David D. Perlmutter is a professor in the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University. He stepped down as dean of the college in 2023 after holding the position since 2013. He writes the Admin 101 column for The Chronicle.
Stories by This Author
Advice
Too many searches, especially in this buyer’s market, fail to woo job candidates with kindness and professionalism.
Advice
You want the campus to give your trial balloon a fair shot. Here’s how to succeed in the prototype phase.
Advice
Sending out feelers is a time-honored administrative tradition, but it backfires all too often in higher ed.
Advice
How to build authentic personal and professional friendships as you climb the administrative ranks.
Advice
The assumption is true that the higher you go in administration, the fewer friendships you’ll have on the campus — sometimes for good reason.
Advice
Generative AI is just one more crisis for administrators, but it may very well be the one with the most long-term effects on institutions and careers.
Advice
What to consider when you’re negotiating an administrative compensation package at a typical (nonelite) institution.
Advice
“Working too hard and too long” — a norm for the modern administrator — is contributing to the high turnover rate.
Advice
Serious times call for serious leaders. But every administrator must guard against doom-and-gloom messaging.
Advice
As an administrator, you will refuse plenty of requests. But part of the job is knowing how to be professional when your own ideas are spurned.
