Being a Chair, Head, or Director

Arlene CarneyAugust 20, 2009

Why?

• Reasons for becoming a chair, head, or director

Four Roles of Department Chairs

• Faculty developer• Manager• Leader• Scholar

Gmelch & Miskin, 1993

Transitions to Leadership

• From solitary to social• From focused to fragmented• From autonomy to accountability• From manuscript to memoranda• From private to public• From professing to persuading

Gmelch & Seedorf, 1989

Transitions to Leadership

• From stability to mobility• From client to custodian• From austerity to prosperity

Gmelch & Miskin, 1993

Survival Guide Advice: Know Yourself

• Know why you took the job• Know your goals (2-3 to accomplish

over your term)• Know what pushes your buttons

Gunsalus, 2006

Survival Guide Advice

• Know your colleagues• Set boundaries• Listen well• Key sentences

Gunsalus, 2006

Key Sentences for Complaints

• “What action do you seek from me?”• “Now that I have listened carefully to

you, I need to find out what the other people involved have to say. I’ll get back to you after I do that.”

• “You need to do what you need to do.”

Gunsalus, 2006

Work-Life Balance

• Critically important to newer generation of faculty

• Starts at the department level– Class & meeting scheduling– Release from teaching in a semester

when a child is born or adopted– Culture of acceptance of family

demands

Chair as “Person in the Middle”

• Responsible to the faculty and staff• Accountable to the dean• Balancing act

Problem Issues

• Seek help• Follow procedures set by the University

or college• Don’t improvise on procedures