Degree Name
EdD (Doctor of Education)
Program
Educational Leadership
Date of Award
12-2026
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Don Good
Committee Members
Susan Epps, Michael Hoff
Abstract
Department chairs are responsible for leading academic departments in higher education. These individuals regularly make important decisions regarding such things as managing faculty and academic programming, overseeing budgets, and supporting student needs. Despite these responsibilities, many people become department chairs without receiving formal leadership training. This study explored how kinesiology department chairs across the United States viewed their preparation for the role and the importance of leadership training. A total of 111 department chairs completed an online survey about their background, previous training, and the importance of training for different administrative responsibilities. The results showed that most chairs had little formal leadership training before taking the position, even though they believed training was important for many aspects of the job, including managing budgets, evaluating faculty, overseeing academic programs, and resolving conflicts. These findings suggest that colleges and universities should provide more leadership development and mentoring opportunities to better prepare future kinesiology department chairs for their administrative responsibilities.
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
O’Neil, Kason, "Kinesiology Department Chairs’ Perceptions of their Training and Preparation" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4764. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4764
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
