Matriculation to Management

While instructors do the teaching and students do the learning, no sizable organization can survive on these two activities alone. All universities require administrators to manage programs and meet institutional goals. These individuals are often recruited from the ranks of faculty. While many professors are content to spend their entire professional careers in the classroom and/or the research lab, some venture into administrative roles. Office Hours interviewed Leocadia Paliulis, Associate Dean of Students and the COAS & Herbert L. Spencer Professor of Biology at Bucknell University, about her recent transition from full-time faculty to a full-time deanship.

Did you always think that you would pursue administrative work when you first accepted your position, or did you develop an interest in this type of work gradually?

I did not anticipate that I would be interested in administration initially. My interest grew gradually starting a few years after getting tenure, when I was asked to take on my first administrative role. I grew curious as I got to know my university better and applied for a 3-year position as associate dean of faculty for natural sciences and mathematics.

Why did you want additional administrative roles? And how did you pursue them?

Mostly, I wanted administrative roles because I’m curious about how universities run and about how my university runs in particular. I enjoy meeting people, learning what they do, and working with them to do positive things for the people at the university.

What was your first administrative experience? What is your best and worst memory of this first time in a leadership role?

My first administrative experience was extremely interesting. I was asked to serve as the director of my university’s gen-ed curriculum. The work was really hard and linked with a course release. While the work supported the College of Arts and Sciences, it wasn’t housed in the Dean’s office. I absolutely loved the position. We have a robust gen-ed curriculum in our college and courses that meet certain curricular designations must be approved. I led a committee charged with approvals, evaluated all transfer courses requesting designations (a lot), and led the major assessment of one key part of our gen-ed curriculum, as well as offering additional advising to students having trouble navigating the curriculum. I loved talking with faculty and getting to know them better, I think that was my favorite part of the position. My least favorite part of the work was trying to do this interactive, interesting work during the COVID lockdown.

A challenging aspect of administration is the management of your peers. Did you struggle with this new responsibility? What did you find worked best for you?

I absolutely struggle with this!  I’m not great at top-down management, and it doesn’t really work anyway, but I have a lot of trouble when people do not want to do critical things that absolutely have to be done. In all cases, I worked hard to get to know and understand my colleagues and try to generate and work toward common goals.

The more administrative work you do, the less time you have for teaching and research. Do you feel disconnected from these aspects of the job? If not, how do you keep yourself engaged and current?

I am definitely disconnected from my teaching, as this position does not include any teaching. My research continues, though somewhat slowly. I don’t feel disconnected from teaching yet, fortunately, because I still work with undergraduates in my research lab. I’m sure I will soon feel some disconnect, but I have been very focused on my work with the faculty.

I have to say, one thing I love as an academic is how my job changed all the time. As a professor, during the academic year, I go from focusing deeply on teaching in the fall to a winter break when I do a brief deep dive into my research, to a teaching-focused spring and then a research summer. Every time I got exhausted from one aspect of work, I moved to another. Administration is another cool transition that allows me to flex new muscles.

What surprised you the most about your administrative work?

There are a million surprises every day (mostly confidential)!  I sometimes wonder if I’m the lead character in a melodrama or farce because the surprises can be really strange!  Fortunately, there are also frequent, beautiful surprises. I can’t share the weird ones, but I can share a positive one.

I remember hearing about a colleague who had the reputation of being a stern curmudgeon. Another colleague told me the stern curmudgeon actually had a secret student fan club that frequently talked about him in the hall and in other classes. I was absolutely thrilled about this surprise, and likely wouldn’t have learned about this outside my administrative role.

What advice do you have for faculty who are considering a transition to administrative roles?

Apply for any opportunities that become available!  Especially the temporary ones that let you dip your toe in and see if you like it, like brief replacements, or short-term appointments. They’re so wonderful and eye-opening.