Idaho State University College of Business
Founding Chair of Informatics and Computer Science Duties and Responsibilities: Interface with the deans of the College of Business and the College of Science and Engineering to administer a department that capitalizes on the strengths of two colleges. Identify and harness the synergies between two similar but different programs in order to reduce redundancies and strengthen both programs while maintaining their individual identities. Analyze and determine factors that differentiate our programs from others in order to promote a competitive advantage. Key Accomplishments: Successfully managed the merger of the Computer Information Systems department in the College of Business and the Computer Science department in the College of Science and Engineering. Led, or played a significant role in successful searches for four Health Informatics professors two informatics and CS professors of practice one dual Systems Administrator/Informatics professor one dual Systems Administrator/Computer Science professor four Computer Science professors Teamed with the department to overhaul the Business Informatics undergraduate curriculum. Teamed with the department to overhaul the Health Informatics undergraduate curriculum. Teamed with the department to overhaul the Computer Science undergraduate curriculum. Directed the genesis of the Health Informatics graduate curriculum. Collaborated with the dean in the development of a proposal for a Master of Science in Health Informatics. Managed the approval process and rollout of the Master of Science in Health Informatics degree. Collaborated with the department in the development of a proposal for a Master of Science in Computer Science. Managed the approval process and rollout of the Master of Science in Computer Science degree. Collaborated with the department in the development of a proposal for a Master of Science in Data Analytics. Partnered with the dean to formulate a proposal for a School of Informatics and Computational Sciences. Crafted a successful proposal for Informatics and Programming I to serve as a General Education requirement. Participated in our 2016 AACSB accreditation.	2013–2021
Chair of Computer Information Systems Duties and Responsibilities: Plan curriculum in consultation with the department faculty in terms of department goals and university mission. Plan course development and review in consultation with the department faculty in terms of department goals and university mission. Oversee department marketing and communications, including department websites and social networking sites. Provide leadership for the department in all professional matters, including coordinating activities and maintaining high-quality performance in teaching and research. Give leadership and needed oversight to all initiatives related to teaching, service, research, and development. Key Accomplishments: Completed the American Council on Education (ACE) Leadership Academy for Department Chairs. Crafted a successful proposal for Digital Information Literacy to serve as a General Education requirement. Chaired a successful search for our initial faculty member specializing in Health Informatics.	2012–2013

The Department of Informatics and Computer Science is more complex than typical departments because it resides in and spans two colleges and offers multiple undergraduate degrees in Informatics and Computer Science, and a Master of Science in Computer Science. Leading a diverse department often offers special challenges, requiring an individual with the breadth to deal with a wide range of issues, people, institutions, and constituencies.

• Administrative Milestones

  Year	Date	Milestone
  2019	January - March	Member of ISU Polytechnic Institute Search Committee for Cluster Hire of five faculty
  	February 8	Proposal to relocate the MS in Health Informatics degree from the College of Business to the College of Health Professions within the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences approved by the State Board of Education
  2018	December 20	Proposal for MS in Computer Science approved by State Board of Education
  	November 15	Proposal for major curriculum upgrade for the BS in Computer Science approved by Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
  	March 5	Successful CS faculty search (Bodily)
  	January 18	Proposal for MS in Computer Science submitted for preliminary approvals
  	January 2	Successful CS lecturer/Systems Admin search (McGregor)
  2017	December 15	Successful CS faculty search (Griffith)
  	July 7	Completed Director of Health Informatics search (Payne)
  	May 5	Departure of three informatics faculty (Srinivasan, Bozan, Kordzadeh)
  	March 6	Successful BI faculty search (Houghton)
  	February 10	AACSB accreditation extended
  2016	October 17	AACSB visit
  	August 21	Soft rollout of Master of Science in Health Informatics
  2015	August 13	Approval of Master of Science in Health Informatics by State Board of Education
  	May 12	Genesis of the Applied Informatics Team
  	May 8	Retirement of clinical informatics faculty search (Naas)
  2014	November 18	Successful clinical informatics faculty search (Holmes)
  	November 10	Successful CS faculty search (Edwards)
  	October 16	Business Informatics name change and curriculum revisions approved by UCC
  	October 16	Health Informatics name change and curriculum revisions approved by UCC
  	October 10	INFO 1181 approved as General Ed Critical Thinking Objective
  	October 9	Proposal for MS in Health Informatics submitted to Graduate Council
  	September 1	Arrival of Visiting Faculty from RMIT Australia
  	August 3	Successful clinical statistics faculty search (Peterson)
  	July 29	ICS approved for membership in NCWIT Academic Alliance
  	January 16	Successful clinical Informatics professor/Systems Admin search (Houghton)
  2013	November 20	Business Informatics curriculum revision approved
  	November 20	Health Informatics curriculum revision approved
  	October 10	Successful Informatics faculty search #3 (Kordzadeh)
  	October 9	Successful Informatics faculty search #2 (Bozan)
  	August 21	Named chair of Informatics and Computer Science
  	March 19	Successful Informatics faculty search #1 (Srinivasan)
  2012	November 13	CIS 1101 approved as General Ed Information Literacy Objective
  	October 15-16	Attended American Council on Education (ACE) Leadership Academy for Department Chairs
  	July 22	Began serving as chair of CIS

