Departmental Administration (E-10A)

Original Implementation: March 7, 1978
Last Revision: July 10, 2007

The Chief Administrative Officer of an Academic Department

The chief administrator of an academic department shall be the chair.

General Description of the Department Chair

The chair of an academic department occupies a unique position in the university. The chair is the chief executive of the department responsible for the implementation of department, college and university policy, and a frequent participant in policy formation. Thus, the chair is an administrator, the quality of whose performance has fundamental impact on the success of the institution in attaining its specific goals. The chair’s efforts are crucial to the achievement of excellence in teaching, scholarship/creative activities, and service at Stephen F. Austin State University. The chair, through daily interaction with colleagues, sets the tone for the department. The chair is both an advocate for the department’s needs to the administration and an interpreter of administrative policy to faculty and students. That dual role is a sensitive one, requiring considerable skills of diplomacy and persuasion. Simultaneously, the chair is a faculty member who is expected to exemplify those faculty qualities most valued by the academic community: teaching excellence, scholarly and creative activities, and a commitment to university and community service. (See also Chair Teaching Load Policy.)

Major Responsibilities of the Department Chair

The primary responsibility of the chair is to establish and maintain a departmental climate conducive to the pursuit of knowledge. The chair should provide leadership and direction to the department. The chair should serve as the chief representative of the department both within and without the university and effectively communicate to the faculty and students those policies and events which affect departmental policies and procedures.

The decisions of the chair should be made and implemented in the context of collegiality and regular communication with the departmental faculty. Such communication includes both institutional forms and informal consultations seeking the counsel and advice of the faculty on matters which affect academic programs or the professional interests of the faculty and the department.

More specifically, the administrative responsibilities of a department chair include, but are not limited to, the following:

provide leadership in the establishment and maintenance of a visionary direction and standards for the academic unit, consistent with the college and university missions;
serve as an advocate for the department, college, and university;
assure program quality through evaluation, modification and development of programs and curriculum;
respond to the needs, responsibilities and requirements of students, faculty, administration, the public and other constituencies - e.g., develop and implement an effective student advising system; encourage the professional growth and recognition of faculty and staff; prepare catalog materials, schedules of classes, and teaching and collateral assignments of department faculty/staff; support and encourage faculty involvement in university and community activities;
manage fiscal resources - prepare and administer the department budget; maintain effective and efficient department office procedures; where appropriate, coordinate fundraising activities with the college and university;
manage and allocate physical resources;
establish/maintain and communicate effective personnel procedures and processes - recruitment and hiring procedures, evaluation of department members for retention/termination, tenure, promotion, and merit raises; develop a climate and allocate available resources that promote faculty development; and
Promote the academic unit as a representative to external organizations/activities.

Selection of the Department Chair

A search and screen committee will be used in each search for a department chair. Each search initially will be open and without prejudice for inside or outside candidates. The dean of the college or provost and vice president for academic affairs will meet with the department faculty prior to committee selection to discuss the type of search. Should considerations indicate that a fully open search may not be a viable choice, a decision limiting the scope of the search should be made prior to the selection of the committee. Such a decision will not be made without consultation with the department faculty.
The committee will be constituted by the dean of the college on consultation with the faculty of the department and on concurrence by the provost and vice president for academic affairs. The committee chair will inform the department faculty of the names of the committee members. The dean will inform the college faculty.
The committee shall have at least five members. Larger membership will depend on the size of the department and the complexity of its programs, but all committees must have an odd number of members.
Once the size of the committee has been established, the department shall elect its specified number of representatives to the committee. Faculty members eligible to vote will be those on full-time contract with the university who hold faculty rank in the department. When possible, all tenure-track ranks will be represented. In all cases the faculty shall elect a majority of the committee.
Normally every search and screen committee will have representation from outside the department. No more than one-third of the committee will be from outside the department, except in those cases where the small size of the department or other major considerations make this provision impracticable. While outside representatives will ordinarily be appointed, they may be elected by the department faculty if it seems appropriate or proves necessary to meet the provision that a majority of the committee shall be elected by the department faculty.
The dean, after consultation with the provost and vice president for academic affairs and the department faculty, shall then fill the other positions on the committee, from within and/or without the department, with a view toward creating a balanced committee which can best represent the interest of the department, college, and university.
To enhance the ability of the committee to focus on the administrative capabilities of the candidates, at least one member of the committee should be an individual with appropriate academic administrative experience.
The dean will convene the committee for its organizational meeting; at this time the committee will elect its chair and other officers.
If funds permit, at least three candidates recommended by the committee will be interviewed on the campus. The itinerary for the interviews will provide ample opportunity for the candidates to meet department faculty, students, the dean of the college, the provost and vice president for academic affairs, and the search and screen committee.
After the interviews, the dean shall invite comments from all department faculty and those students who may have been involved in the process relative to the acceptability of various candidates. A summary of these comments should be forwarded, along with the dean's recommendation and the final recommendation of the committee, to the provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Appointment is by the provost and vice president for academic affairs and the president and requires the approval of the Board of Regents.

