How to Chair a Department

A practical, accessible handbook for chairing a department.

Over the course of a typical academic career, most faculty will serve at least one term as chair of a department. It's a leadership and service role that's at the very heart of faculty satisfaction and student success, yet few receive any training on how to do the job. How to Chair a Department is a practical, accessible handbook for new and prospective chairs, providing both principles and practices for effective departmental leadership. Based on his dozen years of chairing departments, Kevin Dettmar provides invaluable advice on:

hiring tenure-track and visiting faculty
mentoring faculty colleagues at every stage of their careers
working with staff and other departmental administrators
managing department resources and budgets
meeting the needs of students
dealing with stress and conflict
connecting the department to the larger university or college as a whole
overseeing the department's curricula
maintaining a scholarly or creative profile
preparing for career moves after chairing a department

How to Chair a Department demystifies this important faculty position and argues that the role of chair, though sometimes seen as a burden, can prove to be a genuine opportunity for personal and professional growth.

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