• Leadership Philosophy

  Leadership involves more than carrying out administrative duties like planning, assessing, monitoring, coordinating, hiring, firing, etc. A leader is responsible for leading people. An academic leader's responsibilities subsume both leadership and administration.

  Here are some traits that I consider vital to a leader:

  • Supportive: An academic leader must advocate for their College and faculty, even while supporting students, their administrative superiors, and other stakeholders.
  • Stakeholder-oriented: Administrators are the primary spokespersons for their faculty, staff, and students. They are responsible for implementing policies for central administration.
  • Progressive: A leader must be forward-thinking, proactive, innovative, and willing to embrace change. While this is demanded of all leaders, it is especially critical to a leader in any technology-driven discipline.
  • Decisive: While it is critical to gather as many facts as possible before making decision, it is vital to be able to make a decision.
  • Transformational: A leader must lead faculty through change by identifying where changes needed to be made and then moving the department in the corresponding direction.
  • Collaborative: Academic leaders must embrace shared governance. Whenever possible faculty should be involved in the decision-making process. A leader should work toward establishing a consensus whenever possible, but avoid leading by consensus. A leader should not be afraid to rely on others for help and must be willing to delegate.
  • Fair: All faculty members should be treated equitably and, whenever possible, equally. While it is vital to recognize faculty achievements or service, no faculty member should ever feel marginalized. A leader should never give special treatment in exchange for support.
  • Considerate: A leader should treat others with consideration. A leader should act as a mentor and set a good example, listen and respond thoughtfully to people's concerns, rely on the wisdom and experience of others, and care about those with whom he or she works.
  • Receptive: A leader must be willing to listen to honest feedback. Leaders who surround themselves with "yes men" do themselves a disservice. Every leader needs people who are not afraid to call attention to ill-advised decisions. A successful leader must be honest, fair, and open to new ideas, and must realize that he or she isn't always right.
  • Transparent: While a leader must take into account a multitude of political, financial, and environmental factors when making any decision, he or she should share facts and constraints with faculty whenever possible.
• Leadership Aspects

  The following is a list of leadership aspects to which I aspire*.

  • Excellence: Exemplifies excellence, and expects it in students, faculty, and staff.
  • Creative and daring: Thinks and acts innovatively, as befits a proactive school.
  • Morale Boosting: Avoids a culture of negativity; cultivates enthusiastic, constructive engagement and collaboration – a fun and lively place of learning.
  • Principled: Works with openness, fairness, and integrity, and strives to earn the trust of those who report to her/him, and those to whom s/he reports.
  • Responsible: Accepts responsibility for hard decisions, placing student success and the university's core values ahead of personal and political loyalties.
  • Inquisitive: Embraces transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, visionary, and experiential approaches to teaching and learning.
  • Cosmopolitan: Encourages and seeks diversity and pluralism along many dimensions.
  • Managerial: Has experience with the intricacies of administration, delegating where appropriate, but informed on processes and procedures.
  • Ambassadorial: Can represent the department, college, and university to external stakeholders in a way that is accurate and engaging.
  • Encouraging: Acknowledges the importance of professional growth in his/her own administrative role, and supports and encourages it for faculty and staff as well.

  *Adapted from Kevin Kirby, Dean of the College of Informatics at Northern Kentucky University.

• Administrative Responsibilities

  Having previously served as the Chair of the Department of Computer Information Systems, I became chair of the Department of Informatics and Computer Science when it was formed in 2013 from the strategic alliance between the CIS department in the College of Business and the Computer Science program in the College of Science and Engineering.

  The Department of Informatics and Computer Science is housed jointly within the ISU College of Business and the College of Science and Engineering, and faculty report to their original college through the chair. As department chair I report to both college deans, with the dean of the College of Business taking the lead.

