This article explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic department chairs. Through a survey of 172 department chairs in the United States, the central findings of this research—intensified challenges, a multidirectional leadership pivot, and competing perceptions of higher education reinvention—reinforce the liminality of the academic chairperson role, highlight the need for increased training and development opportunities for individuals engaged in this work, and offer a reminder of ensuring that the broader perspectives of department chairs are included in efforts to reinvent institutions of higher education. These findings depict crisis leadership as a required competency for academic leaders.

本文探讨了 COVID-19 大流行对学术系主任的影响。通过对美国 172 位系主任的调查，这项研究的核心发现——挑战加剧、多方向领导支点以及对高等教育重塑的相互竞争的看法——强化了学术主席角色的界限，强调了增加培训的必要性和从事这项工作的个人的发展机会，并提醒人们确保将系主任的更广泛视角纳入重塑高等教育机构的努力中。这些发现将危机领导力描述为学术领导者的必备能力。