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[wombat]

     I've just finished the first day of an two day interview for a department chair position, and am meeting the Dean and Provost tomorrow. The chair of the search committee said to be prepared to talk about salary, startup needs, space, expectations, etc with the Dean. I've done a bit of searching and I know what the salaries of many of the other department chairs in the university are, so I have a reasonable idea about that. I know the two most recent hires in the department (both at assistant professor level) got $100,000 - $115,000 in startup, and that most of the associate professors, and all of the full professors, have their own labs, but I have no idea what sort of startup more senior positions might get. If anyone has any advice about this, I'd be very grateful.

     Also, from reading this forum, it appears that someone appointed to a department chair from outside can sometimes negotiate things for the department rather than just for themself. However, I assume that this would only be appropriate if one were actually offered the position. If I were to receive an offer, does anyone have any advice about negotiating for the department (or anything else I might not have thought of)? I'm coming from a UK university, where things are very different, so I would really appreciate advice from US department chairs.

Thanks!

[sciencephd]

The amount of startup will probably correlate more with the specific field that you are in, and what the actual startup needs are equipment-wise, than with the fact that you are chair. 

Also, it will correlate more with the amount of grant money that you are bringing in.

What you can negotiate depends on the relationship of the chair position to the administrative structure of the university.  It is very important to understand that there are very different types of department chair / administrative structures in US unversities.  It is first necessary to know what type of administrative structure is in place in the university that you have applied to.

Your post doesn't specify what type of university it is.

[wombat]

    Thanks, sciencephd - you can tell I don't know these things. It's a public urban research-intensive university. The department is science (obviously) and as a whole brings in more money than any other department in the college of science. Since I would be coming from overseas if appointed, I wouldn't be able to bring any grant money with me and would effectively be starting over for funding.

      I don't know what you mean about the administrative structure of the university.  I met the chairs of the other science departments, who are generally chair for 3 years and can be elected for additional terms. One was appointed from outside and the others are internal appointments. The department I'm interviewing with is a merged department and  they're doing a search for a outside chair to bring in someone new to provide leadership. What else should I try to find out?

Thanks.

[takapa]

Starting with what the junior faculty receive in start-up funds, add what you would truly need to do well and go with it.  I think some of these issues (negotiating things for the department) may indeed be best left to post-offer negotiations.  But here are some things to think about and prepare to negotiate for when the time comes.

1. Department budget and equipment funding.  Of course, have an understanding of the budget in advance (I would be familiar with the last 5 years or so myself) and the formulas used to calculate said budget.  This should give you an idea of needs and the possibilities for having those needs met.

2. Probably part of #1, but an idea of seed money for research support available within and from external to the department.

3. Available space and existing use of space.  Maybe there's enough space for a new lab for you or a multi-use space.  Maybe not.  The info will inform the negotiations.

4. Department resources and functions that are under the direct control of the chair.  From this you can discern what else you may want and/or what you're likely to get.

5. Don't forget to negotiate things like travel money, release time, fees for professional memberships and journals for yourself and your faculty.

You may not be able to get all that you want, or even any of it, but I think these are reasonable in a research intenstive university. 

[shrek]

I'd add:
6. What should the department look like 5-10 years down the road? What's needed to meet that vision? Will new hires need to be made? (which means you'd need new lines vs. replacement and the space to support those folks).