What does a department chair do?
Most colleges and universities are organized by academic discipline. In other words, all faculty members who teach a particular subject area (English, communication, physics, math, etc.) are grouped together. These groups (or academic units) are termed "departments." So all faculty who teach communication at Volunteer State are members of the Department of Communication. The head, or leader, of the department is called the Chair. The Chair reports directly to the Division Dean. (A Division Dean leads a group of departments that are related academically. ) (See the sample organization chart at the bottom.)
Department Chairs have a variety of duties. The specific job will vary from school to school, but at Volunteer State, these are the major responsibilities of the Chair:
1) Teach courses. Even though Chairs have some administrative responsibilities, their primary job is still to teach and do all the other things faculty members do. (Teaching, advising, college service, community service, professional development, etc.) Department Chairs usually teach fewer courses than other faculty. This gives them time to do the other parts of their job. Most Vol State faculty teach 5 courses per semester. A department chair may teach 3 or 4. It depends on the size of the department.
2) Order textbooks. The Chair is in charge of working with the bookstore to ensure that the textbooks faculty members want are ordered.
3) Schedule courses. Chairs work with the Dean in developing a schedule of course offerings for each semester. What courses? How many sections? When? Who teaches them? Video? WebCT? Night? Weekend?
4) Staffing. The Chair coordinates faculty requests for schedules with available courses. The Chair also seeks out, interview, hires, and orientates part time (adjunct) faculty. Approximately 40% of all courses at Vol State are taught by part time faculty, as we do not have the funds to hire enough full time faculty to teach all sections of all courses. Department Chairs also usually head or serve on hiring committees. These "search committees" are created to help hire new full time faculty when there is an opening.
5) Evaluation of faculty. Vol State has an intensive faculty evaluation process. (Student evaluations are just one part of that process.) The Chair reviews each faculty member and works with them to develop goals and objectives for the coming year. This is done for ALL faculty -full time and part time. We do this every year.
6) Student Resource. The Chair of a department is the first person a student should see if they have a concern about one of their instructors. If a student has talked to their instructor and still has a concern, they should speak with the department chair. Students also often seek out the department chair if their advisor is not available or if they have a question about the department or program.
7) Goals and Plans. The Chair is in charge of developing (with input from the faculty and the Dean) a "unit plan" each year. This plan lays our goals and objectives for the coming year. The idea is to develop a process of constant improvement in teaching and learning.
8) Budget. The Chair develops department budget each year and submits it to the Dean. Chairs also monitor the budget and approve expenditures of funds in the department accounts.
9) Liaison to the Dean & other departments. The Chair works with the Dean on Division-wide issues. Chairs also coordinate programs with other departments. The Dean has bi-weekly meetings of all the department chairs.
10) Promotion/Marketing. Chairs are in charge of promoting their discipline to the college and community.
11) Miscellaneous. Lots of other things are done daily that don't really fall into any of these categories. It is a challenging job! If anyone calls Vol State or drops by any office, and they ask a question with the word "communication" in it, they will usually end up on my doorstep!
Typical Organization of Academic Units at a College:
President ----> Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost ----> Dean of Division or School ----> Department Chair ---->Faculty