Term of Office of the Department Chair

The department chair is appointed by the president of the university upon recommendation by the dean and the provost and vice president for academic affairs for an unspecified term of office. (See also Chair Appointments Policy.)

Evaluation of the Department Chair

The evaluation of the department chair is designed to assist the chair in promoting academic excellence throughout the university. This process takes two forms: the triennial review and the annual review of department chairs. Both processes are guided by the considerations outlined below. The annual review provides the basis upon which to award merit to department chairs.

The faculty, chair, and dean must be constantly aware of the quality of a department's academic programs and department administration, and should make recommendations for their improvement.
In order to strengthen evaluation of department operations, the department chair will be evaluated annually by the dean of the college. A recommendation for merit will be forwarded to the provost and vice president for academic affairs. When the dean begins the process of annual evaluation of the chair, consideration should be given to all aspects of the chair's performance. The criteria in the Major Responsibilities of a chair enumerated above provide a basis for the dean’s assessment of the effectiveness of the department chair and are delineated in the Department Chair Administrative Effectiveness Appraisal. The evaluation process is designed to assist the chair in promoting academic excellence. Additional criteria used by the dean should be communicated to the chairs in the college prior to the three year evaluation period and prior to the period during which the chair is considered for merit. In the case of the triennial review, a summation of the faculties’ evaluations of the chair should be included as a component of the evaluation procedure.
At least once every three years the dean will initiate an evaluation of the department chair's performance by the faculty of the department. The instrument used in this formal evaluation, "Department Chair Administrative Effectiveness Appraisal," shall request each faculty member to provide a recommendation on the continuance of the chair. Following an evaluation of the chair, the dean of the college will meet with the department for a report on the evaluation.
Evaluations of a department chair's performance by the faculty may be initiated at any time by a majority of the faculty, at the call of the chair, dean, provost and vice president for academic affairs, or president. Comments which may have been received relative to the chair’s performance and the advisability of retention should be carefully weighed for both the annual and triennial reviews. If these comments reveal serious problems in the department or that a majority of the faculty of the department desire a full-scale, formal evaluation by the faculty of the department, the dean will consult with the provost and vice president for academic affairs and determine whether such an evaluation of the chair will be conducted. The dean will report the nature of his/her decision to those faculty members who expressed the initial concern. In this, as in the case of all administrative decisions, faculty members have the right to appeal formally this decision to the provost and vice president for academic affairs and then to the president.
The dean of the college will review with the department chair the results of the annual administrative evaluation and any evaluation by the faculty. After this review the report of the evaluation with recommendations based thereon will be submitted by the dean of the college to the provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Merit for Chairs/Division Directors

Stephen F. Austin State University includes among the aspects of its mission and purpose the recognition of outstanding performance by chairs/directors of academic departments/units in the areas of administration, teaching, scholarly/creative activity, and service. Thus, Stephen F. Austin State University believes that the achievement of those aspects of professional performance of academic administrators should be regularly and systematically assessed; and in each case in which achievement has been accomplished in an exemplary manner, merit pay should be extended. To evaluate the performance of its chairs and to provide appropriate rewards, the university will employ the policies and procedures set forth below.

Criteria:
Outstanding performance in administration, teaching, creative/scholarly activity, and service shall constitute the basis for awarding merit to a chair. For the categories of teaching, creative/scholarly activity, and service, therefore, each college shall identify specific characteristics consistent with Evaluation, Merit Pay, Promotion and Tenure, policy E-20A, that are pertinent to its role within the university-wide mission and purpose. The Department Chair/Director Administrative Effectiveness Appraisal Form is intended to guide the evaluation of administrative merit at the chair level.
Procedures:
Each chair will provide the dean with copies of his/her "Annual Report on Teaching, Scholarly/Creative Activities, and Service" for the preceding year as well as a report of the administrative achievements for the preceding year. The format of this attached report may vary among colleges; however, it should reflect the activities appropriate to the role of the chair as described earlier in this policy as well as progress on realizing goals and aspirations for the department. The report shall be completed at the time faculty members are completing their annual faculty evaluation forms. The chair or division director shall, in consultation with the dean of the college, establish and document goals and aspirations for the department/division for the coming year. These stated goals should serve as the basis for future evaluation of the chair/division director. The chair will review his/her Annual Report and report on administrative accomplishments with the dean. Following this review, the dean will submit the "Administrative Evaluation" form and supporting documentation to the provost and vice president for academic affairs for recommendation, if appropriate, to the president of the university, with a copy to the chair. The provost and vice president for academic affairs shall make recommendation to the president for final approval.

Cross Reference: Faculty Handbook, Evaluation, Merit Pay, Promotion and Tenure, Policy E-20A

Responsible for Implementation: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Contact for Revision: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Forms: Department Chair Administrative Effectiveness Appraisal (available in academic dean's office)