46 books like The Academic Deanship

By David F. Bright, Mary P. Richards,

Here are 46 books that The Academic Deanship fans have personally recommended if you like The Academic Deanship. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The University: An Owner's Manual

Mark William Roche Author Of Realizing the Distinctive University: Vision and Values, Strategy and Culture

From my list on faculty who find themselves in administration.

Why am I passionate about this?

The year after I got tenure, I became a chairperson, overseeing more than twenty faculty members in my department at Ohio State University. I continued in administration for the next seventeen years, serving as a dean at Notre Dame for more then a decade. I am convinced that the best books on higher education interweave ideas, anecdotes, and data. I pursued that genre here, engaging the questions, what makes a university distinctive and how can one best flourish as an administrator.

Mark's book list on faculty who find themselves in administration

Mark William Roche Why did Mark love this book?

When I received tenure in 1990, I bought this book for myself as a gift.

I thought that now that my university, at the time Ohio State, had agreed to invest in me, I should think more seriously about the idea of a university. I enjoyed it tremendously. It is lively, colorful, and witty. Written by the former dean of arts and sciences at Harvard, the book offers a wide-ranging overview of the American university.

Even if some of the statistics are dated, this book remains one of the most appealing introductions to, and overviews of, the American research university.

By Henry Rosovsky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The University as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A view of America's colleges and universities and how they are run, the challenges they face and the issues that affect their "owners" - students, faculty, alumni, trustees and others. Among the issues covered are tenure, the admission process in elite institutions and curriculum.


Book cover of Chairing the Academic Department: Leadership Among Peers

Mark William Roche Author Of Realizing the Distinctive University: Vision and Values, Strategy and Culture

From my list on faculty who find themselves in administration.

Why am I passionate about this?

The year after I got tenure, I became a chairperson, overseeing more than twenty faculty members in my department at Ohio State University. I continued in administration for the next seventeen years, serving as a dean at Notre Dame for more then a decade. I am convinced that the best books on higher education interweave ideas, anecdotes, and data. I pursued that genre here, engaging the questions, what makes a university distinctive and how can one best flourish as an administrator.

Mark's book list on faculty who find themselves in administration

Mark William Roche Why did Mark love this book?

When I became a chairperson at Ohio State the year after I received tenure, I found this book on my desk, a gift from the provost, presumably sent to all new chairpersons.

The book had a good bit of practical advice on a wide range of subjects, and I have held on to my copy, even though I have long since moved on to other positions. The chapter on “Faculty Evaluation” was particularly helpful to me when for the first time I had to evaluate colleagues and recommend salary adjustments.

By Allan Tucker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chairing the Academic Department as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Third edition of a handbook for the academic administrator promoted from the faculty ranks with little administrative skill or know-how. Provides an depth examination of the typical duties and responsibilities of a department chair that covers an awful lot of ground: from curriculum management to co


Book cover of Presidential Leadership: Making a Difference

Mark William Roche Author Of Realizing the Distinctive University: Vision and Values, Strategy and Culture

From my list on faculty who find themselves in administration.

Why am I passionate about this?

The year after I got tenure, I became a chairperson, overseeing more than twenty faculty members in my department at Ohio State University. I continued in administration for the next seventeen years, serving as a dean at Notre Dame for more then a decade. I am convinced that the best books on higher education interweave ideas, anecdotes, and data. I pursued that genre here, engaging the questions, what makes a university distinctive and how can one best flourish as an administrator.

Mark's book list on faculty who find themselves in administration

Mark William Roche Why did Mark love this book?

When I became a dean in 1997, much of my serious reading moved from my discipline to higher education.

It made sense to me that the differences between chairperson, dean, provost, and president had more to do with demands on one’s time than the kind of work one needs to do, and indeed, I learned much from this book, which makes the case for strong and charismatic leadership.

While it is among the most compelling books on presidential leadership and its possible impact on a campus, much of the advice is transferable to persons in less senior positions.

By James L. Fisher, James V. Koch,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Presidential Leadership as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Koch and Fisher have updated and expanded the latter's highly respected 1984 book, Power of the Presidency. In Presidential Leadership, the authors explore the transformational style of leadership in greater depth. This theory is based on a strong, charismatic university president who leads and transforms the university through the power of his or her own vision for the future. The provocative arguments offered throughout the book are based both on empirical studies and on the authors' personal experiences as university presidents. Chapters on total quality management, presidential spouses, and fund raising are new to this edition, as are 11 appendixes…


Book cover of Successful Fund Raising for Higher Education: The Advancement of Learning

Mark William Roche Author Of Realizing the Distinctive University: Vision and Values, Strategy and Culture

From my list on faculty who find themselves in administration.

Why am I passionate about this?

The year after I got tenure, I became a chairperson, overseeing more than twenty faculty members in my department at Ohio State University. I continued in administration for the next seventeen years, serving as a dean at Notre Dame for more then a decade. I am convinced that the best books on higher education interweave ideas, anecdotes, and data. I pursued that genre here, engaging the questions, what makes a university distinctive and how can one best flourish as an administrator.