  The Computer Science faculty consists of the program coordinator, two professors who, prior to the program consolidation, held joint appointments in both Computer Science and Computer Information Systems, two new hires with exceptional qualifications, and two additional faculty lines that will be affiliated with the Polytechnic on our Idaho Falls campus.

  The Informatics faculty consists of the Dean of the College of Business, the aforementioned two professors with joint appointments, one tenure trackprofessor who specializes in networking and systems architecture, the new Director of Health Informatics, a Professor of Practice who teaches software development courses in both disciplines, and another PRofessor of Practice who teaches courses in both informatics and computer science. The Informatics and Computer Science Department is closely affiliated with the Informatics Research Institute, which offers the Information Assurance Program.

  My responsibilities include directing and overseeing all matters related to the department including accreditation, program planning and review, developing and achieving annual goals and objectives, and faculty training, supervision, and development. I also serve as liaison to the University and both Colleges. My duties and responsibilities include the following:

  Department Administration:

  1. Provide leadership for the department in all professional matters, including coordinating activities and maintaining high-quality performance in teaching and research.
  2. Give leadership and needed oversight to all matters related to planning and marketing, and all initiatives related to teaching, service, research, and development.
  3. Conduct regular department meetings; establish department committees as needed.
  4. Develop and maintain department policies — in consultation with faculty — related to students particularly in the area of admission to department major, approve graduation lists, supervise teaching major and minor programs, determine students’ eligibility, help direct graduate work and research in the department.
  5. Supervise compliance to all university, college, and department policies and procedures and initiate periodic review and/or proposed revision of the same.
  6. Oversee department marketing and communications, including department websites and social networking sites.
  7. Responsible for a small department budget that covers office supplies, equipment, communication, travel, and accreditation expenses.
  8. Interact with area employers and alumni to promote the program and its students for internships and employment opportunities for graduates.
  9. Work with the college’s development officer to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward philanthropic gifts.

  Curriculum and Instruction:

  1. Give leadership and needed oversight to all matters related to accreditation.
  2. Oversee development and review of academic programs and offerings.
  3. Plan curriculum in consultation with the department faculty in terms of department goals and university mission.
  4. Plan course development and review in consultation with the department faculty in terms of department goals and university mission.
  5. In consultation with department faculty, schedule classes, develop catalog copy, provide and coordinate teaching area with faculty experience and goals.

  Faculty Matters:

  1. Provide overall leadership and direction to department faculty.
  2. Assign responsibilities such as teaching and intra department committee work.
  3. Encourage a collegial and positive department environment that promotes excellence in teaching, research, and service.
  4. Develop and implement a fair and balanced workload policy.
  5. Supervise and evaluate faculty performance, encourage the development of faculty member’s special talents or interests, and encourage good teaching in the department.
  6. Ensure the timely completion of faculty activity reports and annual evaluations. Give periodic feedback and coaching to faculty as needed.
  7. Oversee all matters related to faculty recruitment and retention; organize and conduct the search process for new faculty, including writing job postings, assessing candidate qualifications, conducting telephone interviews, organizing campus visits, and verifying references.
  8. Recruit and supervise adjunct faculty.
  9. Oversee textbook orders for all faculty including adjuncts.
  10. Provide or arrange mentoring for new faculty in teaching, research, and service.
  11. Organize and oversee the work of department committees as needed.
  12. Facilitate and encourage faculty members’ participation in professional meetings and other professional activities.
  13. Assist junior faculty with promotion and tenure issues.
  14. Approve time reporting and travel funding for department faculty.

  Student Matters:

  1. Assist with student recruitment, including the preparation of department brochures and information for student recruitment, as well as admissions and retention policies and activities.
  2. Direct and oversee all matters related to advising and counseling students.
  3. Promote student professional organizations and encourage faculty and student interaction.
  4. Maintain an open and responsive communication policy with students and meet with student representatives as needed.
  5. Assist students with prerequisite requirements, overrides, petitions, and course scheduling issues.
  6. In consultation with the dean and associate dean, participate in the student appeals process.
  7. Conduct student exit interviews as appropriate.
  8. Coordinate the promotion and administration of student scholarships; continue to develop new student scholarship opportunities.
  9. Approve and oversee student internships as necessary.

