This series of professional resources focuses on need-to-know skills universal to all department chairs no matter the discipline. Often times a department chair is put into their new administrative role with little to no training in the areas of management that apply even in an academic setting, and the aim of these books is to provide the new, or even more experienced, department chair with the information they need in order to carry out the functions of their role with efficiency, skill, and excellence.

These books and the impact they’ve made on thousands of department chairs throughout the country, are the legacy of founder and publisher of Anker Publishing, Jim Anker. Anker Publishing was acquired by Jossey-Bass, an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, in 2007.

The Essential Department Chair: A Practical Guide to College Administration By Jeffrey L. Buller Paperback, May 2008 US $35.00

The Department Chair Primer: Leading and Managing Academic Departments By Don Chu Paperback, May 2008 US $25.00

Effective Leadership Communication: A Guide for Department Chairs and Deans for Managing Difficult Situations and People By Mary Lou Higgerson, Teddi A. Joyce Hardcover, May 2008 US $40.00

The Academic Chair's Handbook, 2nd Edition By Daniel W. Wheeler, Alan T. Seagren, Linda Wysong Becker, Edward R. Kinley, Dara D. Mlinek, Kenneth J. Robson Hardcover, April 2008 US $40.00

Chairing Academic Departments: Traditional and Emerging Expectations By N. Douglas Lees Hardcover, April 2007 US $40.00

Academic Leadership: A Practical Guide to Chairing the Department, 2nd Edition By Deryl R. Leaming Hardcover, November 2006 US $45.00

Engaging Departments: Moving Faculty Culture From Private to Public, Individual to Collective Focus for the Common Good By Kevin Kecskes (Editor), Eugene Rice (Foreword by) Hardcover, June 2006 US $40.00

The Research-Productive Department: Strategies from Departments That Excel By Carol J. Bland, Anne Marie Weber-Main, Sharon Marie Lund, Deborah A. Finstad Hardcover, September 2004 US $40.00

Managing People: A Guide for Department Chairs and Deans By Deryl R. Leaming (Editor) Hardcover, November 2003 US $40.00

Departments that Work: Building and Sustaining Cultures of Excellence in Academic Programs By Jon F. Wergin, Estela Mara Bensimon (Foreword by) Hardcover, December 2002 US $38.00

The Department Chair's Role in Developing New Faculty into Teachers and Scholars By Estela Mara Benisimon, Kelly Ward, Karla Sanders, William M. Plater (Foreword by) Paperback, May 2000 US $35.00

Communication Skills for Department Chairs By Mary Lou Higgerson, William E. Cashin (Foreword by), Walter H. Gmelch (Introduction) Hardcover, August 1996 US $40.00