dtermin
New member
Posts: 5
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« on: May 31, 2009, 11:39:00 PM » |
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It has crept up on me but I think I might actually want to be chair - does this mean I am wholly and truly evil? I had my first interview for that sort of position recently and while I did not get the offer I think I did reasonably well and now I want to do better -
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kamiakin
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« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2009, 12:58:36 AM » |
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Maybe not evil per se but definitely moving to the Dark Side.
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thundering_m
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« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2009, 03:08:53 AM » |
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Wholly and truly idealistic? Or dutiful. Somebody's got to do it.
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-TM
Thundering Marshmallow
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sibyl
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« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2009, 11:29:29 AM » |
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Administrators care about forests, faculty care about trees.
St. Augustine defines sin as "loving God incorrectly." In the same way I think that much of what passes for "evil" is "loving the university incorrectly." Bad things happen, on the one hand, when administrators fail to recognize that the health of the forest depends on the survival of many individual trees, and on the other, when faculty fail to recognize that the health of individual trees depends on the survival of the whole forest.
Venality and envy and sloth also exist, to be sure, but they're the province of all of us.
You can be a chair and not be evil as long as you keep all things in mind.
(I am fully aware that some people will describe this sentiment as another example of a reasonable-sounding sentiment that conceals the insidiousness of the Dark Side. They are wrong.)
Good luck.
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"I do not pretend to set people right, but I do see that they are often wrong." -- Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
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johnr
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« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2009, 02:53:21 PM » |
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I've spent a lifetime avoiding administrative duties. I have neither the temperament nor the talent for it. However, if I were to succumb, "Department Chair" wouldn't be so bad (assuming that I could make a good show of it, and that's a big assumption). Good Chairs (and I've been fortunate to have good ones) are effective filters and advocates for the department faculty and students. The Department Chair position here is more or less a rotational position, not an externally hired one. I worry about those who actually seek the position ; ).
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"When I die, I hope it's in a committee meeting. The transition from life to death will be barely perceptible."
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science_expat
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« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2009, 03:09:54 PM » |
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FWIW, I went to the dark side 5 months ago - as a research director but more or less at chair level.
Pluses: Opportunity to educate and motivate new staff, set future research directions, encourage long time academics to up their game a bit, getting resources for my institute, helping to develop "a bit of a buzz about the place", supporting folks for promotion, learning about budgets and how the university really works.
Minuses: Time involved, dealing with managment issues that require hard decisions, not supporting folks for promotion, stupid unnecessary bureaucracy, occasionally difficult colleagues.
Am in an acting position but will be applying for a 4 year continuation shortly - basically I'm having fun and it's rewarding. May look towards Dean in the future....
SE
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Professor of Something Scarily Scientific Sounding
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aandsdean
I feel affirmed that I'm truly a 6,000+ post
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 6,412
Positively impactful on stakeholder synergies
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« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2009, 10:18:10 PM » |
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FWIW, I went to the dark side 5 months ago - as a research director but more or less at chair level.
Pluses: Opportunity to educate and motivate new staff, set future research directions, encourage long time academics to up their game a bit, getting resources for my institute, helping to develop "a bit of a buzz about the place", supporting folks for promotion, learning about budgets and how the university really works.
Minuses: Time involved, dealing with managment issues that require hard decisions, not supporting folks for promotion, stupid unnecessary bureaucracy, occasionally difficult colleagues.
Am in an acting position but will be applying for a 4 year continuation shortly - basically I'm having fun and it's rewarding. May look towards Dean in the future....
SE
Just more evidence of the fact that the dark side has vortices that will suck you in if you're not paying attention... |
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Wearing a black armband for Lucy
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psychprof
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« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2009, 06:17:40 PM » |
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I don't think you are evil, at least not just because you want to be chair! I was a chair, and it is both a demanding and a rewarding job. Demanding because you are true middle management--you've got to keep both the dean and the faculty somewhat happy. And you often have to relate differently to your colleagues. Rewarding because you get to help other people do their jobs better, advocate for your department, and try to change things for the better.
They say that there is a dearth of persons in academia to take leadership positions. So, if you like it then go for it!
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neniaf
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« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2009, 10:43:09 AM » |
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You'd get a different answer if you posted this on a faculty forum, rather than one for chairs and deans! However, if you are in it because of what you can get for yourself (glory, extra pay, choice of class schedule), then yes, you are truly evil. If you are in it because you want to help improve the operations of the department to benefit the students and faculty, then no, others should be grateful that you exist. Some of us were born to it, even if it doesn't occur to us for decades. During my first year on faculty, my chair got a deanship at some other school and he and his successor included me in their discussions about running the department because it was assumed that I would be the next in line. It took another 15 years (by which time I was at another school myself) until the opportunity arose, and I jumped at it, realizing how much there was to be fixed. I am still happy with my decision, and I don't think others would describe me as evil. If you want it for the right reasons, go for it.
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post_functional
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« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2009, 10:37:06 PM » |
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Are the "right" reasons described above and the "wrong" reasons described above necessarily mutually exclusive? Sounds like a false dichotomy to me.
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Action is his reward.
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