The Role of the Department Chair

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The Role of the Department Chair

• James L Rosenberger
• Professor of Statistics
• Penn State University

Salt Lake City, Utah 27 July 2007
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Outline

• Creating and Implementing a Vision
• Qualities of a good chair
• Transparent Decision Making

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Vision

• Creating a vision statement for the department
  helps faculty staff and graduate students
  understand the mission of the department.
• Understand the priorities that drive the
  department
• Build a set of Goals which reflect the Ends you
  wish to achieve.

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What is a Vision Statement

• A statement to encapsulate the motivating forces
  behind the department
• Should meet The SMART and GLUE tests
• S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
  Relevant, and Timebound)
• G.L.U.E. (Guide, Legitimize, Unify, Energize)
• What does the department want to achieve and
  become?

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Example from Penn State

• Vision Statement
• The Eberly College of Science is the home of the
  basic biological, physical, and mathematical
  sciences at Penn State. We are proud to be a
  vibrant scientific community that has emerged as
  a premier center of education and research. We
  are proud of our students, our alumni, our staff,
  and our faculty. We are the Penn State Eberly
  College of Science and we are making a difference
  in the world.

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Mission Statement

• The Eberly College of Science is the home of the
  basic sciences at Penn State, one of the nations
  leading research universities. The colleges
  fundamental mission is to generate and
  disseminate knowledge in the basic sciences to
  further the physical, economic, and intellectual
  well-being of the Commonwealth, the nation, and
  the world.

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Mission Statement (cont)

• This mission includes advancing the frontiers of
  knowledge in the physical, biological, and
  mathematical sciences providing access to a rich
  educational experience that will motivate and
  enable all of our students to seek the highest
  levels of intellectual achievement and personal
  growth and sharing our knowledge, discoveries,
  and inventions with the people of the
  Commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

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Example from Penn State

• Goals (Eberly College of Science)
• Enhance academic excellence
• Improve the quality of the student experience
• Promote world-class science
• Enhance outreach
• Build a more considerate and civil community
• Release resources to support growth and
  improvements, and find new sources of funds

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Goal 1 from Penn State (cont)

• Develop strategies to achieve the goals
• E.g. Enhance academic excellence
• Strategies
• Make ECOS the college of choice for outstanding
  faculty
• Make ECOS the college of choice for outstanding
  students
• Make ECOS the college of choice for outstanding
  staff
• Build a broad sense of intellectual community
• Maximize reputation through publicity about
  success
• Awards for faculty and students
• Invitations of eminent speakers and guests
• Continue program of external reviews
• Improve the quality of the department facilities
• Computing, offices, lounges, appearance

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Goal 2 from Penn State (cont)

• Develop strategies to achieve the goals
• E.g. Improve the quality of student experiences
• Strategies (used by the department of statistics)
• Increase the number of quality tenure track
  faculty
• Add or revise courses and programs to remain
  current
• Undergraduate major and minor
• Professional Master of Applied Statistics program
• Improve student advising (graduate and
  undergraduate)
• Improve teaching and learning by sharing
  instructional innovations and resources
• Hire an instructional designer to assist with
  course materials (online and resident
  instruction)
• Develop online courses for certificate program,
  which improve in class course material and
  resources
• Work to increase diversity of students (e.g. more
  US grad students)
• Improve the climate for minority and
  underrepresented students

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Qualities of a good chair

• Consistency
• Know the basis for decisions
• Salary,
• course buyouts,
• teaching assignments
• Transparency
• Faculty and staff should understand the basis for
  decisions
• Decisions should withstand scrutiny by all

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Qualities (cont.)

• Integrity
• If you say it, mean it.
• Walk the talk
• Be trustworthy
• Because of your role, every word is noted and
  remembered.
• I saved my email so I could remember what I
  promised.

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A Healthy Department

• Know your mission
• Research
• Teaching
• Outreach/collaboration/consulting
• Service
• Build on Strength
• Hiring
• Recruiting
• Assigning committee duties and teaching

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Healthy (cont)

• Celebrate
• Recognize and celebrate achievements
• Faculty,
• Promotions, Grants, Honors, Publications
• Staff,
• Promotions, new skills and achievements
• Students
• Awards for teaching, etc
• Nominate (or charge a committee) for awards
• Local and national awards

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Healthy (cont)

• Examples of building on strength
• Re-energize faculty members in transition
• Increased teaching load
• Travel fund between grants
• Faculty who all love their work
• Make your department the department of choice
  for outstanding faculty
• Appropriate salary
• Realistic teaching loads for adequate time for
  research
• Support (computer, staff, etc.)
• Recognition for contributions

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The Engaged Department

• Goal The engaged department
• All members pulling toward the same goal
• Faculty who want to do their part
• Staff who understand the mission and priorities

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Faculty Meetings

• Held Monthly (my style), should be fun.
• Has a social aspect people see each other.
• Analogy with Boards of Directors (faculty)
• Reports, Roberts Rules,
• Celebrate events
• Include student reps, and staff member
• Strategic Planning sessions
• Evenings, meals, group discussions.
• Include staff, student reps,

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Accessibility

• How to be accessible without becoming mired
• Email efficient for much communication
• Respond within a reasonable time (24 hours?)
• If final answer not known, respond with what you
  know, and promised by when you will find out.
• If on vacation, use auto-response with a
  substitute named.
• Have predictable times your door is open
• Or have your secretary schedule appointments
• Walk around on occasion to signal availability

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Difficult decisions and people

• How to handle difficult decisions and complex
  issues
• Discuss it in person
• Walk down the hall and inquire first
• Be sure to make clear your limitations
  (financial, etc.)
• After a discussion, immediately confirm in
  writing by email, ending with
• Please let me know if this is not your
  understanding, or
• Please confirm my understanding of how we agreed
  to resolve this.
• It is hard for someone to get angry at your for
  something they agreed to.

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Development fund raising

• How to raise funds - What can a Dept Chair do?
• Develop the case for support - set priorities.
• Know your development officer.
• Communicate with your graduates
• Spend gifts - in ways that reflect well on you.
• Be a talent scout

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Development (cont)

• What can a Dept Chair do?
• Meet with donors and prospective donors
• Provide and demonstrate good stewardship
• Establish an advisory board
• Be a donor yourself
• Continue to what you do best
• Foster learning and discovery
• Alumni remember

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Conclusions

• Chairing a department provides opportunities for
  leadership and shaping the culture and success
  for the future.
• Create a climate for success and excellence
• Respect for all members of the department
• Fairness and trustworthiness in all decisions
• Success follows from building a winning team

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References

• Higgerson, M.L. (1996) Communication Skills for
  Department Chairs. Bolton, MA Anker Publishing
  Co. Inc.
• Tucker, Allan (1984) Chairing the Academic
  Department Leadership among Peers. 2nd edit.
  New York American Council on Education,
  Macmillan Publishing Co.
• Ferren, A.S. and Stanton W.W. (2004) Leadership
  through Collaboration. American Council on
  Education, Praeger.

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References (cont)

• John Stahl-Wert and Ken Jennings (2007) Ten
  Thousand Horses How Leaders Harness Raw
  Potential for Extraordinary Results.
  Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
• William P. Chait, William P. Ryan, and Barbara E
  Taylor. (2005) Governance as Leadership. John
  Wiley Sons, Inc.