Dear Dr. Scott,
As the Distributed Leadership Implementation Work Group (DLIWG) prepares for Spring 2026 implementation, we respectfully request your consideration of an initial implementation phase focused on department chairs leading the college’s largest and most complex departments, with regular review to ensure effectiveness and alignment with institutional goals
Based on the objective and verified rubric used by the DLIWG to assess factors influencing department chair release time, six departments – Biology, Mathematics, Welding, Composition and Literary Studies, Automotive Technology and Outdoor Power Equipment, and Professional Nursing – score significantly higher than all other departments assessed to date. These departments reflect a scale, scope, and level of operational complexity that warrant substantially more capacity than is currently available through standard release structures. While Professional Nursing already operates with full release, it is included here for purposes of comparison and analytical clarity, as it has been part of the DLIWG’s review.
While a central goal of the DLIWG is to advance distributed leadership, a core and complementary tenet of this work is ensuring that leadership release is systematic, well-calibrated, and aligned to demonstrated departmental need. In order to distribute leadership equitably across Academic Affairs, we must also ensure appropriate relief for department chairs across the full range of department size and complexity. For departments at this high extreme end of the spectrum, the current release structure does not adequately account for the scope of required leadership work, and this need cannot be overlooked.
We therefore propose a Spring 2026 initial implementation phase in which the department chairs of these top 10-15% outlier departments receive full release time, or as close to full release as scheduling and staffing realities allow, for the duration of the spring semester. We recognize that implementing full release may be challenging given that spring schedules are largely finalized; however, the intent is to provide the maximum feasible level of support during this period.
The purpose of this initial implementation phase is twofold. First, it would enable these chairs to fully engage in the breadth of leadership responsibilities required in departments of this magnitude. Second, it would allow the DLIWG to conduct a structured debrief with this group at key points of the semester to identify themes associated with increased release time. These findings would directly inform the DLIWG’s ongoing work, including considerations around appropriate release levels and ideal contract length for chairs in large and complex departments.
We view this initial implementation phase as an assessment-focused strategy that would generate critical data to guide equitable and sustainable leadership structures for Academic Year 2027 and beyond. We appreciate your consideration of this request and welcome any guidance or questions as we refine the Spring 2026 approach.
Thank you for your continued support.
Take good care,
Beth & Brandon
DLIWG Co-Chairs
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