Dear Department Chair

Letters from Black Women Leaders to the Next Generation

Stephanie Adams, Stephanie Evans, Stephanie Shonekan, Stephanie Adams, Stephanie Evans, Stephanie Shonekan

• Publisher: Wayne State University Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9780814350744
• eBook ISBN: 9780814350751
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Leadership

Practical and candid, this book offers actionable steps to help Black women leaders create meaningful success. The reflections and recommendations of the contributors forge a critical and transformative analysis of race, gender, and higher education leadership. With insights from humanities, social sciences, art, and STEM, this essential resource helps to redefine the academy to meet the challenges of the future. Dear Department Chair is comprised of personal letters from prominent Black women department chairs, deans, vice provosts, and university presidents, addressed to current and future Black women academic professionals, and offers a rich source of peer mentorship and professional development. These letters emerged from Chair at the Table, a research collective and peer-mentoring network of current and former Black women department chairs at colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada. The collective's works, including this volume, serve as tools for faculty interested in administration, current chairs seeking mentorship, and upper-level administrators working to diversify their ranks.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Foreword: A Letter from Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, President Emerita, Spelman College and Bennett College
• Introduction: A Letter from the Three Dr. Stephanies: On the Path to Wellness, Academic Sisterhood, and Focus
• Part I Letters from the Chair
• Part II Letters from Upper Administration
• Afterword: A Letter from Dr. Tracy Sharpley-Whiting, Co-Chair of Chair at the Table Project, Vice Provost for Arts and Libraries, Vanderbilt University
• Contributor Bios
• Index