20.110 Department Chair

Executive Guideline No. 7, 2-2-73, Revised 7-14-08, Amended and Superseded Bd. Min. 4-11-19.

1. Chair Responsibilities.
   
   1. The Department Chair is a position of strategic importance in the context of an academic institution. Academic departments are organizational units closest to the day-to-day working of the University, and the Department Chair serves as chief executive and academic officer of the department. In this capacity the Department Chair is responsible for the effective and efficient administration of the department, including:
      
      1. Developing the strategic vision and plans for the Department, consistent with those of the University;
      2. Recruiting, retaining, developing, supervising, evaluating and leading faculty and staff;
      3. Making budgetary decisions and resource allocations;
      4. Assigning appropriate workloads;
      5. Engaging in philanthropy, in collaboration with university development efforts;
      6. Ensuring that excellence is achieved in all areas included in the University’s strategic priorities; and
      7. Serving as liaison for department faculty and staff with upper administration.
   2. The Chair is accountable to the Dean in fulfilling these responsibilities, and to this end, the Dean delegates to the Chair sufficient authority as is required to fulfill this role.  The Dean, working with the Provost, shall ensure that the Department Chair receives adequate professional development and leadership education opportunities on no less than an annual basis.
2. Chair Selection and Appointment.
   
   1. The Chair is selected by, and receives their appointment from the Dean, with the approval of the Chancellor and the Provost.  In selecting and appointing a Chair, the Dean shall first seek input from the department faculty and then appoint a search committee comprising an inclusive and diverse group of faculty, staff, and other relevant constituents in order to ensure shared governance and diverse input on candidates, while ensuring that the department faculty constitute a majority of the committee membership. So we attract and recruit the best talent, the search may be national in scope and include internal and external candidates. Alternatively, and with the prior approval of the Chancellor and the Provost, the Dean may choose to not conduct a national search and limit the search to internal candidates.
   2. The search is expected to identify candidates with demonstrated academic and research excellence and who exhibit, through prior experience or personal characteristics, a significant likelihood of success as an academic administrator and leader.
   3. As with all administrative appointments, the Department Chair appointment is an at-will administrative appointment terminable with or without cause.
   4. While appointment as Department Chair is an at-will administrative appointment, the initial appointment may be made with the stated intent that it will last between one and five years, subject to satisfactory performance. The appointment is subject to annual reviews, including a comprehensive review at the mid-point of any multi-year term, and satisfactory performance as evaluated by the Dean including input from department faculty. Responsibilities of the Chair are continuous throughout the calendar year and the Chair should be compensated in a manner and appropriate to the responsibilities.
3. Miscellaneous.
   
   1. At universities with no schools or colleges, “Provost” should be substituted for “Dean” in this Collected Rule 20.110.
   2. This Collected Rule 20.110 abolishes and supersedes Collected Rule 300.030.D.1.a.(3) and previous versions of Collected Rule 20.110.