This article explores the complex academic-administrative role of the associate dean in US higher education administration. Previous research in Australia, UK and USA indicates that these academic middle managers experience significant conflict and ambiguity due to their roles and responsibilities as faculty members and administrators. Victor…

This study uses the concept of 'organisational power' -- control over the environments in which others interact -- to investigate the structures and lived experience of power among academic associate deans at public, research-intensive universities in the US. Previous research claims that the associate dean role lacks 'legitimate power.' Through…

The university academic manager (AM) or head of school/department is typically positioned in a hierarchical world: as a middle manager 'sandwiched' between senior management and subordinates. I propose a different framing: the AM cohabits two worlds, the worlds of hierarchy and collegiality respectively. Using an ideal type framework and data…

The study focuses on the discussion of how universities middle managers perceive the effects of strategic plan's elaboration and implementation. The paper presents the institutional context of strategic thinking in the Russian higher education system, and the analysis of changes in universities' activities with the influence of the strategy…

Although research on branding in higher education has grown, a specific focus on internal branding in this sector is still scarce. Brand support by mid-level administrative staff and deans is a key element in internal branding of a university. This study explores the extent to which internal branding contributes to this group's understanding of…

The inadequacy of training and support for academic middle managers in the US, UK, and Australia is well documented. What remains unclear is what would make for better professional development. This study fills this gap by investigating what associate deans at US research universities report learning 'on the job'. Drawing on their perspectives and…

The problem of interest for this study is to understand more about the leaders of graduate education in the United States, namely the graduate deans. After surveying the topic itself and the gaps in the relevant literature, I conducted a mixed-methods study through a sequential design to fill the gap in the literature on graduate deans as…

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand the perspectives on career success of female assistant and associate deans at a large research university on the east coast of the United States. To that end, the following research questions guided this study: 1. What does career success mean to female assistant and associate deans at…

Leadership development is not considered as a core component in higher education policies specifically when we examine the higher education polices of developing countries. To fill this gap, an intervention is designed to evaluate the impact of a leadership development program in academic leaders. The prime objective of this intervention was to…

This qualitative study focuses on Director and Dean experiences during equity-focused program and initiative (PI) implementations at California Community Colleges (CCCs), as these leaders face the challenge of managing faculty, staff, and budgets, while also working toward the objectives of senior leadership. Despite a reliance on middle-level…

American higher education is in crisis. Persistent opportunity and achievement gaps limit college access and completion for low-income and underrepresented students. Fewer students are completing their studies on-time, thus prolonging their entry into better paying, career-focused employment. Meanwhile, the cost of attending college and related…

There is a wide-spread perception that universities reorganise their academic units frequently, although there is little beyond anecdote to support this. Similarly, the literature contains some speculation about what affects the success of such efforts, but there is almost no data to support various views. This study assesses the perceptions of…

The focus of this study is on identifying the relationship between core competencies of the department chairperson and the stakeholder ratings of these competencies. As a mid-level leader, the department chairperson has direct influence on the majority of decisions impacting the university as it pertains to students, faculty, curriculum,…

Previous research indicates that mid-level women administrators are under-valued as leaders and followers despite their capacity and influential connectivity up, down, and across the organizational chart. Few studies have provided insight into the leading and following experiences of mid-level women administrators in the community college. The…

The paper discusses the leadership and management challenges of a public university in Saudi Arabia from the perspective of academic managers. Based on a series of interviews at one of the regional universities established in the mid-2000s, the paper sheds light on one of those rarely investigated contexts where models of public management are…