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Department Chair Resources

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Department Chairs and Academic Program Directors are faculty members who agree to serve as academic leaders within their home department. They are the primary link between the College administration and the faculty and the success of their academic programs depends in large part on their effective leadership and management skills.

The resources in this section are provided to help Department Chairs and Academic Program Directors improve their performance and contributions to the University.

Transition from Faculty to Chair

Look Before You Leap: Transitions from Faculty to Administration

A discussion of 10 issues which are often stumbling blocks in the transition from faculty to administration.

Frequency of surprises – There are constant interruptions and changes in plans. It makes for an unpredictable work schedule. Flexibility is key, both intellectually and emotionally. Can you tolerate it?
Multitasking – Administrators need to be able to “turn on a dime” in terms of priorities, shifting workload, and meeting unexpected deadlines. There is never the luxury of working on only one project at a time. A good administrator can shift full concentration from one thing to another instantly, but still keep everything moving forward at once. It is like fighting a war on many fronts. Are you prepared for this?
Voice changes – The administrator is no longer heard as a faculty member (first big lesson), but rather as the voice of the organization. Even a raw, brainstorming idea may be taken as new policy if not properly packaged (second big lesson). The personal voice is often lost. What is not said becomes as important as what is said.

Roles and Responsibilities of Department Chairs

While many institutions still stipulate that department chairs have a record of scholarship and publication, all institutions expect chairs to be more than a role model or figurehead. Department faculty seek a strong advocate, a consensus builder, a budget wizard, and a superb manager. Academic deans and provosts seek department chairs who have superb managerial and communication skills, and are able to implement university policies and directives.

The lengthy list of department chair responsibilities can be organized into the following categories: department governance and office management; curriculum and program development; faculty matters; student matters; communication with external publics; financial and facilities management; data management; and institutional support.
Chairs often experience conflict over whether they are primarily a faculty person with some administrative responsibilities or an administrator with some faculty responsibilities. Nonetheless, chairs are not without power and it is valuable to understand the sources of power at their command. Generally speaking, the power of higher education administrators can be categorized into three types, depending on how and from where it is acquired—namely, power from authority, position power, and personal power.

Transitions and Transformations: The Making of Department Chairs

Examines the theory behind leadership and applies to it models that are aligned with the leadership skills needed for successful chair leadership.

The first transition model we have is that offered by John Bennett in 1983. Bennett suggested that there were three major transformations that would face anyone upon becoming a department chair. One was the transition from specialist to generalist. The second is moving from being an individualist to being a person running a collective. The last transition Bennett points to is the refocusing of loyalty from one’s discipline to the institution.
The most stressful change chairs face is the sheer volume of tasks they are expected to execute. We know this from questionnaires administered at the American Council on Education chair workshops. The expanded task list which all chairs struggle with makes time management seem like the key to peace and sanity. And there is no doubt that on becoming a chair, the incumbent will need to organize time differently.
Perhaps the most shocking change for any department chair is the alteration that takes place in human relationships. A powerful lament on the part of chairs concerns the shift that takes place in their relationships with department colleagues. This may be the greatest source of stress for new chairs.

Chronicle of Higher Education - "Is it Really That Tough"

Opinion column by Todd A. Diacon, former Chairman of the History Department at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

The toughest part of the department head’s job comes from the fact that you encounter every day the people most affected by your decisions.
The tension comes from the narratives that faculty members develop to explain decisions and policies made above them. Most of the time, those narratives interpret actions and policies as the products of arrogance, misunderstanding, and even incompetence. Such conclusions are easy to reach because professors do not have the information that a dean has with which to understand the challenges of the moment, and they are not under pressure from others (in the central administration) to make changes.
The best reason to be a department head is because it provides a unique opportunity for learning. You learn new skills as a counselor, a coach, and a confidant. You learn the importance of fund-raising, and, in the process, meet fascinating people from outside the university.

Chronicle of Higher Education - "Do Your Job Better"

Opinion column by Michael C. Munger, Chair of the Political Science Department at Duke University.

You will never have more friends than you have right now. When you first take over as chair, you should connect with members of the department you may not know well, or have considered aloof or even unfriendly. Don’t make enemies by assuming they are not friends. Once you have lost a friend, it’s hard to get that person back. Above all, never choose short-run gains at the cost of making enemies.
How can I help? Ask questions, and listen to the answers. Some of the responses will be simple kvetching, but even there your faculty will appreciate the fact that you listened. After you listen, ask, “What one thing could I do to make your work better, and your life easier?” There are lots of little problems that you as chair can fix in less than five minutes. There is a reason why successful politicians spend resources on constituency service.
We should talk. Extinguish e-mail flame wars. Somebody has to be the grown-up; why not you? Some days I get 250 new e-mail messages. More than a few of them make me angry, and I often type an angry response. Then I delete it and write, “We should talk.” This is an invitation, as well as a demonstration of authority. Few people will say in person the horrible things they say in an e-mail message. Furthermore, angry e-mails are written records of your mistakes. Don’t get trapped into an angry, poorly thought-out response you will regret two minutes after you hit send.

