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[oatmeal]

Thanks for the comments and responses. Seeing a budget and understanding the budget process works is crucial for any person considering a move as Chair. I will wait to ask for that. What other documentation should one ask for in advance? Obviously one researches everything that is available on a university's website but there are many departmental, college and university wide policies that are not on-line. And, obviously a lot of what one wants to know is campus-culture, personality and agenda (sometimes hidden agenda) led. Thanks.

[losemygrip]

I find that the most important thing to do is research the university's fact book.  Usually you can search the website for "institutional research" or something like that and find it.  I've blown away some people in interviews by coming in with all kinds of information that the interviewers didn't even know.  You can often even find some general budget information there as well. 

[anthroid]

If you can find the faculty handbook, take a look at the tenure and promotion policies and be prepared to talk about how you would facilitate the process of getting a person to tenure and helping a person out of the tenure track (e.g., if someone really should not be renewed, how would you go about getting rid of that person?).