What to consider before you decide to lead a department.
Some faculty members want to become department chair. Others may not have pursued the job but find it extended to them. And still others may feel some obligation to “take a turn” at the helm, for the good of their department or simply to share the burden. Professors in all three of those groups, at some point, face the same dilemma: “Should I do this, or not?”
Before you can answer that, you must ask yourself a lot of other questions first, among them:
- Why would I do this? Good reasons abound: You believe you have the organizational and people skills to be successful as a middle manager; you feel an obligation to your colleagues or the institution; you aspire to a higher level of administration; you’re starting to burn out from years of teaching and change seems attractive; you could use the extra money (assuming there is any). It’s vital that you are honest enough with yourself to understand your primary motivations.
- Am going to miss the classroom? Not everyone who goes into higher education does so because they enjoy teaching — but most of us do. How much chairs get to teach — or have to teach, depending on your perspective — varies widely by institution. If being chair means you don’t get to teach much at all, are you OK with that?
- How much do I hate meetings? Other than being available during business hours, a chair’s other main obligation is to attend meetings on behalf of the department. Countless meetings. All kinds of meetings. Large meetings and small meetings, important meetings and pointless meetings. And whether you enjoy those meetings or not, you have to be there, because otherwise your department’s interests won’t be represented.
Continue reading: “7 Questions for Would-Be Chairs,” by Rob Jenkins
Thanks for reading The Quick Tip, a free newsletter from The Chronicle. Twice a week, we’ll send you fast advice for your job and your academic life.
Suggestions for what you’d like to see here? Other thoughts? Please email Denise K. Magner, a senior editor who compiles this newsletter, at denise.magner@chronicle.com.
