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In individual essays, two American Council on Education Fellows present their views and observations on interaction between department chairs and deans. (PD)

Affirmative and negative positions on the resolution were presented in a debate at the 1982 Association for Communication Administration Seminar. Questions were discussed that are basic to an adequate evaluation of the work of directors in colleges and universities. (PD)

The article presents a discussion on the theatre specialists in the institutions of higher education in the U.S. When the original document titled "Guidelines for Evaluating Teacher/Artists for Promotion and Tenure" was first drafted, the committee who formed to write it decided that the guidelines should focus on how to promote or tenure faculty with assignments in directing, designing, acting, and playwriting. The thorny issue of what to do with voice and movement teachers, technical directors, and management specialists was left for future considerations, on the grounds that it was difficult to define the artistic achievement or contributions of these unique faculty members unless they also design, direct, or act. Beverley Byers-Pevitts, then President of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, asked the author to chair a task force comprised of many of the original committee members, plus some specialists in voice and technical theatre, to see if they could reach an agreement on the place for these theatre specialists in the institutions of higher education.

The article presents information about the set of guidelines on work assignments and workload distribution developed by Association for Theatre in Higher Education Task Force. While attempting to identify possible solutions to the workload assignment problem, however, the Task Force began to realize that we were dealing with much larger and more fundamental issues. Overworked faculty and staff are only one symptom of a critical imbalance within the discipline. Other symptoms include the lack of quality of theatrical productions, a decline in the number of competent majors, a tightening of budgets, the demand for more accountability and outcome assessment, a lack of employment opportunities for its graduates, and the difficulty in acquiring tenure or promotion to full professor for its faculty. Each department needs to state specifically and clearly the focus of its educational mission. It needs to take a hard look at the number and kind of degree programs it offers in relation to its resource base.

The article focuses on the role of arts and universities in the economic development. There is no doubt that a premium is being placed on technology and technological development on university campuses. This is particularly true at major research universities. The mission of many of the universities and colleges is changing. The universities are being asked to channel more of their energy and resources to meet state and societal needs. The major cultural organizations in the State University of New York at Buffalo have recently completed an economic impact study which indicates that their organizations contributed $25 million directly and $75 million indirectly, to the local economy. University and college arts departments and small cultural organizations are being added to the original study to provide a more complete picture of the total impact of the arts on the community. The University is also building close affiliations with professional arts organizations in the Buffalo community to help strengthen its academic programs.

The article focuses on the importance of interdisciplinary activities in the U.S. colleges. While there is a need to maintain the departmental structure as the touchstone for the organization of universities and colleges, much more energy needs to be exerted to turn departments and their faculties away from looking so intensely inward, to looking out, and reaching out beyond the narrow confines of departmental personnel and their focused disciplinary activity. Theatre departments have become too isolated, too insulated, and too protective of their own turf. Intellectual and creative stimulation, which many departments sorely need, can be enhanced through increased interdisciplinary activity. Management schools and journalism programs ought to be linked to theatre production and administration programs. There is no question that the academic department will remain the dominant and most basic unit within our academic institutions. However, to avoid inbreeding, stagnation, and narrowness of vision in faculty's teaching, research, and creative activity, it is imperative to form new alliances with colleagues in other disciplines.

The article discusses the qualities that academic theater administrators should possess. An academic administrator must be a leader. He or she must possess that special ability to envision and articulate a program's mission and needs; and most importantly, he or she must be able to convince the constituent groups within his or her sphere of influence that the collective attainment of the stated missions is a desirable, exciting, and potentially fulfilling outcome. The academic administrator must be able to motivate faculty and staff to work to their maximum potential in pursuing the collective mission of the academic unit. The academic administrator must master the skill of resolving interpersonal conflict. In any healthy academic unit, faculty should be encouraged to hold and express a variety of viewpoints. The academic administrator must be a skilled planner. The academic administrator must, at least to some extent, become a legal authority. He or she must be able to work within and oversee the bureaucratic structure which will enable the efficient day to day operation of the academic unit to take place; enjoy solving complex problems; must be able to communicate with efficiency, clarity and a sense of humor.

The article focuses on issues related to faculty evaluation systems. The major cause for distrust of any faculty evaluation system is a lack of clarity concerning the criteria, standards, and kinds of evidence required for merit pay increases, promotion, or tenure. Unless each faculty member thoroughly understands the basis and methods by which performances will be judged, there can be little hope that any faculty member will get his or her just desserts. It is the responsibility of the theatre administrator to make certain that the criteria, standards, evidence, and methods of evaluation are thoroughly understood by each faculty member long before the yearly evaluation process begins. This is especially important where junior faculty are concerned, because they are the ones who will be most intimately affected by tenure and promotion decisions. Junior faculty must plan their teaching, research and creative activity, and service so as to gain the status and security they seek. But they can only plan for the future properly if they are guided by a clear, well-defined set of criteria and standards.