Advice for Becoming a Successful Chair/Director

Secrets of Successful Chairs

How successful chairs manage the experience of being chair, what helped them to be successful, and what experiences encouraged them to pursue their work.

Chairs find their work exhilarating when they can obtain resources for the department, implement their vision, and create a positive environment.
The four recurrent responses centered on frustration when chairs were thwarted from obtaining resources for their departments, when their visions were blocked, when there were unresolved conflicts, and when there were endless reports to be written.
As a new chair, recognize at the outset that you know more than you think you do. Believe in yourself and your convictions.

Leadership Self-Assessment

Rate yourself on 10 leadership behaviors to get an overall indication of your willingness to accept leadership responsibilities while maintaining the respect of your faculty members

Are you able to give direction when needed without taking over (dominating) the functions of the staff.
Are you able to put in considerably more work than other faculty members without feeling resentment.
Are you able to recognize the benefit of diverse perspectives and participation even if it means increased conflict.

What Do Provosts and Deans Want from Chairs?

Comments abounded such as “Act like a leader!” and “If you see an issue, propose an alternative strategy or approach. Don’t just complain.”
You can talk all you want about the right CAO “goals” and department chair “work,” but if you don’t have good people and good judgment, no amount of analysis and system building will ever make you a success as an academic administrator.
The modern department chair is the lynchpin of the academic organization as it moves away from the mid-20th-century hierarchical model to the more free-form and flat 21st-century “knowledge worker” model. The call is less and less for chairs to serve as middle “managers” and more and more for chairs to think and respond as middle “leaders.”

Time Management for More Effective Results

A survey of the relevant literature on time management suggests that a well-organized workspace is essential. By eliminating clutter, setting up an effective filing system, gathering essential tools, and managing workflow, chairpersons can easily organize an effective workspace.
Many of the experts on time management agree that the most effective workers act on an item the first time it is touched. Although difficult at first, the practice can become habitual, and is made easier by remembering the four Ds: 1) delete it, 2) delegate it, 3) do it, or 4) defer it.
The basic steps in planning include 1) setting goals, 2) listing tasks, 3) setting priorities, and 4) implementing the plan. For academic chairpersons, calendars, project lists, and lists organized by categories of responsibilities are among the most effective management tools for setting goals, scheduling tasks, and implementing plans.

Words of Advice from Chairs and Dean

Be an advocate and mentor for your faculty. A new chair should have a conversation with every member of the department. What does each faculty member want, professionally? What obstacles may be in his or her way? How can the chair best help the faculty member achieve his/her goals? If your faculty sense your empathy for their needs and your willingness to advocate for them, they will be supportive when you are the bearer of bad news from above.
The real authority you have as a chairperson does not reside in your title but in how you lead. Treat all people with respect, even those who might not seem to merit it. Listen and learn; be open to the ideas you hear, and understand the opinions colleagues express to you. But don’t be overly credulous. React (calmly) when people have bad ideas or curious notions, gently pointing out the illogic and working to shape better action.
Ask for advice – from colleague chairs, from your dean, from senior colleagues who are living repositories of departmental history and mores, and especially from secretaries, whose trust you need to cultivate and whose practical knowledge of intra- and extra-departmental matters can be as invaluable as it is encyclopedic.

University of Wisconsin: “Enhancing Department Climate: A Chair’s Role”

Enhance basic manners by issuing a policy statement that makes it clear that all individuals in the department – faculty, staff, and students – are to be treated with dignity and respect; that differential treatment of women and men, and minorities and non-minorities is not appropriate and will not be tolerated.
Improve communication by clearly and honestly communicating departmental values, intentions, expectations – and act in accordance with them.
Build a sense of community by giving governance to all groups in your department. For example, make sure you have representation from the academic and classified staff, and from post-doctoral and graduate students at all departmental meetings. Consider giving these non-faculty representatives voting rights on certain departmental matters that effect them.

Effective Communication for Conflict Resolution

Presentation by Matthew Cole, PhD., Psychology Program Director, Lawrence Tech

Conflict resolution is a process of working through opposing views in order to reach a common goal or mutual purpose.

To be an effective communicator, we must listen.

55% of communication is nonverbal.
38% is in the tone of the voice.
7% of effective communication is the words.

