administrators, they are ultimately responsible for the work of the faculty. This means that they must be prepared to strategically design a process of hiring the right faculty, provide them with the appropriate training and development, and work toward retaining those who the best fit for the institution. The chapter provides an examination of who faculty are and institutional issues related to them, such as qualifications, hiring, development, and retention. From this introduction, five key strategies are offered to presidents to assist with constructing a faculty composition that is best for the institution. These strategies include defining a role for faculty in the institution, creating appropriate policies for working with faculty, investing in faculty development, strategically using faculty for the institution's mission, and assessing the faculty plan.