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[danseuse322]

I risk asking a very naive question here but I figure I will learn to help someone else, if nothing else. A school near me work I would very much like to work has a position open in my specific area. I am ABD but defending in February and with my progress and my adviser verifying, it's doubtful an institution would not be assured I will have PhD in hand. Here's the naive part. It's an open rank, depending on experience, and though I meet minimal qualifications, the job, which has been posted for months, is a department chair. In my mind it seems ridiculous any new professor would even be considered for such a position. And as I read through there is nothing that excludes me. It's in education and the only experience stipulation is previous K-12, which I have. I also have some part time lecturer experience at the university level I did while working on my PhD (not a TA position). I have other experience as a professional in a public institution in doing some of the skills the chair describes, also.

My usual motto is to just apply if I am qualified, but since this is one of my target schools, I wonder if it opens up a position as a regular assistant professor later if I do something naive, that will dismiss me.

It's a well-ranked religious school and my values are in alignment with the institution. My PhD will be from a public R1.

Should I just hold out and hope they open a regular TT or give it a shot?

[t_r_b]

Department chairs have tenure. If you hire an outside person as department chair, it's considered a senior hire. I have no idea why they would label a search for a department chair as "open rank," unless by "open" they mean "either associate or full."

It's also very unlikely that they'd hire a new department chair who has no prior experience in faculty governance or for that matter in full-time university teaching.

That said, if you meet the stated qualifications, there is no harm in applying. You never know.

[sciencephd]

A first time faculty member will not be given a position as department chair anywhere.

[conjugate]

A first time faculty member will not be given a position as department chair anywhere.

Or, if there exists an exception, it is a place where you very much don't want to work.  Trust me on this.

[onion]

A first time faculty member will not be given a position as department chair anywhere.

Or, if there exists an exception, it is a place where you very much don't want to work.  Trust me on this.

Yeah, I was just going to write that my former institution had a number of untenured chairs.  You do not want to be an untenured chair.  As chair, you have to make decisions that will upset people, and if those same people will one day make up your tenure committee, that's a recipe for disaster.

Moreover, a good rule of thumb, at least in my field and in my experience, is that when a dept. is conducting a search for an outside chair, it means that the dept. is dysfunctional and the Dean has decided to bring someone in from the outside to straighten them out and make them play nice. 

In short, I don't think it sounds great, but in this job market, I also wouldn't pass up any openings.

[sciencephd]

The issue is not just being untenured, it is not having ever been a faculty member.

[danseuse322]

Thank you all. I don't think I am hearing anything shocking but I needed to hear it from people who knew. I appreciate it.