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.