1. “The Inevitability of Playing Politics as Chair: Advantages and Pitfalls”
Domenick J Pinto
FORMER Chairperson of Computer Science and Information Technology
Director of the School of Computing
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield CT
February

2. My History At Sacred Heart University 41 years
5 years adjunct instructor of mathematics
3 years FT instructor of mathematics
33 years in computer science dept
Chairperson of Computer Science for 29 years
Just became Director of the School of Computing

3. So what is politics in academia?
NEGATIVE connotations
Backstabbing
Fighting for Resources
Navigating through pitfalls within one’s department
Looking for personal gain
Selling one’s colleagues short
Turf Issues

4. So what is politics in academia?
Positive connotations
Doing good for the department
Involvement in Strategic Planning
Involvement in budget and fundraising
Leading academic change
Achieving and maintaining academic excellence
Having the needs of the department heard

5. Problems Problems Problems
Turf issues have become the norm in many departments on college campuses as universities diversify their programs and try to maintain both a traditional and innovative menu of course offerings.
Declining populations in many cases have forced universities to significantly increase their “base”. Recruiting international students, non-traditional students, adding non-traditional courses of study and exploring new delivery methods are all part of the new “entrepreneurial” chair position.
All of this takes resources often resulting in these turf issues
Where one stands POLITICALLY CAN make a difference!!!!

6. Some Ways to Handle all of this
Exploring interdisciplinary programs
Sharing resources and gaining support among faculty from other departments and colleges is a positive way to blend politics into the workplace.
Working closely with deans, provosts, other senior administrators and even the president (if possible) are ways to put oneself “out there” and showcase the strength and potential of one’s program and faculty. Alas this is not always easy to do.
**One of the most successful ventures I have undertaken is to take part in faculty governance.
**This was, for me, one of the most productive and honest political ventures.

7. Domenick’s Ten (15) Rules to Navigating Academia Politically
Know YOUR PERSONAL and departmental goals and be honest about them
Find your allies and your “count on people” within your department
Be sure your support staff is loyal to you
Work with your dean(s), provost, other senior administrators and even the president when possible
Know when to give up on an idea
CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES!!!!
Think POSITIVE
Don’t be afraid to get angry once in a while,,it’s OK!!!!
Try NOT to get personal
Always look ahead
Do what you can to increase enrollment and revenue in your area
Have friends in all colleges and departments
DON’T be AFRAID to ask for something!!! Ask for MORE than you expect!
REMEMBER..no one is going to hand you something on a silver platter
Be PLEASANT…most of the time!

8. By Jid Lee https://www.aaup.org/issue/september-october-2015
“Despite all of its problems, the worst of which I have experienced personally, academia is still the only place where freedom of speech can be exercised for the sole purpose of protecting the core principles that are necessary to the functioning of human society. It isn’t a place where people defend “reality,” the euphemism used to justify the sordid ways of the world. Academia is an arena where what should be—not what is—is promoted; it is a place where integrity still matters. Academics have an enormously important job: we are the ones who impart to the younger generations the knowledge needed to create a more humane society.
I couldn’t disagree more with Henry Kissinger’s infamous remark, “Academic politics are so vicious because the stakes are so small.” If I had a chance to meet Kissinger, I would shake hands with him and correct him: “You yourself owe a lot to the academy of which you thought so little. Where else would you be praised so consistently for having opened the door to China? The media, of course, is where you initially won the gift of the fame you enjoy now, but it is at colleges and universities where you will enjoy an immortal fame. It is history professors who will explain your historical achievement in the most specific, memorable detail. Thanks to academia, you will be given a place in history for generations to come.” Academic politics, I believe, are so vicious because the stakes are so huge.”

9. Oh boy this sounds like fun and familiar????????
The three departments of Phrenology, Alchemy and Lycanthropy at a fictitious university have competing interests when it comes to 3,000 square feet of available space at a building. Alchemy wants a new office suite in addition to classroom space, while the phrenology department is asking for a new faculty lounge and more classrooms. The department of lycanthropy has similar demands.
How do an academic dean and a chief financial officer at the university balance all these wants?
Faculty, even in this fictitious world, were heard grumbling that administrators were giving them information they had never heard of before and that they did not know that the Board of Trustees had made it a top priority for the building to have a student lounge.
It is important for everybody to have a voice, even if they do not necessarily get what they need. It is important to hear the ideas of other people and then you can decide what is important and realistic.
Kaustuv Basu “Learning to manage academic politics”

10. Some Scenarios to discuss
How to handle anger in communication (handout 1)
What to do with the self serving administrator
What to do when conflicted by vastly different views by administrators in the chain
What to do with complaints from students about teachers who are high profile, tenured and successful (handout 2)
How far can you go to rely on key faculty in your dept
How important is your non academic staff
How respected and “well-liked” are we within our department
The politics of new hires (handout 3)

11. Current Political Issues I Am Facing
Declining international enrollment due to visa issues….am told that the situation in my school is making the budget year challenging ,,,but it’s not “your fault”
Plans to move “school” to former GE Corporate headquarters…everyone wants to go there …..why did DOM get chosen to go there???
Addition of new programs that I am not necessarily 100 percent in favor of
Pressure to bring in new money after having the grad program with the highest net revenue for 2.5 years
Donald Trump….Donald Trump…….Donald Trump………Donald Trump

12. CLOSING WORDS
“Be true to yourself, enjoy the ride and never lose sight of the ultimate goal in higher education: making a difference in people’s lives”
Domenick J Pinto
February