Department Chair Leadership Institute
DCLI is designed to develop critical skills for leading your department as an institutional citizen.
Get notified.
Develop leadership skills needed to lead change during turbulent times.
The Department Chair Leadership Institute (DCLI) is designed for current department chairs who serve at state colleges and universities and aspire to be dynamic, strategic, and empathetic leaders. Participants gain a national perspective on the importance of the department chair in serving the institutional mission, delivering value, and ensuring student success.
Who Should Participate
- Current or newly appointed department chairs who are committed to strengthening their leadership skills
How You’ll Benefit
- Develop critical skills for leading your department as an institutional citizen
- Build a strong, supportive network of colleagues and mentors
What to Expect
- Discussions of the evolving leadership competencies needed to lead in today’s complex and turbulent times
- Tailored to the distinctive needs of department chairs serving at state colleges and universities
- Strong relational component—commitment to create and support trust, encourage peer-to-peer learning, confidentiality, and safety among the cohort
- Develop critical skills for leading as an institutional citizen
- Equip department chairs with tools to overcome common challenges
- Prepare department chairs with tools and skills to succeed in their chair role as well as for future roles in university administration
Programming will be a blended experience, with in-person and virtual programming. In-person programming will not be livestreamed or otherwise recorded. 100% attendance and participation is expected. Virtual programming will take place quarterly throughout 2027.
- Quarterly, 60-120-minute virtual sessions throughout 2027
- An intensive in-person program at AASCU’s Washington, D.C. office on January 5-7, 2027.
- In-person programming will not be livestreamed or otherwise recorded. One-hundred percent attendance and participation is expected.
- Leading your department in alignment with your institution’s mission and strategic plan
- Growing and sustaining a future-focused department
- Navigating difficult conversations
- Communicating change
- Maintaining relevance in the face of changes in higher education
- Resource management
- Principles of supervision
- Wellness for leaders
- Applications that are complete, including a nomination/endorsement from a dean, provost, president or chancellor, and submitted by the deadline will be considered.
- The Department Chair Institute faculty will review applications and select a cohort that reflects the AASCU membership.
- Preference is given to applicants from AASCU member institutions.
A complete application for the Department Chair Institute includes the following:
- Applications and endorsements are due by Oct. 13, 2026
- Nomination or endorsement from a dean, provost, president or chancellor from your home institution. (Nominations from higher-level administrators do not carry more weight.)
- Clear and concise summary of your personal and professional development goals.
- Demonstrated interest in subsequent leadership positions.
- Commitment to 100% participation.
- Preference is given to applicants from AASCU member institutions.
- $2,500 members
- $3,500 non-members (AASCU members receive preference)
Program impact
100%
100% of participants in the January 2026 cohort agree or strongly agree that they feel connected to colleagues at peer institutions at the conclusion of the program.
3.68/4
Average rating of content, presentation, and speaker quality for the January 2026 program.
“Thank you for everything. This has been a delightful two days of learning. I feel joyful for the work and semester ahead.”
“As a 4th year chair, I was worried if this would really be useful. Well, it was and I have some insights, actions, and things to do better in my 4th year as Chair.”
“This was an outstanding program. I have attended a similar program through the Chronicle of Higher Ed and it does not even come close to comparing to the value of this program! “
“This was an excellent experience. I will take many lessons and implement them into my role as a chair. I feel I have also made some new connections that I will communicate with along this journey. Thank you! “
“All sessions were engaging and interactive. Every one was facilitated by a teacher to promote engagement and learning.”
Meet the Department Chair Leadership Institute faculty
Richard
Helldobler
President
William Paterson University (NJ)
Lisa
Hunter
Associate Vice President for Academic Innovation and Transformation
AASCU
Bey-Ling
Sha
Dean, College of Media and Communication
Texas Tech University
Mary C.
Toale
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
State University of New York at Geneseo
Frequently Asked Questions
AASCU member institutions may nominate more than one Department Chair. In order to best serve as many of our member institutions as possible, AASCU may cap the number of participants from the same institution at three.
Aspiring leaders are encouraged to apply for the Department Chair Leadership Institute and for 2027 Leadership Development Programming. Program timing and curriculum is designed uniquely for different audiences.
