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Home
- About the National Academy
- National Academy Information System
- Leadership & Institutional Change
- Overview
- Field Guide to Academic Leadership
- Readings:
- · Changing Higher Education: Realistic Goal or Wishful Thinking?
- · Leadership and Change
- · Critical Components of Departmental Success
- · Effecting Transformation and Institutional Change
- · The Human Dimension: Observations About The Change Process
- · The Institutional Change Agency: The Expanding Role of Academic Support Centers
- · Transforming the Environment for Learning: A Crises of Quality
- · Utilizing America's Most Wasted Resource
- Change
- Additional recommended readings and websites
- Faculty Rewards & Scholarship
- Learners and learning
- Curriculum
- Using technology
- Assessment
- Professional development
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Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question about The National Academy and its services that has not been answered elsewhere on this Web site or that you think should be addressed on this page, please write to us at r.m.diamond@verizon.net.
Questions about The National Academy
- What is The National Academy all about?
- Does The National Academy take into account the inherent differences among institutions participating in its programs?
- "Leadership" figures prominently in the vocabulary of The National Academy. How do you define leadership?
- And what does The National Academy mean by "change"?
Questions about services of The National Academy
- Will The National Academy design a special program to meet our campus needs?
- Does The National Academy provide consultation services to individual institutions?
- I've been unable to find the answer to my question about . . . . Can The National Academy staff help me?
About The National Academy
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What is The National Academy all about?
The National Academy for Academic Leadership educates academic decision makers to be leaders for sustained, integrated institutional change that significantly improves student learning. Its curriculum is based on research and best practices. Its programs are designed both for institutional teams working on campus projects and for individuals – presidents, board members, vice presidents, deans, chairs, and key faculty members – with role-specific responsibilities and concerns.
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Does The National Academy take into account the inherent differences among institutions participating in its programs?
Yes, the academy recognizes the considerable variation among institutions in their readiness for change and their resources for leadership development, and so programs are geared to the unique institutional contexts and specific needs of participants.
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"Leadership" figures prominently in the vocabulary of The National Academy. How do you define leadership?
The National Academy distinguishes between "management," following accepted ways of performing routine activities in order to get the job done right, and "leadership," helping people identify, confront, and solve problems that require adaptation to new realities for which there are no routine solutions. The academy understands leadership to be doing the right thing – rather than doing things right – and a willingness to modify or change values, beliefs, and behaviors.
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And what does The National Academy mean by "change"?
The National Academy understands change to be doing something significantly or fundamentally different from the ways it has been done, doing it so differently that it is impossible to return to the original ways of doing it. This kind of change requires new learning, is transformational, and is lasting.
Services of The National Academy
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Will The National Academy design a special program to meet our campus needs?
Yes, if the number of participants is sufficient, the academy staff will design a program to meet your specific needs. This program could be offered at our site in St. Petersburg, Florida, or at a local site of your choosing. You would be expected to cover all design and instructional costs.
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Does The National Academy provide consultation services to individual institutions?
Yes, the academy can provide consultants and speakers. We will work with you to select the consultant or speaker with the skills and expertise appropriate to your need.
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I've been unable to find the answer to my question about . . . . Can The National Academy staff help me?
The leaders of the academy maintain extensive collection of publications on change in higher education and on academic and instructional issues. Assistance would be free of charge unless extensive research is required. If we cannot provide a specific answer to your question, we will do what we can to connect you with a likely source of information or support.
