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[rugger101]

Recently, in front of an external review committee, our Dean went before the committee and an audience comprised chairs in the college and lied...err, conveyed an alternate narrative...regarding a very sensitive topic in the college that has been both time consuming and very painful for all the chairs.  The truth would have been very easy to tell, but instead the Dean told a story designed to make him/her look good and diminish the seriousness of the topic.  The narrative was completely counter to what had been told to the chairs (and was the basis for their actions) and completely counter to what the chairs had conveyed to individual committee members.  To make sure I wasn't hearing things, I asked several chairs and they also heard the same thing.  One chair basically gave the Dean a pass for being "old and tired."  Regardless, several chairs asked the Dean to meet with the committee and "clarify" his/her earlier statement and that was done.  This is the second time I have caught the Dean in a lie designed to make him/her look good at the expense of the chairs.

The questions is how can you keep working for someone you no longer trust?

[offthemarket]

Answer: You collect your paycheck on a regular basis.

You don't work for the Dean.  You work for your students and the community of your scholars.  He's just the administrator that lets you do your job.

[untenured]

There are so many chairs in this scenario that it's hard to keep track of who is who.  There's this Chair and that Chair.  So the Dean lied to chairs about other chairs and both sets of chairs know about it, I'm guessing.

Anyway, it does not matter.  The first thing I would do is to check yourself and make sure you really caught the Dean in a lie.  'Lie' is a pretty strong word, and two people can have vastly different interpretations of the same facts. Does the Dean have a perspective that is worth considering?  Do you have an axe to grind or bias when considering the Dean's words?  Look in the mirror before you condemn so harshly.

Ok, I can hear you already. "Oh absolutely, the Dean is a liar.  I'm completely sure."  Fine, fine.  Let's assume that you are neutral and objective in this whole fiasco and that Dr. Dean is a big fat fibber.  You don't confront the Dean with information.  Yet, you remember it well, knowing that if the Dean says false things in other circumstances, he can certainly lie to you.  So when the Dean announces, proclaims, or promises something, you know that it must be taken with a grain of salt.

Don't whip out your sword.  If Chairs are offended they will certainly act on your behalf without you having to spend what I assume is limited political capital.  Just retain the information for further use.

(on Edit:  Yeah, and you collect your paycheck on a regular basis.)

[der_gadfly]

Take the paycheck, hold at arms' length. Release. If it stays on the floor, this is a good thing.

Upon sitting in the car on the ride home, ask "Is this better than my day was?"

[derosa]

I don't know if I would be completely satisfied with the "grin and bear it" advice so far.  Personally, I feel like I need to be able to trust my dean and he/she needs to be able to trust me.  I realize that there will be times when we both need to tell alternate narratives to others in order to keep things moving along, however, when we are in the same room, I expect us to be on the same page.

I would have a very difficult time working with (yes, with...as I believe that to create positive change, I need a partner in the dean's office...he/she needs a partner in the department) a dean I couldn't trust.  I am not saying we always have to agree...we certainly don't.  But if the dean places me in a position where I am left hanging out to dry because of something done or said that was counter to some previous agreement, I would be stepping down.

[georgiaprof]

 You don't confront the Dean with information.  Yet, you remember it well, knowing that if the Dean says false things in other circumstances, he can certainly lie to you.  So when the Dean announces, proclaims, or promises something, you know that it must be taken with a grain of salt.

This.
And the paycheck.
If it really bothers you that much - then update your CV and start looking.

[larryc]

You are making this personal. You don't have to trust or like your dean. Of course it is easy for me to say, my dean is wonderful.

[science_expat]

You are making this personal. You don't have to trust or like your dean. Of course it is easy for me to say, my dean is wonderful.

If you're a department chair, you need to trust your dean.

OP, I found your story confusing. Are you one of these chairs? And is the dean painting a brave picture or trying to pass off blame?

[ursula]

You are making this personal. You don't have to trust or like your dean. Of course it is easy for me to say, my dean is wonderful.

If you're a department chair, you need to trust your dean.

When I was department chair, I did not trust my dean.  This was with very good reason, as hu was a known liar, and liked to side with factions within departments, even to the point of undermining chairs. Hu would sell us all down the river to get the funds to support pet projects.

Now we have a new dean, who actually does seem trustworthy.

[mellonia]

I find the "you don't have to trust your dean" comments fascinating.  I would not stand for election as chair with a dean I couldn't trust or work with (I put it that way only because I'm not at present an administrator--I recognize that deans change).  The job is hard enough without starting from the assumption that departmental initiatives won't get past the dean's level because of some level of dishonesty.  And I don't know anyone who does admin for the paycheck.  The salary bump I got for being an associate chair barely covered the increased tequila budget for the year.

OP, if you want to know what you do--well, several chairs convinced the dean, in this instance, to clarify his remarks to the external review committee.  Case closed.  You say this is the second time something like this has happened.  I agree with others who say that because of this history, you take future interactions with a grain of salt.  You can also consider whether you've lost the love enough so that you should resign.  As wise forumites have reminded me on a few occasions, you have no power to change his actions, only power over your own.  And this sure doesn't sound to me like something bad enough to take up the admin chain in the form of the complaint, that would be a big mistake.

[sinatra]

The standard time for a dean to remain in office is five to seven years. If your dean is in office longer than that, it will soon be time for a turnover. If the dean is just starting out, then it might just be the pain of needing to give up old faculty ways and start being an administrator. Either way, this dean, too, shall pass.

The other thing to remember is that, if this "lying" behavior is part of the norm for your dean, then most of the dean's superiors and subordinates already know about it. It's something they will plan on. So, when the dean says, "I had the best interests of the faculty and staff at heart, but the chairs forced this line of action on me," most people will know that the situation was probably reversed. And they will act accordingly.

Bottom line: This is not a big concern unless (a) you personally are getting a bad reputation because of the dean's allegations or (b) your department is losing a competitive advantage for scarce resources because of the dean. In that case, go talk to the dean about your concerns (I notice that our department is not as competitive when it comes to x resource. Can we discuss this?). If that does not work, talk to your provost or VPAA. If that does not work, apply elsewhere, leave, and be happier.

[rugger101]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful replies.  I am a department chair just to clarify my rather cryptic post.  I've taken all your comments to heart and found them all to be helpful.  Best advice of all: remind myself who I really work for. 

[brixton]

As a side note, if this really is habitual, make sure everytime you meet you follow with a chipper but clear note that repeats what you thought transpired.   "Thanks for the productive meeting.  As I understand it, you'll be able to provide X-dollars of support for Y initiative."  Minutes at every meeting are also a good thing. That way, down the road, if suddenly you're facing discrepancies, you can pull up the ole' note and say "Gosh, when we talked last time, I thought this was what we decided."  This is particularly important if money is involved. 

[giacomo]

The standard time for a dean to remain in office is five to seven years. If your dean is in office longer than that, it will soon be time for a turnover.

I agree with this. I did not trust my dean and could not stand the vice-president. I even considered leaving. Then in a short period of time they were both gone and everything was fine.

[msparticularity]

I like my dean, and I am still trying to get everything in writing, in case the next one is unreliable!