AASCU Consulting offers a 1.5-day department chair institute onsite at your institution, with additional opportunities for virtual workshops during the academic year. The institution-specific onsite academy program aligns with the AASCU Department Chair Leadership Institute or can be further tailored to address specific topics at your institution. Contact Matt Ceppi to learn more.
2026 Cohort #1
Muninder Kaur
Ahluwalia
Acting Chairperson, Counseling, College for Community Health
Montclair State University (NJ)
Ananda S.
Amarasekara
Chair Department of Chemistry and Physics
Prairie View A&M University (TX)
Jose
Anguiano
Interim Chair, Department of Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies
California State University Los Angeles
Valeriya
Avdeev
Chair, Department of Accounting and Law
William Paterson University (NJ)
Matthew
Baumer
Chairperson, Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Kayla
Bieser
Professor and Department Chair of Physical and Life Sciences
Nevada State University
Mary
Bowman
Program Director-Chair/Health Information Administration
Chicago State University (IL)
Melissa
Brechner
Department Chair and Assistant Professor, Plant Science
State University of New York Cobleskill
Ryan
Cain
Chair and Associate Professor of Teacher Education
Weber State University (UT)
Constantin
Ciocanel
Mechanical Engineering Department Chair
Northern Arizona University
Clifton D.
Clark III
Professor/Department Chair, Physics
Fort Hays State University (KS)
Amanda
Cleveland
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychological Science and Human Services
Lander University (SC)
Jessica
Conrad
Chair, School of Arts and Humanities; Assistant Professor of English
University of Tennessee Southern
Victoria
Depew
Director of School of Stage and Screen
Western Carolina University (NC)
Jocelyn
Freeman
Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Psychology
Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge
Christopher G.
Gravis
Chair, Department of Music
California State University, Los Angeles
David
Hack
Associate Professor and Chairperson, Department of Kinesiology
William Paterson University (NJ)
Kimberly C.
Harper
Department Chair, English
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Nicole
Henley
Interim Chair/Professor, Health Science Department
California State University, San Bernardino
Angie
Hodge-Zickerman
Professor (Mathematics & Statistics) / Chair (Educational Specialties)
Northern Arizona University
Elizabeth
Janzen
Interim Director, School of Music
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Luther
King
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy
Chicago State University (IL)
Yi-Ying
Lin
Director, Department of Counselor Education
Kean University (NJ)
Tamara J.
Lynn
Criminal Justice Program Chair and Professor
Fort Hays State University (KS)
Jennifer J.
Matthews
Associate Professor and Department Chair, Counseling
Oakland University (MI)
Stockton
Maxwell
Professor and Chair – Department of Geospatial and Earth Sciences
Radford University (VA)
Jeffrey
McCullough
Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Engineering
University of Tennessee at Martin
Suzanne K.
Miller
Director, School of Built Environment; Professor, Construction Technology & Management Program
Ferris State University (MI)
Stephen
Napoli
Executive Director, Institute for Leadership Development
Troy University (AL)
Rebekah E.
Piper
Associate Professor and Department Chair of Curriculum and Instruction
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Lisa
Poling
Chair/Professor, Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum
Appalachian State University (NC)
Roberta D.
Raymond
Interim Department Chair and Associate Professor of Literacy
University of Houston-Clear Lake (TX)
Lyndsay
Rhodes
Chair, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Florida Gulf Coast University
Tiece M.
Ruffin
Chair and Professor, Department of Education
University of North Carolina at Asheville
Hamed
Shojaei
Professor of Physics/ Department Head, Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Arkansas Tech University
Hideki
Takei
Professor and Department Co-Chair, Department of IT Management
Central Washington University
James
Vance
Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise
DCLI Partner
Applications for 2026 are closed.
Application Details
Application Requirements
- Nomination or endorsement from a dean, provost, president or chancellor from your home institution (nominations from higher-level administrators do not carry more weight.)
- Clear and concise summary of your personal and professional development goals.
- Demonstrated interest in subsequent leadership positions.
- Commitment to 100% participation.
- A free AASCU account is required in order to submit an application and/or an endorsement.
Important Dates
- Applications and endorsements are due by Oct. 13, 2026
- The application/endorsement period will open in early September 2026
Have questions about the Department Chair Leadership Institute?
"*" indicates required fields
