Generally, only tenured faculty members are eligible for election as Department Head. Any exception must be approved by both the School Dean and the Provost and Senior Vice President and appropriate notation and recognition be noted in the untenured faculty member’s evaluation.
Elections are conducted by secret ballot according to department standards with all tenured and tenure-track departmental faculty eligible to vote.
The term of office for a department head begins on June 1st. The outgoing department head completes the departmental “annual report”; the incoming department head assumes all summer department head duties. (NB: Annual reports have not been done apparently; administration needs to create a systematic process to solicit and collect them.)
Duties listed below, which are not assigned in the Faculty Handbook to Department Heads, may be delegated to other departmental faculty.
The Department Head reports to the Dean who will conduct an annual review.
Assure written procedures regarding how business is conducted, such as terms for chair or eligibility for voting on department matters.
All department chairs receive a course reassignment each semester. The size of their annual stipends is determined by a formula reflecting aspects of workload such as the size of the faculty and enrollments in courses. The model is updated annually and the Provost Office can supply details upon request. The expectation for breaks is that the chair or director is available to solve problems that arise, such as adjusting course schedules or staffing based on summer enrollments, or to do specific tasks, such as approving applicants for a graduate program or planning for strategic discussions in the next academic year. Such tasks may not require a specified presence on campus, but do require that the chairs be available. If chairs take a vacation and are unable to be reached, they should delegate their obligation to one other faculty member and inform the dean of the designee. “Out of office” emails should always identify the alternate contact person.
Administrative Responsibilities
Prepares departmental course schedules.
Conducts department meetings and establishes specific work groups and subcommittees as needed.
Writes annual reports, planning and budgetary documents, and other reports requested by administration.
Revises the catalog information, admissions, and departmental brochures.
Conducts necessary departmental correspondence.
Oversees departmental activities such as honor societies, newsletters, lecture series, scholarship awards, career colloquia, student award activities, receptions, etc.
Supervises student workers.
Oversees procedures for assessment of student learning outcomes in programs and assures student learning outcomes are included in all syllabi.
Conducts review of departmental Tenure and Promotion Guidelines at least every five years and submits report to the Dean and Provost and Senior Vice President. If revisions are made, the Dean and Provost and Senior Vice President must approve them.
Assures regular communication among department members.
Oversees academic program analysis regarding efficiency and effectiveness of curriculum delivery and makes data-driven decisions on scheduling of courses.
Departmental Representation
Communicates department needs to the administration.
Staffs admissions activities.
Meets with the Dean and other Department Heads, as required.
Serves as point of contact for outside groups and organizations.
Attends Status Committee and Board of Instruction (BOI) meetings when appropriate.
Curriculum Leadership
Initiates Program Reviews when necessary. (Normally every 5 years, unless accreditation requires or administration requests a different timetable.)
Examines and manages curriculum to assure effective and efficient scheduling of faculty teaching obligations.
Makes data-driven decisions concerning curriculum.
Reviews / prepares and approves curriculum proposals to be submitted to the School’s Curriculum Committee and / or the BOI.
Facilitates discussions on teaching.
Using assessment data, revises the curriculum with colleagues as indicated by departmental Student Learning Outcomes (Assurance of Learning) assessment activities and coordinates related reporting requirements.
Faculty Related Activities
Arranges suitable staffing for all courses.
Supervises searches for full-time faculty positions.
Recruits, interviews, hires, and supervises adjunct faculty members.
Observes and evaluates the work of adjunct and untenured faculty. Note: Collective Bargaining Agreements specify evaluation procedures for adjunct and contingent full-time faculty. Department Heads should consult with deans or the Provost and Senior Vice President's office to follow those procedures.
Mentors and supports faculty members throughout tenure, promotion, and sabbatical processes.
Assures that faculty members have copies of departmental Tenure and Promotion Guidelines.
Fulfills Faculty Handbook or collective bargaining agreement requirements regarding evaluation of faculty and other personnel processes.
Assures that faculty members comply with all university policies, such as sexual misconduct or intellectual property policies.
Writes letters of recommendation / non-recommendation for faculty members’ requests for tenure, promotion, and sabbatical.
Encourages and assists professional development and scholarly activities of all faculty members.
Nominates qualified faculty for internal and external awards.
Responds and seeks to address faculty concerns.
Student Related Activities
Encourages appropriate academic advisement of departmental majors and minors.
Resolves individual issues related to departmental requirements or course offerings.
Processes complaints related to classes or faculty members.