Why do UK academics become Associate Deans and what are their future career plans

Bibliographic Data

ID4545679
AuthorsAlan Floyd (0000-0002-2008-7831, Institute of Education, University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, UK, corresponding author), Diane Preston (Open University Business School, Milton Keynes, UK)
Year2019
Volume41
Issue4
Pages430-443
Publication date2019-07-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Higher Education Policy and Management (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1360-080X • E-ISSN: 1469-9508
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1360080x.2019.1625220
OpenAlexW2944575879
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited34

The role and number of Associate Dean posts in UK universities has grown considerably in recent years. Despite this, relatively little is known about the reasons why individuals take on such roles and how it fits into their career trajectories. The purpose of this article is to explore these issues by drawing on data from the first national study of Associate Deans in the UK. Adopting a two-staged mixed methods approach, data were collected from semi-structured interviews (n = 15) and an online survey (n = 172). The findings suggest that academics take on the role for a number of reasons such as the challenge of working across the University, making a difference to staff and students, or being asked to take it on by a senior member of staff. It is argued that these Associate Dean roles are part of new and emerging academic career pathways within the higher education sector

Career development · Higher education · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions · Higher Education and Employability · Higher Education Governance and Development · Psychology