FACULTY

As the accounting administrator, your biggest mistake may be trying to do everything yourself. Clearly, all faculty must be actively involved in creating an environment which supports quality/continuous improvement efforts.

Faculty represent the most important resource that an accounting program has. Recruiting, developing, and retaining faculty may be your most important duties, and probably consume more of your time than any other responsibility. Further, faculty support and involvement is a critical ingredient in successfully implementing change and innovation. However, providing guidance and suggestions relating to faculty issues is very difficult since the accounting administrator is often constrained by the policies and procedures of his/her institution. What follows, therefore, is general in nature and is only meant to provide guidance.

Faculty Recruiting

The first step in the faculty recruiting process-is to convince those to whom you report (e.g., dean of the business school, provost, or academic vice-president) of your need for additional faculty. Then, even if you prove such a need, you must often fight for limited slots. The following practices suggest how some accounting administrators help assess needs and recruit faculty.

Create charts that show faculty activity and department needs.

Periodically develop and review an in-depth profile of your current faculty detailing their teaching, research, and service interests. Developing a matrix of faculty by teaching and research interests is useful in this regard. Compare this to your goals and objectives and student demand for classes. Include who will be teaching what for the next 10-15 years, who will go on leaves, and who will be retiring. This can help provide a systematic rationale for your requests for additional faculty.

Consider coordinating your recruiting efforts with other schools and using alumni and local accountants to sell the program.

On-campus recruiting is time consuming and expensive. You can reduce costs by coordinating recruiting schedules with neighboring schools or by recruiting from local doctoral granting institutions. Another suggestion is to call upon the help of your alumni and local CPA firms. They can help sell your program!

Compile a list of faculty in the field.

Keep abreast of who has done well in the profession and have stayed active. Bring them out for lectures and visits. Also, keep a list of faculty who have taught as visiting professors or who are otherwise well disposed toward the university. Put your faculty members to work as recruiters, and have every faculty member regularly update and share with you current information on likely replacements.

Begin recruitment before your competition does.

Invite qualified candidates to campus as soon after contact as possible. Make as many of the arrangements as you can well in advance. Cluster the visits as closely as you can, within days if possible. Such a clustering may make it easier for faculty to compare candidates. Meet and decide soon after the visit and phone the candidate with the offer ASAP. If there are visa considerations, take care of them well in advance of the campus visit.

Groom your best students for top graduate schools, help get them admitted, and keep in touch with their progress.

Many institutions, especially those with unique cultures and requirements, often find their best candidates in former undergraduates who already accept their campus' values and norms. Department chairs and faculty members may want to actively encourage undergraduates to consider academia as a career path. Those involved with the department as research or teaching assistants may be especially good prospects, because they already have begun university work on a part-time basis.

Create a standing search committee for new faculty.

Then when positions come open, a list of people across the country is already at your fingertips.

To the fullest extent possible, disseminate information about any openings you have.

Use not only the usual professional journals or newsletters but also more general periodicals, such as the Chronicle of Higher Education. Consider using e-mail and World Wide Web sites. For example, the AAA web page now posts positions throughout the year and offers placement information on-line in conjunction with the annual meetings. Call respected colleagues at good graduate schools and ask them for recommendations of their best people who fit your needs. Institutions with special cultures, like church-related schools, may want to make use of church-related periodicals and other channels.

Consider creating a national or international advisory board for the department.

This board should consist of important scholars in the field. At opportune times, ask them if working at your university would be something they might consider in the future. Be creative in hiring people by building bridges into retirement, etc.

Prepare a list of all the advantages of working at your school.

You probably have institutional and departmental perks that prospective faculty members may find very attractive. These perks may include items such as student quality, seminars for new faculty, computing support, travel money, summer research support, department development plans, free editing services, no-smoking rules, etc. Provide your best prospects not only with such information about benefits and local attractions but also about your institution's requirements, policies, deadlines, and procedures.

Bring the best two or three candidates to campus, and have them not only meet their colleagues and administrators but also teach several classes.

Give prospective faculty enough information so that they can prepare for the proper level of student knowledge. Observing candidates in a classroom setting may likely provide critical information regarding their potential benefits to your institution.

As much contact with the candidates under as many circumstances as possible is desirable. Lunches, dinners, and receptions at faculty homes are all good ideas when a candidate is in town.

Have a flexible approach and work with the administration to look at individual cases.

Screening criteria should be clear. Often dual-career issues must be worked out when applicable. The junior and senior facility recruiting processes should be treated differently.

Make the hiring decision an open, democratic matter.

