Unlocking Merit Badges: Recognizing Achievements of Academic Department Chairs

Hollis Robbins proposes a merit badge system for academic department chairs to recognize their unique skills and accomplishments, fostering practical expertise.

The Concept of Merit Badges for Department Chairs

Hollis Robbins has an inventive idea: what if academic department chairs could earn badges to signify their achievements, akin to how military personnel display medals? This thought emerged during light-hearted discussions I had with various departmental leaders while serving as a dean.

If military officers can showcase their accomplishments with ribbons, why shouldn’t academic chairs enjoy similar recognition for their scholarly milestones?

In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, it’s essential for leaders not only to express their knowledge but also to illustrate their expertise through action.

The Boy Scouts of America embodies this principle; their merit badges require participants to demonstrate specific skills rather than just talk about them, emphasizing that actions often speak louder than words.

Proposed Merit Badges for New Department Chairs

Here’s a collection of merit badges that could serve as goals for department chairs to strive for.

The first badge is inspired by the Bird Study guidelines and provides a structured format for institutions thinking about implementing such a system.

  • Meeting Management Merit Badge: This badge signifies a chair’s skill in running efficient and respectful faculty meetings that lead to solid outcomes.
    • To earn this badge, a chair must demonstrate an understanding of meeting specifics by illustrating a meeting space and labeling fifteen components.
    • Additionally, preparing an agenda that encompasses six different types of items is required.
    • They must show how to maintain an agenda, utilize audiovisual aids, and communicate effectively with participants joining remotely.
    • Furthermore, understanding the use of Roman numerals on agendas, delivering PowerPoint presentations to both in-person and virtual attendees, and informing latecomers of prior discussions are essential skills.
    • Familiarity with Robert’s Rules of Order is crucial; recognizing key procedures for motions, voting, and procedural objections is necessary to navigate meetings effectively.
    • Chairs should identify and categorize at least twenty types of meetings in a notebook, capturing details like date, location, room capacity, and attendees’ faculty statuses.
    • Finally, addressing and resolving three common meeting issues, such as disruptive conversations, overly lengthy speeches, or passive-aggressive email exchanges, is essential.
  • Budget Detective Merit Badge: This badge represents a chair’s knack for tracking financial resources and understanding budget allocations.
  • Schedule Tetris Merit Badge: Awarded for skillful orchestration of numerous courses within limited timeframes.
  • Diplomatic Relations Merit Badge: This recognizes the ability to mediate conflicts among faculty members with impartiality.
  • Paperwork Expedition Merit Badge: This badge is earned by successfully navigating a curriculum change through the intricate layers of administration.
  • Assessment Survival Merit Badge: Acknowledging completion of program review cycles while maintaining composure regarding their validity.
  • Email Endurance Merit Badge: This highlights successful management of an overwhelming volume of emails during peak registration periods.
  • Faculty Development Sherpa Merit Badge: This honors the guidance provided to junior faculty throughout the tenure process.
  • Student Crisis Navigation Merit Badge: Awarded for effectively handling student emergencies while ensuring proper documentation.
  • Accreditation Archive Merit Badge: Recognizes successful organization of essential documents for accreditation reviews.
  • Interdepartmental Peace Treaty Merit Badge: This badge emphasizes negotiation skills for shared resources between different departments.
  • Conference Room Warrior Merit Badge: Acknowledges the endurance shown throughout extensive committee meetings without losing focus or energy.

Advanced Merit Badges for Veteran Chairs

As department chairs gain experience, they can pursue more advanced badges, reminiscent of an Eagle Scout’s achievements.

Here are some notable examples:

  • Everyone Remained Seated Merit Badge: Indicative of a chair’s success in hosting a controversial speaker’s event without disruptions or requiring security intervention.
  • Viewpoint Diversity Navigator Merit Badge: Recognizes the capability to manage differing ideological perspectives among faculty quietly, avoiding media or legal complications.
  • Social Media Firefighter Merit Badge: Awarded for effectively managing departmental communications during a faculty-related social media crisis.
  • Soft Landing Merit Badge: Given for aiding struggling graduate students in their transition to alternative career paths while upholding the department’s integrity.
  • Side Hustle Tackler Merit Badge: Earned by successfully navigating the complexities of faculty consulting arrangements while addressing compliance and colleague perceptions.
  • Advanced Curriculum Shepherding Merit Badge: This badge reflects effective management of interdisciplinary curriculum approvals across multiple committees while retaining essential program elements.
  • Fresh Blood Without Bloodshed Merit Badge: Highlights skill in integrating a new chair into a well-established faculty culture seamlessly.
  • The King Has Voluntarily Left the Building Merit Badge: This indicates a successful transition for a long-term chair out of their position, ensuring that departmental operations remain smooth.
  • The “Reply All” Survivor Merit Badge: Acknowledges the restraint shown during lengthy email chains that test professional etiquette.

The pinnacle of these achievements is the Ultimate Achievement: The Phoenix Chair Merit Badge.

This prestigious award is granted to individuals who have completed all previous merit badges, embody the values of higher education, and maintain a hopeful outlook on future service.

Remarkably, only two of these badges have been awarded in the rich history of higher education.

Hollis Robbins, a professor of English and former dean of humanities at the University of Utah, shares this innovative concept.

Source: Insidehighered