Keys to effective conflict resolution:

Consider changing how you react to the person
Stay flexible
Check out the facts first
Act with respect for yourself and others
Own your feelings – making “I” statements
Focus on solving the problem, not placing blame
There’s no time like the present
Change how you react to the person

Recruiting, Mentoring, and Evaluating Faculty

Considerations in Recruiting Full-time, Tenure-eligible Faculty

A list of steps and strategies used to recruit and hire full-time faculty members.

The more thoroughly a department examines the external and internal environments, before it presents a request to fill a position, the better the case it can make for launching a search.
Though often overlooked, the existence of a published strategy can spell the difference between success and failure. The search strategy weaves together all the succeeding steps in the process, linking them to a specific timetable. While schedule adjustments are inevitable as the process unfolds, an explicit written schedule will make it easier for adjustments to be made in ways that will keep the overall process on track.
Once the offer is made, you may contact and sound out the candidate. A call from the chair can impress upon the candidate that the department really wants him/her to come. After all, it is the department that will be the person’s future “intellectual home.”

Marjorie Olmstead: “Mentoring Junior Faculty”

Make the Expectations and Criteria for Promotion Clear
Facilitate the Acquisition of Resources to Meet these Expectations
Give Frequent and Accurate Feedback
Reduce the Impediments to Progress towards Promotion

Kina Mallard: “Preparing for Academic Performance Appraisal”

Faculty are typically evaluated in three areas: teaching effectiveness, research and productivity, and service to the institution and community. The chair or dean should prepare evaluation criteria in advance and share these criteria with each faculty. The criteria must align with the institutional requirements and mission.
Determining development goals involves a process called performance mapping. Performance mapping stems from the path-goal theory of leadership. In the educational context, the chair or dean helps the faculty member determine professional goals for the future and maps a plan that guides the faculty member toward the determined goals.
In addition to the administrator’s preparation, the faculty member must also be encouraged to prepare. The chair or dean has the responsibility of coaching the faculty member for the interview. Too often faculty enter their evaluation interview unaware and unprepared. This only adds to the inherent anxiety and frustration that is experienced by both parties.

Position Analysis Process

An overview or preface to the job analysis process – why it’s important and so helpful.

Blank Job Analysis Form

Adjunct Faculty

Each department is responsible for evaluating the performance of all adjunct faculty. This document summarizes how each department handles evaluations. Please direct questions to the appropriate department chair.

Managing Department/Program Budgets

Managing Tight Budgets

If department resources are used to support a student organization, consider what percentage of the majors participate and whether the organization’s activities benefit individual students and the department’s efforts to increase retention. Similarly, the department should ask whether the money spent on student workers provides optimal benefit to the department. In sum, assess whether the benefits received warrant the faculty time and department funds spent on the activity. Knowing the return on the investment of time and budget can be useful in deciding which tasks might be eliminated.
Advances in technology make it possible to provide interactive experiences for students and faculty with professionals at other locations without leaving campus. Technology can also permit departments to teach more students in a single class section while providing differentiated instruction. Many departments have successfully incorporated smart classrooms as a way of delivering classroom instruction to a greater number of students. These technologically enhanced classrooms permit the integration of PowerPoint presentations, video and DVD feeds, document cameras, direct connection to Internet sites, and other such instructional tools.
Tracking course attrition can yield significant savings for the department. In particular, it is helpful to track the typical first-week drop rate for each course section and use this information to reduce the number of empty seats in each class. No matter the cap on a course, empty seats represent wasted resources. If the chair knows how many students typically drop a class during the first week, it becomes possible to prevent any loss by adding that number of students above the cap. No extra work for faculty, the wait list ensures students are told day one that a class is available.

Tips for Managing the Department Budget

Look for ways to save money by linking requests. I have found that equipment goals and needs among faculty are quite often similar, so we can purchase multitasking equipment that serves a variety of needs for more than one faculty member.
Avoid ad hoc responses to budget needs. Think about the whole year. I recommend a semi-conservative attitude: Hold back a significant portion of the money budgeted for equipment until near the end of the current budget year. This allows for: 1) Emergencies, such as vital equipment failure and immediate replacement; 2) Very extensive planning with the most widespread input; 3) Trade-offs between faculty regarding equipment requests.
Run a transparent budget. Faculty are very apprehensive about raises for the coming year and in the future. The best policy is complete openness and continuous updates about the budget and salaries. Keeping everyone informed about budget developments helps minimize undue concerns and negative attitudes.

Emerging Role of the Chair in Fund-Raising

Get help from the experts. Work with others in your university, particularly members of the University’s advancement and development team. Also, contact other departments or units on campus who have achieved some success in development and apply what worked for them.
Remember that everything you do now lays a foundation for a gift in the future. The more time and energy you invest now, the more likely your plan will be a success.
There are always donors out there, including one or two big donors. The challenge is find them and help them understand why they should contribute to your department.

Office of the Provost Department Chair Resources