Overview

Academic leaders face distinctive challenges in sustaining scholarly writing while managing complex administrative responsibilities, faculty dynamics and frequent interruptions that fragment their days. Many academic leaders experience a decline in research productivity during their administrative tenure, struggling to shift between the deep focus required for scholarly work and the reactive, people-centred demands of leadership. Without intentional strategies to protect and maximise limited writing time, academic leaders may conclude their roles with stalled projects, missed publication deadlines, and reduced scholarly momentum that can affect their post-administrative careers.

This webinar supports academic leaders in maintaining scholarly productivity alongside leadership responsibilities. Participants will explore strategies for leveraging small time blocks, establishing boundaries to protect writing from administrative demands, and transitioning efficiently between leadership and research tasks. The session will address methods for managing projects during high-interruption periods, delegating effectively to create writing space, and sustaining long-term scholarly momentum despite irregular schedules.

Participants will also consider ways to integrate administrative experiences into their scholarly work, maintain engagement with their research field during leadership, and plan strategically for post-administrative research re-entry. The workshop will provide practical frameworks, templates, and personalised systems to help academic leaders emerge from their administrative roles with strengthened, rather than diminished, scholarly credentials.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this webinar, the participants will be able to:

• Identify and protect genuine writing opportunities within the demands of academic leadership.
• Implement strategies to maintain scholarly momentum, including time-blocking, delegation, and managing high-interruption schedules.
• Develop a personalised plan for post-administrative research re-entry that aligns ongoing projects with long-term scholarly goals.

Speaker Bio

Dr Ronald Tulley is Dean of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Professor of English at University of Findlay. With over 15 years of experience as a College Dean, Department Chair, and Programme Director, he has first-hand insight into the challenge of sustaining scholarly productivity alongside demanding leadership roles. He earned his PhD in Writing History and Theory from Case Western Reserve University and has extensive experience mentoring academic writing and research. He also served for four years on a tenure and promotion committee, reviewing academic dossiers and gaining deep understanding of the writing and publication expectations for academic advancement. In addition, he contributes to institutional quality and academic standards as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission. His experience as a senior academic leader, reviewer, and active scholar enables him to support academic leaders in protecting writing time, maintaining research momentum, and strengthening their scholarly profile during and after leadership service.