Encourage complete candor and lack of rancor within the department.

Don't settle for mediocrity when under pressure to hire.

A typical dilemma is getting to a hiring deadline and having the best people somehow elude your blandishments. Fearing that the dean may snatch away the slot if it is not filled, many chairs hire people they later regret. Resist the temptation. If you are not satisfied with the candidate pool when the moment of hiring comes, hire just for a year or two, and then throw open the competition again when some good people are available. That will be more work, but is often the best thing to do to build a quality faculty.

Faculty Development

Faculty development is an often overlooked part of the accounting administrator's job. A recent sample of FSA schools shows that less than half had a formal faculty development program. Give the rapid pace of change in curriculum and pedagogy, faculty development has become critical. A good development program can also help attract and retain quality faculty. Following are some suggested practices to facilitate a successful faculty development.

Consider establishing a faculty mentoring program for untenured faculty.

For example, a mentoring committee can be established for each new faculty member. Less formal programs can also work. The important point is to have a systematic way of providing mentoring and feedback to new faculty. Department chairs should oversee mentoring, but it is too large a job for the department chair alone. Senior faculty members can be instrumental in helping to orchestrate an effective development effort. Chairs should consider establishing peer groupings that are composed of one "seasoned" faculty member and two novice faculty members. Chairs could offer some financial incentives to motivate quality mentoring among department members. In any case, chairs should ask each faculty member, at least annually, what he or she is doing to support colleagues.

Consider establishing a formal teaching and research development program for all faculty.

Formal programs offered by the national CPA firms and the American Accounting Association include the Trueblood Seminars , the Senior Faculty Consortium, and many others. Many national CPA firms offer faculty internships. These are effective vehicles to bring faculty up to date on current issues confronting the profession, and to further their involvement with the professional accounting and business communities. The AICPA has established the Educators Practicum which seeks to create a program to provide full-time faculty members with occasional opportunities to work with firms and other businesses in the practice of accounting, and thus to alleviate some of the distance between the academic and real world perceptions of accounting issues, applications, and approaches. Beatrice Sanders, Director, Academic and Career Development at the AICPA, should be contacted for further information concerning this program. Resources for enhancing both research and teaching skills can be found at the American Accounting Association web page (http://aaa-edu.org) and their faculty development initiative. Tracey Sutherland, Director of Faculty Development, can provide additional information at the AAA.

Encourage participation in professional seminars and conferences.

Consider encouraging written and/or oral reports by faculty members funded to participate in conferences outside of the university. Give support to and encourage faculty members to participate in those conferences offered by the university. Organize seminars within the department, and bring in outside people to talk about development. When faculty members return from professional trips, have them report to the rest of the group.

Encourage all faculty members to solicit more student evaluation of teaching.

Faculty members may benefit from circulating informal questionnaires to their students, asking things like "What am I doing that is helpful?" and "What suggestions do you have for improvement?" Teachers should be encouraged to solicit feedback on their teaching from peers and students (including standard university evaluation forms). The latter can be easily customized for a wide variety of teaching goals and styles. It’s much easier to make meaningful changes in a course when feedback is sought early and often than at the end of the term.

Hold a career discussion with each faculty member at least once a year.

Find out what each faculty member wants to accomplish over the next year and within five years. Ask faculty what they want to do in research and teaching, and what you as chair can do to support them. Ask them what they have done to help develop other faculty within the department, to promote collegiality. Some chairs find it effective to encourage faculty to prepare a brief written statement.

Help colleagues in the department with their career plans and goals.

Do this by spending personal time with them to understand their career plans and desires. Also, provide counseling to them and be available for consultation. Find out what you need to provide the faculty in the way of resources, reduction of teaching loads, or more time for research that would help them accomplish their professional goals. Plan a long-term program for improving department scholarship, including teaching support, teaching assistants, travel, and conference money.

Ensure that at least half of the annual interview with faculty members focuses on plans for the future.

This will emphasize the developmental aspects of the process and de-emphasize the evaluative aspects of past behavior. The latter usually occupies far too large a place in the process.

Establish a research committee.

This should consist of faculty who voluntarily meet to support each other in research and writing.

Provide support and guidance to allow new faculty to balance research and teaching assignments.

It is important to get new faculty started right. If appropriate, create larger classes and reduce the number of course preparations to accommodate research and instructional development. Steer new faculty toward committee participation that would be developmental in nature, and have them share their goals with other members of the department

Explore ways that the department might find professional development leaves.