Mark's book list on faculty who find themselves in administration

Mark William Roche Why did Mark love this book?

When you enter higher administration, you need a vision and you need the people and resources to realize that vision.

Most books for chairpersons and deans are about vision and about hiring and mentoring faculty and staff, but how to garner resources is perhaps the area that is addressed the least. I found this book helpful as an initial guide.

Basically, it offers a comprehensive account of academic fundraising, with practical advice and detailed examples from academic leaders and senior development professionals. The introduction and first two chapters provide a superb introduction for persons new to academic fundraising.

By Frank H.T. Rhodes (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Successful Fund Raising for Higher Education as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Successful Fund Raising is a compilation of essays by university presidents and chief advancement officers who share their fundraising successes and demonstrate the importance of a team effort among the campus chief executive officer, the trustees, and the senior staff officer in charge of the advancement program. The authors discuss how the advancement function is integrated into an institution's ongoing planning process, as well as the respective roles and responsibilities of key players in this process. The contributing authors also share specific information about their advancement programs, including their goals, strategies, and tactics. The successful programs covered in this book…


Book cover of Pnin

Stephen D. Senturia Author Of One Man's Purpose

From my list on campus stories that mix poignancy with humor.

Why am I passionate about this?

I spent 36 years on the MIT faculty, an exhilarating stint in the academic fast lane. For 25 of those years, I served on my department’s promotion and tenure committee. I was also a journal editor, a book-series editor, and I ran technical conferences, just the kinds of things one expects from someone in my position. Along the way, I started reading novels about the academic life. Finding many of them wanting (too silly, too dysfunctional), I decided that after my retirement, I would write my own novels, presenting a realistic insider’s picture of life in the academic fast lane and the familial stresses that can result.

Stephen's book list on campus stories that mix poignancy with humor

Stephen D. Senturia Why did Stephen love this book?

Pnin, a Russian émigré teaching at a not-wonderful college, is a remarkably endearing protagonist. I would welcome him into my home. Constantly swimming upstream, he is resolute yet humble. He takes on life in America with thoughtful determination and becomes victorious even in defeat. A stellar individual. Nabokov’s deftness with the English language enriches this short and highly accessible novel.

By Vladimir Nabokov,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pnin as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Professor Timofey Pnin, late of Tsarist Russia, is now precariously perched at the heart of an American campus. Battling with American life and language, Pnin must face great hazards in this new world: the ruination of his beautiful lumber-room-as-office; the removal of his teeth and the fitting of new ones; the search for a suitable boarding house; and the trials of taking the wrong train to deliver a lecture in a language he has yet to master.

Wry, intelligent and moving, Pnin reveals the absurd and affecting story of one man in exile.


Book cover of Girls with Bright Futures

Rebecca Prenevost Author Of Starting in 5th

From my list on fiction portraying realistic parenting dilemmas.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a mom of two daughters who is fascinated with reading nonfiction parenting books and listening to parenting-related podcasts. My absolute favorite, though, is when fiction authors take a dense parenting topic and turn it into a relatable and engaging story so that readers can explore the same important issues and challenges in a more enjoyable way.

Rebecca's book list on fiction portraying realistic parenting dilemmas

Rebecca Prenevost Why did Rebecca love this book?

This novel is a chilling depiction of the cut-throat world of elite college admissions for families attending an ultra-competitive private school. It’s another great example of taking concepts I’ve seen in nonfiction parenting books (helicopter parenting and over-pressuring kids) and playing them out in a fictional way. The details on the parents’ backstories, and how they affected their thought processes, allowed clear comparisons and contrasts to their situations, values, and beliefs and helped me see why I may want to handle certain situations differently.

By Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Girls with Bright Futures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"For those who couldn't stop reading about Lori Loughlin and Operation Varsity Blues, this suspenseful thriller about the lines moms are willing to cross to get their kids into college is for you."-Refinery29
"Book Club Winner."-Real Simple, Book Club Selection
"A thriller for the post-college-admission-scandal age."-PopSugar
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Parade Magazine, Newsweek, POPSUGAR, Refinery29, Brit + Co, and more!
Three women, three daughters, and a promise that they'll each get what they deserve...
College admissions season at Seattle's Elliott Bay Academy is marked by glowing acceptances from top-tier institutions and students as impressive as their…


Book cover of Get That Job!

Tory S. Thorkelson Author Of The Job Interview Workbook: A Workbook for College Students and Jobhunters

From my list on helping you land a good job after university.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an EFL Professor for over 20 years, I have evolved from a language teacher into a generalist who is constantly asked to teach skills-based courses that help my college students learn life skills like presenting or job skills. As the old saying goes, you need to become somewhat of an expert in something to teach it well so I have become a much more proficient interviewer and job skills expert through 10+ years teaching students to excel in these areas. My book is a compilation of the best worksheets and activities compiled and created for my students and I hope others find them as useful and effective as my students have. 

Tory's book list on helping you land a good job after university

Tory S. Thorkelson Why did Tory love this book?

This workbook offers a quick and easy guide to help you understand your strengths and sell them effectively to an employer.

