CHAIR AT THE TABLE

Black Women &

Academic Leadership

RESEARCH COLLECTIVE

chairatthetable.net

About Us

Leadership & Research

Consulting & Resources for Administrators

Chair at the Table is a research collective established in 2018 as a peer-mentoring network. Members are current and former department chairs at colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada. This project centers Black women’s perspectives of academic leadership. As experienced administrators in various disciplines, our reflections and recommendations can help re-define the academy.

Consulting & Resources for Administrators

Our publications, The Department Chair Journal (Wiley Press, 2021), Palimpsest Journal (SUNY Press, 2021), and the Dear Department Chair book (Wayne State University Press, 2023) are tools for faculty interested in administration, mentoring guides for current chairs, and resources for those working to diversify their administrative ranks.

"A Seat at the Table"

Consulting & Resources for Administrators

"A Seat at the Table"

Scholars in this network have decades of experience at various institution types. We commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Black Studies and Women's Studies, publish, and present workshops that collectively suggest a paradigm shift for unit heads in higher education. Inspired by Solange's "Seat at the Table" and "Borderline (An Ode to Self Care)," we write to "make less war" in academe.

Co-Chairs

Stephanie Y. Evans, PhD

Dr. Evans is Professor in the Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality and Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Africana Studies at Georgia State University.

Tracy Sharpley-Whiting, PhD

Dr. Sharpley-Whiting is Vice Provost of Arts and Libraries, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of Humanities (AADS and French), former Chair of African American and Diaspora Studies, and Director of the Callie House Center at Vanderbilt University.

MENTORING WORKSHOP: january 8, 2021

Mentoring for Department Chair & Administrative Leadership: Strategies for Professional Development

This virtual workshop explored race, gender, and higher education leadership. Invited speakers were presenters from the Working Symposium held at Vanderbilt University in 2019. The event was free and open to the public. Over fifty scholar-administrators attended this professional development workshop. Registrants who are current or aspiring department chairs, academic program coordinators, research institute directors, deans, or provosts participated in a day-long retreat to share information about four topics:

1. Administration 101

2. Leadership, Balance, & Self-Development

3. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Change, & Transformation

4. Faculty, Staff, Students, and Community.

In addition to a Keynote Address by Dr. Sharply-Whiting, two sessions covered mid-level administration and next-level administration:

Morning Session: "Chairs at the Table" (current and former department chairs)
Afternoon Session: "Beyond the Chair" (current deans and upper administrators)

This virtual gathering built on the 2019 discussion and will be followed by future gatherings (check back on this web page for notification). Presenters previewed their articles that will appear in the Palimpsest journal in Fall 2021. For a list of attendees in the Chair at the Table network, see below.