Faculty are one of the main constituents for any Registrar’s Office, but, like students, they pose interesting challenges to effective working relationships. In this episode, Dr. Susan Christy, herself a former tenured faculty member, discusses the ways that administrators can work effectively with faculty by understanding their incentive structures and motivations, strategies for communication, and the general mindset to adopt.

Guests:
Dr. Susan Christy
Tenured psychology professor, certified corporate management consultant, and researcher/author
[email protected] 

Key Takeaways: 

Faculty members are academics whose entire professional career has reinforced a sense of competition and individual achievement;

Registrars and administrators need to understand the faculty’s incentive structure and how it differs from their own in order to communicate and work effectively with faculty; 

Faculty respect professionalism and competence even if their training leads them to critically question policies and procedures.

References and Additional Reading:

Working Effectively with Faculty: Guidebook for Higher Education Staff and Managers available on Amazon or directly from Dr. Christy 

Dr. Susan Christy’s website 
Faculty and Registrars are Different From One Another
Transforming Staff-Faculty Relationships: Progress in Closing the Great Divide 

Crossing the Divide

Related AACRAO Core Competencies:
Communication
Leadership & Management
Professional Integrity
Collaborative Decision-Making & Consensus Building