There are obstacles to getting faculty to consider taking leaves: family mobility, dual-career families, and limited funding opportunities. Professional leaves can be extremely effective for renewing energy and commitment. Chairs should be creative and aggressive in recommending development leaves, accessing funding resources, and funding at least salary and transportation needs during the leave. Older faculty members may enjoy leaves related to some departmental program (internships) or new area of the curriculum.

Consider implementing post-tenure reviews.

These reviews encourage ongoing development and productivity. Place emphasis on "development" versus "evaluation."

Be aware of renewal strategies for motivating faculty members in their final decade of professional service.

Seek opportunities to inquire casually into their thoughts about how they believe they can be of most value to the department, and use their experience in mentoring young faculty. Encourage professional development leaves that may regenerate their interests or expose them to new opportunities. Redesign or re-articulate your expectations of them. For example, encourage their participation in reworking a particular class, using multimedia, or other appropriate aids. Provide appropriate support to faculty accepting challenging new assignments.

Consider taking a professional leave before returning to your previous status.

Department chairs should do this in order to re-immerse themselves in their respective discipline areas.

Evaluation

Evaluation of faculty is absolutely necessary to provide accurate feedback for faculty development and retention.

Evaluation should be based on precise goals.

These goals should include those that reflect departmental expectations and standards, plus goals directed at the ambitions and interests of the individual faculty member. Part of the evaluation should consist of the faculty member providing self-evaluation. In what specific ways can the department help you improve? What resources do you need? Generally, departments tend to evaluate faculty in three general areas: teaching, scholarly production, and citizenship. The weight given to performance in each area ought to depend on (1) university norms (2)the needs of the department and (3) the goals of the faculty member.

Determine clear standards or expectations for the candidate at the department level.

Indicate the acceptable number of publications of a candidate. Provide clear definitions of acceptable teaching and scholarship. These standards or expectations should, when possible, also reflect the college's priorities. Start the evaluation process early in the candidate's tenure, even during his or her first year. Junior faculty often need coaching on how to balance citizenship, teaching, and scholarship.

Provide samples of both strong and weak Portfolios/Dossiers.

Portfolios can serve as guides to help faculty gain a clearer understanding of departmental norms and expectations. Consider meeting with all junior faculty and provide them with help in developing their portfolios. This may involve assigning senior faculty mentors to coach the process. Since few faculty excel in all areas, it is frequently necessary for accounting administrators to assess negative information as to how it relates to the overall merits of promoting the candidate. The university committee may tend to view exclusively positive portfolios as "snow jobs." Provide the context and raise the issues that are indicated by the data. Try to respond to both sides of the issues and provide a broad perspective for the college and university committees. Explain your rationale for promoting a candidate despite an issue that may seem negative.

Work with the dean or college committee to ensure that there is a clear understanding of intent ...

and interpretation of data from the department. If possible, exposure of the candidate to the dean or college committee can help. Supplementing the rank and status document with an "executive summary" can help create a checklist that is more understandable to the candidate.

When possible, separate evaluators and developers,

or those who help to mentor and coach, from those who will be reviewing and assessing the candidate's status. Carefully strategize on letters of review. Request them from pertinent respected peers who provide unbiased feedback.

Place more emphasis on giving meaningful development feedback to candidates.

Help the candidate gain some competitive advantage from the department through appropriate focus.

Consider using more frequent informal interactions with faculty rather than formal stewardship interviews.

Frequent interactions in which expectations are discussed less formally with faculty may be more effective than formal scheduled stewardship interviews.

Have a formal, ongoing peer-review program for teaching.

It is important to create an open environment in the department. Some departments find that faculty members visiting each others’ classes provide opportunities for learning new ideas and teaching approaches. Some chairs recommend visiting faculty members' classes regularly. This can work well for a small department. In a large department, this may need to be done by a committee. One of the primary benefits of this visit is to provide long-term progress comparisons.

Have faculty evaluate themselves.

Followed by evaluations from peers and the chair. Give specific, written feedback in the areas of teaching, research, and service.

Consider having a three-member, elected, independent committee evaluate faculty productivity.

This committee, separate from the chair should be charged with evaluating each faculty member in relation to teaching, research, and citizenship loads and then making recommendations to the chair.

Recognition

Recognition focuses on finding incentives that motivate faculty and celebrating faculty accomplishments. Practices used by accounting administrators include the following.

Networking with other department chairs to discover creative ways to recognize faculty members' efforts.

Find creative ways to fund activities when there are no funds expressly earmarked for recognition. Some chairs have faculty contribute donations to a "discretionary fund," used for recognition occasions when no other sources are available.

Holding regular department celebrations for faculty who are making important contributions.

