Transformative Coaching for Faculty and Staff in Higher Education Powerful Tools to Address Institutional Challenges

Section 1: Foundations of Coaching

Introduction to Section 1

1. Coaching Fundamentals

Kathryn E. Linder

2.  A Guide to Training Programs and Pathways for Higher Education Coaches

Kathryn E. Linder

3.  The ABC and D of Identifying and Addressing Ethical Issues in Higher Education Coaching

Jessica Miller

Section 2: Growing Coaching Skills

Introduction to Section 2

4.  Getting Started: Putting Coaching into Practice as Educational Developers

Christine Moskell and Katherine S. Maynard

5.  Cultural Alignment in the Coaching Space

Anne Marie Edwards

6.  Faculty Coaching to Build Authentic Relationships

Elizabeth A. Norell

7.  Coaching Neurodivergent Clients on Campus

Elizabeth A. Norell

8.  Embodied Strategies to Develop Presence as a Coach

Susan Hrach

9.  Integrating Your Skills and Expertise into Established Coaching Practices Ethically

Laurel Iverson Hitchcock and Allison M. Curington

Section 3: Applying Coaching Skills to Specific Scenarios

Introduction to Section 3

10.  Co-creating Learning Spaces for the Future: A Coach Approach Framework

Jenn Wicks and Dana Wetherall

11.  A Partnership and Coaching Model for Teaching Observations

Jenny Hannah Moore

12.  Coaching for Productivity and Project Management

Kathryn E. Linder and Susan Robison 

13.  Chairing Faculty through Organizational Change: A Coaching Informed View

Sara Schley

14.  Reimagining Academic Writing through the Lens of Sustainable Productivity Coaching

Kate Henry

Section 4: Coaching for Specific Audiences

Introduction to Section 4

15.  Thriving in the Middle: How Coaching Can Empower Higher Ed Administrators

Kim Burns

16.  Coaching Faculty Through Professional Burnout in Higher Education

Rebecca Pope-Ruark

17.  The Complexities of Coaching in Student Affairs: A Unique Opportunity

Charles Klink, Gypsy Denzine, and Timothy L. Davey

18.  Coaching Instructional Designers and IT Professionals in Higher Education

Eric M. Stauffer

19.  Developing an Awareness of the Structural Barriers at Play for Women of Color Faculty: One Coach’s Perspective

Katherine In-Young Lee

Section 5: Coaching the Career Lifecycle

Introduction to Section 5

20.  Facilitating Faculty Acculturation: A Coaching Approach

Kimberly J. Hale

21.  Fostering a Coaching Mindset and Culture with Academic Department Chairs

Gypsy Denzine and Whitney Sherman Newcomb

22.  Coaching through a Career Curveball

Rebecca Campbell and Gypsy Denzine

23.  Walking the Tightrope: Coaching Faculty Clients Who Decide to Leave the University

Chinasa Elue

24.  A Call for Enoughness at Mid-Career

Brooke Anne Hofsess

25.  Legacy Coaching for Late-Career Faculty

Mary Carney

Section 6: Group, Team, and Peer Coaching Models

Introduction to Section 6

26.  Unlocking Potential: Group Coaching as a Strategic Tool to Enhance Organizational Effectiveness

Harry L. Price

27.  Bringing a Coaching Mindset to Educational Development

Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens

28.  Cultivating a Coaching Culture: Improving Faculty Readiness for Boundary Spanning Collaboration via Team Coaching

Jennifer W. Purcell and Misty Grayer

29.  Developing Signature Coaching Capacities to Invigorate Organizational Growth

Diane E. Boyd and Benjamin K. Haywood

Conclusion

Biography

Karen Gonzalez Rice is Professor of Art History at Connecticut College, USA.

Susan Hrach is Director of the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning and Professor of English at Columbus State University, USA.

Kathryn E. Linder is Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Innovation and Strategy at the University of Colorado Denver, USA.

Katherine S. Maynard is Director of the Teaching and Scholarship Hub at the University of Richmond, USA.

What if the most transformative tool in higher education isn’t another initiative, but a better question? This compelling volume shows how coaching—rooted in deep listening, presence, and curiosity—can unlock meaningful change across our campuses. Whether you’re an experienced or new coach in academic leadership, educational development, or career services, you’ll find fresh insights for supporting growth, navigating conflict, and cultivating more humane, effective institutions. More than a manual, this rich collection offers invitations to rethink how we lead, how we support others, and how we show up—in our institutions and in ourselves.

Michael Palmer, Professor & Barbara Fried Director, Center for Teaching Excellence, University of Virginia, USA

This book felt like a conversation I’ve been waiting to have. It brings together many thoughtful voices, people who know higher education from the inside, and offers practical insights into how coaching can support real, systemic change.

I appreciated the recognition of how coaching already lives in our day-to-day work across higher education, and found the chapter on educational development especially resonant given my own experience working with faculty.

Throughout the volume, the writing is clear and grounded, with welcome attention to ethical practice, equity, and sustainability.
Whether you are just starting out or well into the work, you will find something valuable here.

Isabeau Iqbal, Senior Educational Developer, Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, University of British Columbia, Canada; Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation 

What a joy to see the publication of this book and the timing couldn’t be better! This edited volume will find welcome readers among faculty, staff, and leaders at colleges and universities. The authors demystify coaching and share the myriad ways in which the practice has the potential to not only transform the lives of individual faculty and staff members but also transform academia and humanize the work that we do. Never has there been a more crucial period in higher education for making the case for coaching.

Mary L. Churchill, Associate Dean and Professor of the Practice, Boston University, USA

Transformative Coaching provides a comprehensive set of tools helpful to higher ed professionals across a range of faculty and staff roles and responsibilities. Chapter authors provide a complex and nuanced understanding of challenges and opportunities for coaching in the contexts of higher ed. The book offers guidance for those new to coaching as well as those looking to deepen their approaches to coaching faculty, staff, or student colleagues. Whether readers focus on key chapters or read cover to cover (highly recommended), they will find thoughtful explorations of the skills, frameworks, and mindsets that make powerful coaching experiences possible.

Deandra Little, Associate Provost of Faculty Affairs and Professor of English, Elon University, USA