Here is a list of some of my favorite books. Each of these readings provide background and information that I believe will prove useful to improving your career and leadership in higher education.
Required Texts
Life on the Tenure Track: Lessons from the First Year by James M. Lang
Lang narrates the story of his first year on the tenure track with wit and wisdom, detailing his moments of confusion, frustration, and even elation—in the classroom, at his writing desk, during his office hours, in departmental meetings—as well as his insights into the lives and working conditions of faculty in higher education today.
Academic Leadership and Governance of Higher Education: A Guide for Trustees, Leaders, and Aspiring Leaders of Two- and Four-Year Institutions by Robert M. Hendrickson, Jason E. Lane, James T. Harris, and Richard H. Dorman
To meet the new and rapidly changing demands facing today’s higher education managers and leaders – from department chairs to trustees – this book offers guidance on how to effectively discharge their responsibilities and how to develop their skills for managing their relationships with internal and external stakeholders. It also provides a broad understanding of the structure and functions of their institution and of the appropriate loci of decision-making.
Our Higher Calling: Rebuilding the Partnership between America and Its Colleges and Universities by Holden Thorp and Buck Goldstein
In Our Higher Calling, Holden Thorp and Buck Goldstein draw on interviews with higher education thought leaders and their own experience, inside and outside the academy, to address these problems head on, articulating the challenges facing higher education and describing in pragmatic terms what can and cannot change–and what should and should not change. They argue that those with a stake in higher education must first understand a fundamental compact that has long been at the heart of the American system: a partnership wherein colleges and universities support the development of an educated and skilled citizenry and create new knowledge in exchange for stable public investment and a strong degree of autonomy to pursue research without undue external pressure. By outlining ways to restore this partnership, Thorp and Goldstein endeavor to start a conversation that paves the way for a solution to one of the country’s most pressing problems.
Supplemental Texts
Higher Education in America by Derek Bok
To meet the new and rapidly changing demands facing today’s higher education managers and leaders – from department chairs to trustees – this book offers guidance on how to effectively discharge their responsibilities and how to develop their skills for managing their relationships with internal and external stakeholders. It also provides a broad understanding of the structure and functions of their institution and of the appropriate loci of decision-making.
American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Social, Political, and Economic Challenges by Michael Bastedo, Philip Altbach, and Patricia Gumport
First published in 1999, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century offered a comprehensive introduction to the central issues facing American colleges and universities. This thoroughly revised edition brings the classic volume up to date. The contributors have rewritten every chapter to address major changes in higher education, including the rise of organized social movements, the problem of income inequality and stratification, and the growth of for-profit and distance education. Three new chapters cover information technology, community colleges, and teaching and learning.
Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less by Michael Hyatt
Get more done and get your life back. Many professionals work as much as 70 hours a week, leaving little time for rest, exercise, family, and friends. Work is invading their personal life. The common understanding of productivity has failed these professionals. Most think productivity is just about getting more done at a faster speed. But it’s not. Productivity is about getting the right things done. New York Times Bestselling author, Michael Hyatt, has created a total productivity system that’s much more than endless box checking. Proven by over 25,000 professionals, this system helps overwhelmed leaders achieve what matters most so they can succeed at both work and life.