Award banquets can be held annually to present plaques, dollar awards, and service recognition for faculty, staff, and students. Banquets, faculty meetings, bulletin boards, and chance meetings in the hallway all present opportunities for recognition. Brown-bag colloquia or department gatherings can be good opportunities to personally invite department members to discuss subjects of mutual interest to the individual and the department. Many professors-especially the new ones- get more excited over a little unexpected departmental support for a pet project than they do about their annual raises. Host an annual honors-awards banquet for undergraduates and graduates, during which their scholarships for the coming year are awarded. Include the scholarship donors so they can see who is receiving the awards.

Publishing significant student and faculty achievements in campus newsletters

Find space to post this information (with photos) within the department so all can see and share in these accomplishments.

Assigning an individual or a committee to track faculty achievements.

Report faculty achievements to provide awareness and recognition within the department.

Finding ways of recognizing student contributions.

Department funded student journals can provide recognition with dollar awards and publication. Sometimes national associations provide award programs for student papers. A resume book of graduate student accomplishments for prospective employers can be created to give additional exposure.

Write letters and memos of accomplishment for individual faculty members.

Circulate them within the college and department. Retain a copy of such letters for their files. Encourage nominations for awards by circulating award forms within the department. Keep a file on each faculty member for recognition purposes.

Keep a file of all faculty papers and publications and highlight these during faculty meetings.

Consider sending a personal note of congratulations to each faculty member honored. This can be a wonderful morale booster in the department and can serve as a subtle motivation to publish.

Recognize faculty for their accomplishments through written announcements.

One chair sends out memos to the department congratulating faculty who have had papers or books published. Another chair sends a memo out every Monday morning with a section entitled "Faculty High Five." This section emphasizes the accomplishments of the faculty. The memo also alerts the faculty to deadlines and other matter they need to know.

Tenure and Promotion

Tenure and promotion issues consume a great deal of the accounting administrator's time. Of all the issues discussed in this document, tenure and promotion issues are probably the most closely tied to university policies and procedures. Thus, little direct guidance can be provided. However, it is important to ensure that there is consistency between the faculty member's annual evaluation and his or her long-term movement up the tenure and promotion ladder. Expectations should be clearly stated to all. Problems often arise when the criteria used in the annual evaluation process are different than those used in tenure and promotion decisions. For example, the weights given to teaching, research, and service in the annual evaluation process should reflect the weights in the tenure and promotion process.

Other Issues

There are a number of other issues related to faculty that the accounting program administrator must deal with. The following are some issues that deserve highlighting.

Measuring and Rewarding Teaching Effectiveness.

This is an extremely important issue facing all accounting administrators. In 1990, a committee of the Federation of Schools of Accountancy (FSA) published a document entitled, "Recognizing, Rewarding, and Improving Teaching Effectiveness." In 1993, this was followed by the AECC Issues Statement No. 5, "Evaluating and Rewarding Effective Teaching." In 1998, the AAA Teaching and Curriculum Section published "A Framework for Encouraging Effective Teaching." These documents provide a comprehensive look at this issue. The renewed emphasis on quality teaching has been echoed by the AECC and AICPA position statement establishing teaching as a priority, and the revised AACSB standards for accrediting business and accounting programs.

Motivating Senior Faculty.

While senior faculty usually prove to be extremely valuable resources, they can frequently represent your biggest challenge. Your challenge here is to find out what role(s) individual senior faculty want to assume, and then motivate them to be active in this role. For example, some senior faculty can be used effectively in your development efforts, while another might be ideal to take the lead role in the very important outcomes assessment process, while others might consider more research-oriented roles.

Motivating part-time and non-tenure track faculty.

Most departments rely on part-time and non-tenure track faculty to cover many of their classes. Some programs also heavily rely on Ph.D. students. Getting the most from these individuals can be very difficult; in many cases teaching is not their primary source of income. It is important that part-time and non-tenure track faculty be evaluated annually based on clearly established criteria.

Addressing Serious Problems

Unfortunately, faculty sometimes encounter serious personal issues that have a significant impact on their whole lives. Be aware of resources on campus and/or in your community for counseling and mental health needs of your faculty.

Summary

Faculty are your greatest resource, and managing faculty is probably your greatest challenge. The above list represents just some of the issues you will confront in this area. In many cases, your freedom of action is constrained by university policies and procedures, the state legislature, and/or collective bargaining agreements. The extent to which you can effectively manage your faculty will have a great influence on your success as an accounting program administrator.

Coordination and Communication	Curriculum change and Innovation
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