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[resis]

Go ahead, vent. I want to know what not to do.

[prytania3]

Are you elected or appointed?

[georgiaprof]

Being a chair is a tough job.  You are expected to represent the faculty to the administration and represent the administration to the faculty.  What I want from my chairs is support.  When we are meeting to discuss issues/ideas/problems/whatever, I want to hear you present concerns on behalf of the faculty.  BUT, I also want you to be able to understand that sometimes things don't go their way.  So, when we make a decision, and you carry that back to the faculty, I need for you to be supportive.  I had a chair once who would put on the happy face when we made decisions and then would go back to his department and tell them that it was my fault and there was no discussion and that I never asked for his input.  He was stunned later when he was removed from the job for insubordination.

My recommendations are:

If you have a situation that has the potential to explode - tell the dean.  You don't want the first time that the dean hears about something to be a call from the president responding to an angry phone call from a parent.  You will probably share too much in the first year, but over time, you will learn to recognize a potential situation.

Meet with the dean periodically - especially the first year - to chat about how things are going and what is expected.

Find a friend from among the chairs who can be a mentor.  You might ask the Dean who he/she recommends.

Set departmental goals.  Do strategic planning.  Your department needs to have a sense of where it wants to fit within the college.  Then, share that with your dean.

If you need something - money, equipment, faculty, etc. -- ask.  And don't whine about it.  Be prepared to justify your requests - with numbers.  Keep a list prepared for just in case.  Times are tight now, but you never know when the money will show up.  KNOW what you need and why.  I always had a list.  It usually had about $100k worth of stuff on it.  We'd review it each year.

Be prepared, again on a moment's notice, to share the new, exciting and shiny things in your department.  There will be times when you need to know this stuff to be able to share it.  Your faculty will appreciate your support - but make sure they know when you share this.

If you are told something in confidence, then it is in confidence.  Don't share it.  With anybody.  Ever. 

There are somethings that should not be put in writing.  Ever.

Stop by and chat with your faculty on a regular basis.  Go to their offices to see how they are doing.  See what they need and what is going well.  If your boss (or boss's boss or) is coming and wants to walk around - tell your faculty.  These are great opportunities to take someone by and show them that Dr. X is doing a great job.

[ursula]

My dean wishes chairs would do exactly as told, never ask questions, and forget that their responsibility is to represent the department's interests, not the dean's.

[psychprof]

1. Don't always make the dean the "bad guy" when you have to take unpopular action. If its your decision then you should be up front with it.

Now, many deans will also tell you that there are some times that you should use the dean as the "bad guy." So, if you feel a need to have a bad guy, talk to the dean about it first and let him know ahead of time.

2. Don't overspend your dept budget.

3. Don't weenie out on evaluations of faculty members.

4. Get your paperwork in on time.

[aandsdean]

1. Don't always make the dean the "bad guy" when you have to take unpopular action. If its your decision then you should be up front with it.

Now, many deans will also tell you that there are some times that you should use the dean as the "bad guy." So, if you feel a need to have a bad guy, talk to the dean about it first and let him know ahead of time.

2. Don't overspend your dept budget.

3. Don't weenie out on evaluations of faculty members.

4. Get your paperwork in on time.

Oh, yes.  Weenieing out of faculty evaluations is the worst.  You're always leaving behind a mess for the next person to clean up.  By that time, the mess has tenure, and it's too late.  The stain is permanent.

If a faculty member is weak, it's a favor to everyone involved to put that on the record.  It's even possible that the person will reform based on your evaluation.  I said possible, not probable, but it's worth a shot.

And--ANSWER YOUR G-D e-mails.

[neniaf]

georgiaprof has some great suggestions as to what to do.  As to what never to do, I could think of a few:

Make decisions regarding faculty, staff or students that they won't like, and then say (or hint) that they are only doing this because the dean required them to do so.

Predispose the faculty against me, or against some idea or plan that I have given the chairs a preview of.  Remember that other faculty have only limited exposure to the dean (except at small schools), and your opinions may carry a lot of weight.  I don't expect you to like everything I present, or to help me with a sales job on it, but by letting others know that I am about to present something awful, you undermine my job.

Forget that you are representing the university, not just yourself.  If you get frustrated with students, faculty or staff, and express your feelings freely, either orally or in writing, you are creating liabilities and embarrassment for the institution. 

[der_gadfly]

Chairs need to own their decisions. I had a chair once (when I was a faculty member) who delivered bad news by starting off with "the dean said that ....." Later, some of us found this to be balderdash. the rest is history.....

from the Dean's perspective, Chairs need to own their decisions. I had a chair who reported to me who always made ME out to be the devil incarnate behind my back, and I ended up having to field a long line of faculty outside my door who did not seem to get it: spit it out to me in 3 minutes.

Chairs should be VERY organized. I could care less about their expertise in some tiny aspect of the discipline: I prefer that they be disciplinary generalists with experience in report writing, budgeting, and all the other skills one would obtain during a stint running a business or large unit within a larger corporation. I like my reports short, sweet and to the point: extra data can always go into an appendix. Make sure I get no faculty running in complaining about scheduling issues. I also like to hear from the registrar (and HR, and IT) that you are fully staffed several days if not weeks before we star a new term/semester. Chairs should be able to assure me that the student in their care are proceeding without violating SAP, and that the department is assessing the curricula on a regular basis.

From the faculty perspective, I want my chair to advocate for our new program proposal, ensure that committee work is evenly distributed, and that if and when there are a few extra sheckles to be used, we all get a fair shot at it.

[resis]

prytania3, if you're still interested in this thread:

Here the dean appoints chairs following an election by department faculty. (There's some confusion about this, but it seems the departmental election is just a suggestion provided to the dean.)

[madhatter]

Everybody is responding to this thread as if the title was actually

Deans: Things You Wish Chairs Never Did

How do you know the title isn't meant to be the much more disquieting

Deans: Thongs You Wish Chairs Never Did

Hmm?

[baphd1996]

My Dean wished I never questioned him.  In fact he told me "When I'm told to do something, I just do it."  Another time he told me "You must weigh the benefit to the University against the probability of getting caught (doing something illegal)."  After I made sure he had heard what he just said, I resigned.

[zookers]

prytania3, if you're still interested in this thread:

Here the dean appoints chairs following an election by department faculty. (There's some confusion about this, but it seems the departmental election is just a suggestion provided to the dean.)

This is true at many institutions (including a few I've been to).  The chair selection process should be clearly outlined in the faculty handbook, so that should end the confusion.  In the above cases, the departmental "election" is merely a suggestion to the Dean, who has veto authority and can make his/her own decision (but must explain the reason for going against the department).