Chapter 5: Chair Interaction with Division Heads, the Associate Provost/Academic Dean, and the Provost

Overview

Being a successful Chair requires vision and passion – and a little creativity. First and foremost, a Chair must possess a keen sense of vision: 

• Where is the department today?
• Where does it need to be in the future?

The department's program review should be one of the crucial places where these questions are explored. These questions as raised in the program review are revisited each year through the process of assessment and annual department reflection. 

Vision plays a critical role in hiring decisions as the future of the department is shaped by the faculty who teach its classes and advise its students. Vision also governs short-term and long-term decisions regarding curriculum matters.

Passion for the department and its program helps the Chair inspire the faculty of the department to continually improve courses, curriculum and advising. Additionally, passion fuels the Chair’s resolve to make hard decisions and lead the department.

Problem solving relies on creativity: can the Chair come up with possible solutions to challenges and opportunities facing the department? Can the Chair consider the needs of their department as well as others, collaborating with their peers and ‘give and take’ where appropriate?

Interaction with the Division Heads

The division heads have a broad perspective of strengths, needs and opportunities within the departments that make up their division. Accordingly, the division heads play several important roles, including but not limited to:

Leadership, Planning, Communication

• Coordinate planning for department assessment and promote best practices
• Read annual reports and prepare division executive summary; in collaboration with the associate provost/ academic dean, respond to department Chairs with questions or concerns regarding the reports
• Facilitate work on the strategic plan as it relates to division’s departments/programs
• Develop a divisional culture
• Promote interdisciplinary faculty work, interdepartmental/cross-divisional alliances, and  interdisciplinary programs
• Schedule and organize divisional meetings
• Participate in division head meetings
• Promote opportunities for partnerships between chairs and program directors with the external world  

 Curriculum 

• Encourage, facilitate course innovation in the division
• Monitor course planning and scheduling
• Provide divisional insight on the department hiring plan and request(s)

Essentially, the Chair should consult with his/her division head on issues and opportunities; the associate provost/academic dean often relies upon input from division heads in decision making. In addition, the division head has a broader perspective of activities across the division and outside the division, which can be highly valuable in problem solving. An effective department Chair partners with his/her division head as creative problem solvers, i.e. what possible ways can they imagine to solve this issue and meet everyone’s needs?  The division head then can become an advocate for the Chair and his/her department.

The division head will hold divisional meetings of chairs and/or all faculty as appropriate to carry out divisional business and work on divisional goals.

For additional areas needing interaction with division heads, see Chapter 2, Course Offerings subsection; Chapter 4, Problems with Department Faculty Members subsection; Chapter 6, Travel subsection; and Chapter 7, Authorization to Hire and Campus Interviews subsections.

Interaction with the Associate Provost/Academic Dean

Chairs are required to provide a number of items to the associate provost and academic dean:

• Staffing reports, including hiring requests (by June 1^st)
• Annual reviews of probationary faculty (by June 30^th)
• Annual department reports (by June 30^th)

Hiring process

The hiring process is described in Chapter 7. Chairs need to keep one critical thing in mind: CSB/SJU wants each search to be professional and thorough – and to lead to the hiring of a wonderful faculty member, one who will hopefully have successful third year and tenure reviews. Accordingly, a failed search is preferred over a bad hiring decision.

Annual reviews of probationary faculty

Chapter 4 addresses the mentoring of department faculty. Evaluations are an important element in the development of probationary faculty.  Chairs need to be honest in their feedback and provide clear recommendations that probationary faculty can address. Annual reviews of probationary faculty are required to be submitted to the associate provost and academic dean by June 30^th.

Annual department reports

Annual reports fit into a continuum that stems from the program review. Each program review seeks to answer three fundamental questions:

1. What are the current strengths and weaknesses of the program?
2. On the basis of what evidence have these strengths and weaknesses been identified?
3. What steps can the program take to sustain and build upon its current levels of success?
4. How can the institutions better support the program in fulfilling its mission?

The work of a good program review results in a number of goals that address these questions. A solid assessment process provides continuing input to departments on progress made in curricular and pedagogical improvements – and changes needed. The primary purpose of the department annual report, then, is to provide an update as to goal accomplishments and the challenges that have arisen.  It draws upon the periodic program reviews and annual assessment efforts as well as other sources of information. The Academic  Policies, Standards and Assessment Committee has developed draft integrated reporting procedures for the Annual Report that recognize the inter-related nature of program review, assessment and annual departmental reflection. These policies, when complete will be available on the APSAC web page.

Provost’s Role

The Provost is responsible for leading the academic life of the institution. The Provost holds a weekly staff meeting with key staff, including the associate provost/academic dean, the associate dean and the academic budget analyst. These staff meetings cover the ‘nuts and bolts’ business of the academic mission of our colleges. Opportunities, challenges and issues that Chairs would like to see addressed at this level should be raised by the Chairs to their division heads.

Chairs' Meetings 

Chairs should attend the scheduled Chairs' meetings and report decisions/actions to department members in a timely fashion. If the Chair is unable to attend a scheduled meeting, the Chair should designate someone from the department to attend in his/her place. Minutes of the Chairs' meetings are available to all faculty.

Selection of Chair 

The term for Chair is typically 3 years with opportunity for renewals. The process of Chair review begins in the current Chair's third year, initiated by the associate provost and academic dean. In consultation with the Chair, the Department participates individually or collectively. If votes are required, the associate provost and academic dean oversees the process. An appointment as Chair is by the President, on recommendation of the Provost.

Last updated:  September 16, 2008