DEO Leadership Series For Nebraska's Department Executive Officers

The cupola on top of Love Library lit up red

The role of Department Executive Officer – a term we use to collectively refer to department chair, department head, and school director – is one of the most important, and one of the toughest, on campus. To recognize and support the faculty who serve in these roles, Faculty Affairs in the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor is pleased to offer the DEO Leadership Series.

This monthly series will provide DEOs with useful information as well as connections to the community of department leaders from across campus. This series is co-sponsored by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

DEO Essentials and Resources | Reading List

DEO Advisory Board

  • Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Voelte Keegan, Chair Civil Engineering
  • Courtney Hillebrecht, Chair, Political Science
  • Jimmy Downes, Director, School of Accountancy
  • Loukia Sarroub, Chair, Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education
  • Rich Bischoff, Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty and Academic Leader Success, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Christopher Marks, Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor

DEO Leadership Series

Fall and Spring schedule.

  • 10 Sep 2024

    Kick Off Social

    5:00-7:00 p.m.

    The Mill @ NIC

  • 8 Oct 2024

    Workshop

    11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

    Heritage Room (Nebraska Union)

  • 5 Nov 2024

    Virtual Check-In

    12:00–1:00 p.m.

    Zoom

  • 3 Dec 2024

    Workshop

    11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

    Platte River Room (Nebraska Union)

  • 28 Jan 2025

    Workshop

    11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

    Arbor Suite (Nebraska East Union)

  • 11 Feb 2025

    Virtual Check-In

    12:00–1:00 p.m.

    Zoom

  • 4 Mar 2025

    Workshop

    11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

    Platte River Room (Nebraska Union)

  • 22 Apr 2025

    Virtual Check-In

    12:00–1:00 p.m.

    Zoom

Reading List

Here is a list, compiled by our DEO Leadership Series Advisory Board, of some readings that our DEOs have found helpful. If you’d like to suggest additions to this list, please email Christopher Marks.

  • The Essential Department Chair by Jeffery Buller

    The Essential Department Chair

    A Practical Guide to College Administration

    Jeffery Buller

  • Positive Academic Leadership by Jeffery Buller

    Positive Academic Leadership

    How to Stop Putting Out Fires and Start Making a Difference

    Jeffery Buller

  • Making the Right Moves by Burroughs Wellcome Fund

    Making the Right Moves

    A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty

    Burroughs Wellcome Fund

  • The Department Chair Primer by Don Chu

    The Department Chair Primer

    What Chairs Need to Know and Do to Make a Difference

    Don Chu

  • Working with Problem Faculty by R. Kent Crookston

    Working with Problem Faculty

    A Six-Step Guide for Department Chairs

    R. Kent Crookston

  • Disrupting the Culture of Silence by Kristine DeWelde & Andi Stepnick

    Disrupting the Culture of Silence

    Confronting Gender Inequality and Making Change in Higher Education

    Kristine DeWelde & Andi Stepnick

  • Rethinking Faculty Work by Judith Gappa, Anne Austin, & Andrea Trice

    Rethinking Faculty Work

    Higher Education’s Strategic Imperative

    Judith Gappa, Anne Austin, & Andrea Trice

  • Chairing an Academic Department by Walter Gmelch & Val Miskip

    Chairing an Academic Department

    Walter Gmelch & Val Miskip

  • The College Administrator’s Survival Guide by C. K. Gunsalus

    The College Administrator’s Survival Guide

    C. K. Gunsalus

  • 10% Happier by Dan Harris

    10% Happier

    How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story

    Dan Harris

  • Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne

    Blue Ocean Strategy

    How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant

    W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne

  • The No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton

    The No Asshole Rule

    Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't

    Robert Sutton

  • Faculty Incivility by Darla Twale & Barbara DeLuca

    Faculty Incivility

    The Rise of the Academic Bully Culture and What to Do About It

    Darla Twale & Barbara DeLuca

  • The Generational Imperative by Chuck Underwood

    The Generational Imperative

    Understanding Generational Differences in the Workplace, Marketplace, and Living Room

    Chuck Underwood

  • Reality-Based Leadership by Cy Wakeman

    Reality-Based Leadership

    Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results

    Cy Wakeman

  • The Academic Chair’s Handbook Daniel Wheeler et al.

    The Academic Chair’s Handbook

    Daniel Wheeler et al.

  • How to be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman & Rene Boer

    How to be a Great Boss

    Gino Wickman & Rene Boer

  • Straight Man: A Novel by Richard Russo

    On the lighter side (fiction)

    Straight Man: A Novel

    Richard Russo