It covers all the tools of a job search: resumes, cover letters, networking, and more. It gives invaluable tips on job applications and how to effectively interview. It also covers how to negotiate about pay and working conditions- and when not to through easy-to-use worksheets.

However, it is somewhat outdated so it will not take to the next level that a 21st-century worker might need to succeed.

By Jurg Oppliger,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Get That Job! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of The Culture of Classicism: Ancient Greece and Rome in American Intellectual Life, 1780-1910

Dean Hammer Author Of Rome and America: Communities of Strangers, Spectacles of Belonging

From my list on the connection of ancient Rome to an American identity.

Why am I passionate about this?

My fascination with the relationship between Rome and America grows out of the work I have done on early American culture, contemporary political thought, and ancient Rome. My most recent work, Rome and America: Communities of Strangers, Spectacles of Belonging, took shape through a lot of conversations over the years with friends and colleagues about the different tensions I saw in Roman politics and culture around questions of national identity, tensions that I saw being played out in the United States. I don’t like tidy histories. I am drawn to explorations of politics and culture that reveal the anxieties and dissonance that derive from our own attempt to resolve our incompleteness. 

Dean's book list on the connection of ancient Rome to an American identity

Dean Hammer Why did Dean love this book?

Winterer provides the classic discussion of the place of Rome (and then Greece) in early American education and intellectual life. The book is about how American classicists sought to shape a relationship to the classical past that persists to this day, creating a canon of ancient texts as a reaction against and refuge from modernity. The real payoff of this book for me lies in showing how the past is never just the past but a continuing aspect of our own identity-formation.

By Caroline Winterer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Culture of Classicism as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Debates continue to rage over whether American university students should be required to master a common core of knowledge. In The Culture of Classicism: Ancient Greece and Rome in American Intellectual Life, 1780-1910, Caroline Winterer traces the emergence of the classical model that became standard in the American curriculum in the nineteenth century and now lies at the core of contemporary controversies. By closely examining university curricula and the writings of classical scholars, Winterer demonstrates how classics was transformed from a narrow, language-based subject to a broader study of civilization, persuasively arguing that we cannot understand both the rise of…


Book cover of The Decline of the German Mandarins: The German Academic Community, 1890-1933

Holger Gzella Author Of Aramaic: A History of the First World Language

From my list on becoming a scholar.

Why am I passionate about this?

I hold the chair of Old Testament at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Munich University in Germany. My main area of expertise is Semitic languages, though, which is also the field for which I previously held a chair at Leiden University in the Netherlands for fifteen years (eventually, however, Munich made me an offer one cannot refuse). Hence my main occupation concerns the interpretation of ancient texts in exotic languages such as Hebrew, Aramaic, Phoenician, and others, mostly at the baseline of individual words, grammatical forms, and syntactic constructions. Despite the seemingly dry, specialized character of my work, it is, in my view, a lifestyle rather than a job. 

Holger's book list on becoming a scholar

Holger Gzella Why did Holger love this book?

Many ideas and concepts still common in the more traditional branches of Humanities belong to the intellectual heritage of the nineteenth century. This is also the time when my own field, Semitic Philology, emerged as a professionalized discipline. Fritz Ringer, himself a German-born emigree to the US, provides a rigorous analysis of the social background and self-understanding of German academic elites during that formative period until the collapse of their natural habitat in the catastrophe of the Second World War. His work is a demanding yet rewarding read because it brings to the fore the institutional underpinnings of scholarship. It shows how great an impact societal context has on scholarly achievements, and thus contributes to a better, historically sensitive, understanding of the specific environment in which academic life generally takes place.

By Fritz Ringer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Decline of the German Mandarins as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A splendid re-publication of an indispensable book on German history.


Book cover of In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower: How Universities Are Plundering Our Cities

Katherine Rye Jewell Author Of Live from the Underground: A History of College Radio

From my list on the political side of music scenes.

Why am I passionate about this?

My interests as a historian involve examining how Americans organize to change policy or politics through affiliations beyond political parties and, by extension, thinking about how culture is made and supported through institutions and businesses. These messy networks and relationships ultimately define how we relate to one another in the U.S. Indie music scenes are one way to trace all of these relationships, from federal policy governing radio stations and what goes out over the airwaves to the contours of local music scenes, to the business of record labels, to ordinary DJs and music fans trying to access information and new sounds that they love.

Katherine's book list on the political side of music scenes

Katherine Rye Jewell Why did Katherine love this book?

Before delving into the business and culture of college radio, I had to think through the complicated relationships between universities and their surrounding communities. Davarian Baldwin helped me do just that.

The FM signals emanating from inside the walls of the ivory tower occupied the public’s airwaves, and so surrounding residents not affiliated with institutions had legitimate claims to these signals, which usually operated on licensed signals requiring public service and educational functions. While these signals often did provide valuable culture and information for wide and diverse communities, they sometimes replicated the more complicated politics of these institutions and the destructive role they played in communities.

Baldwin’s engaging and enraging exploration of town and gown provides a critical lens to use when thinking through the relationship between universities, nearby music scenes, cultural service, and radio.

5 book lists we think you will like!

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