Bridges not Blockades

“Maddox and Diede advance a compelling argument for bridging the differences in higher education…(T)he book is as informative about complex campus issues and politics as it is engaging in its challenge to us to implement collaborative approaches.” (Click HERE to read full review.)

“Campus and university politics can catch one by surprise and, if we are not careful, undermine positive and helpful change. This book provides insight to those commonly shared areas of university life where we often find unanticipated challenges. By knowing those challenges, time and energy can be spent on finding common ground for positive change across the academy.”

Dr. Michael V. Carter, President of Campbellsville University

“Bridges Not Blockades: Transcending University Politics is a must-read series of insightful and thought-provoking essays written specifically for anyone employed in or preparing for a higher education career. Navigating the unwritten rules of university and college politics is needlessly perplexing and can even be maddening. Bridges Not Blockades: Transcending University Politics is a refreshing series of insightful and thought-provoking essays that unravels the politically charged world of the academe and offers refreshing solutions to age old issues.”

Mark A Heinrich, Ph.D., President, Shelton State Community College (2008 – 2012), Chancellor, Alabama Community College System, Retired

“Much has been made of higher education in the political realm, but less attention has been paid to politics within higher education. At the same time, external social forces are affecting interpersonal relationships on campuses, making them counterproductive or, in some cases, even toxic. This timely collection provides desperately needed relationship strategies that faculty, staff, and administrators can use to navigate conflict so that we may band together in service of our students and our industry. The essays here provide historical and theoretical frameworks for understanding how we arrived at our current state, as well as concrete recommendations for creating agile institutions and higher education practitioners capable of effective and ethical response to contemporary challenges.”

Lindsey Bernhagen, Director, Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning, Editor of To Improve the Academy, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

“Bridges Not Blockades: Transcending University Politics is an idea whose time has come. The scope of topics covered, and the expertise involved in writing this book provide a good foundation for understanding strategies for successfully navigating today’s political climate in higher education. Understating the importance of politics in higher education is the first step towards a successful career.”

Lynda Ransdell, Ph.D., FACSM, CSCS, Dean and Professor, College of Health and Human Services at Northern Arizona University

“The contributors to Bridges Not Blockades: Transcending University Politics carefully and courageously name and describe multiple political issues facing the faculty, administrators, and students who work and learn in college and university communities across our nation. In doing so, they diminish the greater power each issue gains by our silent endurance and reduce the isolation experienced when navigating complex political dynamics on our own campuses. And, they do not stop there. Each chapter humbly presents solutions that build upon the confidence and belonging we need to transform our institutions and higher education more generally into the transparent, supportive, and curiosity inducing environments they are meant to be.”

Sally Heilstedt, Dean of Instruction, Engagement and Learning, Lake Washington Institute of Technology

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Foreword
Carol Burton

1. Why We Need to Build Bridges in University Politics
Gayle Maddox

2. Organizational Physiology and Transcending Ambiguity
Betty Block

3. Building Bridges, not Blockades: Insights into Building Healthy Campus Relationships
Anita Henck

4. From Underground Struggles to a Spirit of Mutual Concession: Departmental Politics and the American Association of University Professors
Andrew Adams

5. The Politics of Newspaper Advising/Newspaper Advising as a Political Act
Melanie Mock

6. Go Back Home: Confronting Growing Incivility, Racism, and Bigotry
Amy Murphy-Nugen, Charmion Rush, Antonio M. Oakley Jr., and Carleen (Tenae) Turner

7. O God! What Have I Done!?: What New Faculty Members Should Be Aware about the Dos and Don’ts of Academia
Elwood Watson

8. Tenure, Team, Inclusivity, and the Importance of Building Bridges
Martha Diede

9. The Academic Plus One
Drew Virtue and Emily Virtue

10. Training for Academic Leadership in the 21st Century: It’s All About the Group
Steve Estes

11. Living on the Edge: Embracing the Corners Where We Meet
Laura Pipe

12. It Worked for Me: The Golden Rule
Rochelle Ford

13. Professional Development: A Process in Progress
David Shapiro

14. How Shall We Then Proceed?
Martha Diede and Gayle Maddox

Contributors

Index

Gayle Maddox

Gayle Maddox (MS, Ph.D. in Health Education, University of Tennessee; MEd in Student Personnel, University of South Carolina) is a tenured faculty member in the School of Teaching and Learning at Western Carolina University. She has authored articles on critical thinking in health, student engagement, and the politics of higher education.

Martha Kalnin Diede

Martha Kalnin Diede (MA, Ph.D. in Shakespeare, Baylor University) directs the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Syracuse University. She has authored chapters on feminist critical theory, the impact of female positionality in higher education, and experiences in overcoming challenges in higher education. She has also published Spirit of Adoption (2014) and Shakespeare’s Knowledgeable Body (2008).