next »

[jackit]

Dear Forumites,

I am making my second trip to a med school to interview for dept. chairmanship.  The dept. has research, development, and basic support roles and consists primarily of PhDs, not MDs (I'm a PhD).

Do you have any advice on what I should be thinking about, asking for, etc., at this stage?  They expect, more or less, some type of development plan from me on this visit.

Of course I have my own list, and I've talked to others, but I am hoping to hear a couple of things (or more!) I haven't been considering.

Any feedback appreciated.

- J

[professorgb]

First, congratulations!
Second, some ideas, you probably have thought about this but here we go:

What plans do you have to ensure external funding? What ideas do you have for generating inside and outside support?
If you are chair, what will be your way of working with your colleagues and upper administration? How has it worked where you are now?
Do you think that faculty should get tenure in medical schools? Would you change what we do here at Med etc.?

Third,
I would ask myself seriously what happened to previous chair. Make sure you know from them what they expect their new chair will bring into the Department. Do also know what is the perception in upper administration for new chair. Are you arriving to fit into an existing well elaborated strategic plan or are you expected to develop one?

Fourth,
What resources will upper administration make available for the Department immediately after the hire of the new chair?

At this point is not about your qualifications or even how collegial you are but about the fit between their expectations and your skills at working with them. This is what you may want to pay attention to.

Good luck!

[jackit]

Thank you for the thoughtful post, notsurechair.

You've given me a good amount to think about, from a new perspective.

- J