The Communication Solution: Leading Successful Change in Higher Education by Stacy M. Smulowitz is the right book at the right time. As institutions of higher education across the globe prepare for unprecedented changes in course delivery and organizational structure, communication is the indispensable linchpin connecting all key university members: external decision-makers, administrators, faculty, staff, students, families, and communities. Smulowitz's book centers on communication as vital now more than ever as higher education must adapt in order to survive and thrive.
-- Chrys Egan, Professor of Communication and Dean of the Fulton School of Liberal Arts, Salisbury University
At a time of great challenge in higher education, Stacy Smulowitz has provided a valuable resource. Drawing on her experience in business as well as studies of change leadership in higher education, this book provides an overview of theory as well as practical advice. Smulowitz provides a clear guide on how to think about, plan, manage, and communicate change in colleges and universities. It will be of interest to faculty who teach courses on the change process as well as administrators who are called upon to lead their institutions through significant transformation.
-- Michael J. Worth, professor, Nonprofit Management; former vice president, Development and Alumni Affairs, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Planning change is an increasingly important and popular topic across a variety of organizational settings, and nowhere is need greater than in higher education. The Communication Solution: Leading Successful Change in Higher Education helps to address this priority, and it does so in a way that translates theories of organizational change and communication theory into a practical guide for leaders at all levels.
-- Brent Ruben, PhD, distinguished professor of communication; founder and senior university fellow, Center for Organizational Leadership, Rutgers University
As a former dean and a professor of strategic communication, I found this book to be thoroughly grounded in the major foundational theories that underlie change management while also being accessible and applicable to busy academic leaders. There are few resources for professors who rise into leadership positions as chairs and deans, and this is one sets a solid framework for the challenges they will face. It's fills the gap between faddish management books and ponderous theoretical tomes.
-- Diane Gayeski, PhD, professor, strategic communications; director, MS, communications innovation, former dean, Roy H. Park School of Communications, Ithaca College
With rapid and uncertain changes in higher education, we need this book now more than ever. Smulowitz uses a storytelling approach to show real-world examples of how to successfully plan and implement change and avoid common pitfalls. Merging theories of leadership and communication, this accessible and engaging text is an essential guide for practitioners, educators, and students.
-- Carolyn Cunningham, PhD, associate professor of communication & leadership studies, School of Leadership Studies, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA
Dr. Stacy Smulowitz has created a book of incredible value to leaders in higher education. Academics are often asked to "step up" into administrative roles with little training or experience. Further, they usually find that most books about leadership and change might offer effective advice for managing within corporate cultures, but lack relevance for higher education. The Communication Solution: Leading Successful Change in Higher Education addresses the unique nature and mission of academic organizations-the diverse range of internal and external stakeholders and their needs, and the critical importance of empowering them-in laying out a roadmap for effective leadership and successful change within our institutions of higher education. Informed by theory and research, but highly accessible and useful for approaching real-world challenges, this book should be required reading for administrators at all levels of our colleges and universities.
-- Jennifer H. Waldeck, PhD, professor & associate dean of Faculty Affairs & Academic Programming, Chapman University, Orange, CA
In a book that is both grounded in theory and immensely practical, Dr. Smulowitz has provided an indispensable resource for students and seasoned leaders alike. She writes as a colleague and mentor who understands that the foundational work of self-knowledge and deep listening is as essential to organizational change as the concrete plans to enact it. Her analogies and true-to-life stories breathe context into the data and test it in the real world of organizational leadership.
-- Stephanie Russell, Vice President for Mission Integration, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