  College Matters:

  1. Undertake all educational and/or administrative tasks as assigned by the dean.
  2. Represent the department in the college executive committee, which meets weekly to provide recommendations to the dean.
  3. Represent the department in interactions with the Leadership Board, which works with the College and the Dean to promote, direct, advocate, and assist College leadership, while raising the College brand internally and externally.
  4. Provide input to the dean as requested to assist in his day-to-day decision making.
  5. Review and make recommendations to the dean on all matters related to appointments, promotions, tenure, changes in salaries, leaves of absence, sabbaticals, periodic performance reviews, dismissals, or other matters affecting department faculty.
  6. Assist in communicating issues and directives of the dean to department faculty.
  7. Keep department faculty members informed of department, college, and institutional plans, activities, and initiatives.
  8. Represent department interests to the Administration.
  9. Serve as a liaison between the department and other departments both within and beyond the college, recognizing and developing strategies to best derive benefits from similarities in teaching or research topics.
  10. Interact with Central Advising to promote the department and its programs.

  General Duties:

  1. Assist in budget decisions at the college level; encourage faculty members to submit proposals for grants; set priorities for use of travel funds; manage department facilities and equipment.
• Recent Performance Evaluations
  • 2019
    

    Performance is Exceptional (denotes extraordinary performance that is well beyond that expected of faculty member relative to current faculty rank and position description)

    Dr. Parker is a bright spot here at ISU and is a model for a department chair.

  • 2018
    

    Performance is Exceptional (denotes extraordinary performance that is well beyond that expected of faculty member relative to current faculty rank and position description)

    Dr. Parker is a valued member of the College of Business leadership team, as well as a productive researcher and solid teacher.

    Dr. Parker published two peer-reviewed publications in 2018 and has several projects in progress; given his administrative duties, his research output exceeds expectations.

    Dr. Parker's administrative duties and leadership are also beyond what one would expect. His department spans two colleges, and as such, he attends chair and/or executive committee meetings for both the College of Business and the College of Science and Engineering. His search committee work load has been especially heavy in 2018, with searches for two computer science positions, an informatics position, and five faculty members in the Polytechnic cluster hire. He also mentors our new faculty.

    Dr. Parker will complete his sixth year as Chair of Informatics and Computer Science ﴾ICS﴿. Dr. Parker’s department straddles the College of Business and the College of Science and Engineering. While the department is currently small in size with only six faculty total, it is growing and aligned with the Polytechnic in Idaho Falls. That said, Dr. Parker currently has the traditional 9-month appointment of a regular faculty member.

    Dr. Parker’s annual activity report gives convincing evidence that he is an energetic colleague who performs all components of his job with considerable skill and insight. The Dean is particularly grateful for his deft handling of a particularly difficult personnel issue, the resolution of which placed additional workload on Kevin. I also appreciate his interest in and service to the Polytechnic. Kevin’s involvement with and mentoring of new faculty along with the re-shaping of the CS curriculum is both timely and wise. Moreover, his mentoring of new faculty and interest in the long term development of his department augurs well for the continued growth and stability of the CS program. I consider Kevin’s input to be invaluable to CoSE as we build a meaningful teaching and research presence in Computer Science.

  • 2017
    

    Performance is Exceptional (denotes extraordinary performance that is well beyond that expected of faculty member relative to current faculty rank and position description)

    Dr. Parker oversees the undergraduate programs in business informatics and health informatics, as well as the graduate program in health informatics. I addition, he oversees the computer science program, a program jointly administered with the College of Science and Engineering. Yet, despite this significant administrative burden, he has maintained an outstanding level of scholarly productivity and, as always, excelled in the classroom. For these reasons, I disagree with Dr. Parker’s self-rating and assign a rating of "Performance is Exceptional."

  • 2012
    

    Performance is Exceptional (denotes extraordinary performance that is well beyond that expected of faculty member relative to current faculty rank and position description)

    Dr. Parker has assigned himself a rating of “Performance is Above Expectations.” I disagree. For more than a decade Dr. Parker has consistently maintained a rating on student evaluations that place him at or near the top of the faculty in the College of Business. He has done this while maintaining very rigorous standards in his classes. In addition, due to personnel and staffing problems within the Department of Computer Information Systems, Dr. Parker has nearly single-handedly delivered the entire curriculum for approximately one hundred CIS majors. If this wasn’t burdensome enough, Dr. Parker tirelessly support new initiatives, rapidly evolving curriculum, and supports the College whenever and wherever he can. For these reasons the College of Business is deeply appreciative and indebted to Dr. Parker. I assign him an Annual Evaluation rating of "Performance is Exceptional."