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Chairs are responsible for the daily operation of the department/division, in consultation and collaboration with the dean, provost, departmental faculty, and the university administrative team, as appropriate.  General responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

Faculty and Staff Development

  • Organizing and overseeing departmental recruiting program to ensure the highest quality, integrity, and diversity of faculty and staff
  • Meeting annually with individual faculty and staff to discuss workload and performance
  • Preparing annual evaluations of faculty and staff
  • Making recommendations for merit and salary adjustments for faculty and staff
  • Coordinate faculty promotion and tenure applications in accord with departmental, college, and institutional processes and deadlines
  • Supporting professional development of faculty and staff (e.g., research proposals, pedagogy, curriculum development) in a fair and transparent manner
  • Working with faculty and staff administrators in setting vision for the department, both long- and short-term, and developing outcome-based goals that support the department, college and university strategic plan(s)
  • Maintaining collegiality and engaging in creative problem-solving

Curricular Responsibilities

  • Maintaining strong undergraduate and graduate programs through curricular development, assessment, revision, and implementation
  • Enforcing academic requirements and regulations
  • Assigning faculty workloads in ways that fulfill the department's responsibility to provide reasonable student access to courses across days and times, using prime time and non-prime time teaching slots
  • Preparing long term course schedules that allow students to matriculate to their degrees in a timely manner
  • Preparing course schedules and teaching assignments to ensure appropriate allocation of resources, including university facilities, and consistent with the Registrar's guidelines
  • Providing leadership and oversight in program reviews and outcomes assessment including the core curriculum for internal and external reviews and/or to meet accreditation or licensing standards
  • Working collaboratively with on-campus and off-campus university officials to assign proper curriculum alignment with community colleges and high schools

Student Affairs

  • Developing and implementing plans to recruit, advise, mentor, retain, and graduate students in a timely manner
  • Providing information and access to student services
  • Adjudicating students concerns and grievances in a fair and consistent manner while upholding University policies and processes.
  • Maintaining appropriate student records

Management and Administrative Responsibilities

  • Overseeing facilities/office space allocation and equipment for faculty and staff in collaboration with dean; filing appropriate space allocation reports
  • Ensuring that all departmental and college committees are appropriately staffed each year
  • Managing course fee requests and ensuring appropriate use
  • Managing departmental M & O, travel and part-time budget, and/or other fiscal affairs for department, while maximizing equity and ensuring appropriate stewardship of resources
  • Responding promptly to accountability and compliance matters
  • Participating in college and/or university governance and planning
  • Gathering data and preparing documents or reports regarding departmental activities
  • Developing and/or managing advisory boards
  • Communicating resource needs to the college/school and university administration
  • Securing resources for the department, when appropriate, through grant writing and fund-raising initiatives
  • Working with college and university advancement officers to develop unit resources
  • Serving as liaison between University administration and faculty/staff
  • Representing department internally and externally (e.g., Commencement, Honors Day, Student Affairs activities)
  • Serving as liaison with professional associations
  • Maintaining professional decorum and creating a climate of collegiality among faculty, staff, and students
  • Attending professional development activities, meetings, and events to represent the interests of the department, college or university, as requested or required by the Dean, Provost, or the other university offices
  • Delegating authority and specified responsibilities to Associate Chairs, when deemed appropriate, with the understanding that the Chair is ultimately accountable.