Response to Dean Bardill

Increasing demands for the accountability of social work education necessitate better methods of program assessment. In the technique described here, tested by a BSW program in 1992 and 1993, a Program Assessment Committee was formed to evaluate the collective work of randomly chosen seniors on three assignments. The results revealed strengths and weaknesses of the program and led to a reexamination of the assignments, the statements of desired program outcomes, and the curriculum itself.     

Sociologist as Dean and Dean as Sociologist

This article highlights contrasts between the identity and values of sociology faculty members versus the identity and values of college administrators. Some of these contrasts include: questioning authority and speaking truth to power versus being in a position of authority and engaging in political compromise; taking a critical, reflective, and independent stance as a scholar versus a dean taking a stance of positive attitude and setting direction in the organization; and acting in an egalitarian and democratic fashion versus acting in a discriminating manner and making executive decisions. This article also explores the ways in which being a sociologist can inform a dean’s understanding of the structure and organizational life of the college and the group dynamics among faculty, students, administrators, and other constituents.     

Who Am I? The Sociologist as Dean

In some respects, sociologists might seem to be the least obvious candidates for a deanship. They question authority and debunk bureaucracy. Yet they can be found in dean’s offices serving successfully. This paper discusses the seeming contradiction between the discipline of sociology and the position of academic dean. It is argued that the discipline of sociology can prepare one to succeed at deaning in numerous ways, including transitioning into the role, resolving unavoidable role conflict, and adopting an administrator’s perspective.     

Response to Mark Lusk

This empirical study examined the association between social work students' ratings of teaching ability and several course, student, and instructor variables. Over 5,000 standardized evaluation forms rating instructors' specific skills and overall effectiveness were collected between 1991-93 at a school of social work in a large urban university. The results showed strong positive relationships between ratings of teaching effectiveness and ratings of skills reflecting course organization, rapport with students, and fair grading. This study supports the legitimacy of student ratings in assessing faculty, and the authors discuss implications for faculty development of the strong relationship between effective teaching and organizational skills.