The roles and responsibilities of Associate Deans in Illinois Public Universities.

• In Event: Leadership roles and change in P-12 and higher education

Abstract

This study examines the roles and responsibilities of Associate Deans in Illinois public universities .The Associate deans appear to play a central part in the administration of most universities, but the research literature is nearly silent on this group (exceptions are Ayers & Doak, 1986; George & Coudret, 1986; Applegate & Book, 1989, Jackson, 2003). By comparison, the research literature on college deans and academic department chairs is quite rich. We surveyed associate deans in all colleges and schools in Illinois Public Colleges and Universities. Subsequent telephone interviews with respondents, who had volunteered to be contacted, added an important qualitative dimension to our findings. Among the finding of this study include the following: The modal university associate dean (about two-thirds of them) is a white male in his 50s. Nearly three-quarters of our respondents (73%) were male. Almost nine-tenths (87%) of them were white. (The largest non-white category was missing data at 5.4%, followed by Black at 3.6%, Asian at 2.2% and Hispanic at 1.4%.) And, as they averaged more than 20 years of experience in higher education, these white males were mostly in their 50s. Virtually all associate deans regardless of ethnicity or gender had doctorates (94%).

Author

• Mohamed A. Nur-Awaleh, Illinois State University