Policy Number: 29
DEPARTMENT CHAIRS
Department Chairs serve as non-negotiated administrative and professional employees (Section II.A.4.b and II.B.2. of the Board Regulations).
APPOINTMENTS
Each Chair shall be appointed by the Dean, subject to the approval of the Provost and the President, in accordance with established College procedures.
TERM OF APPOINTMENT
The Department Chair shall be appointed on a twelve-month basis, normally for a three-year term. A chair may be reappointed for successive terms consistent with Board Guidelines issued pursuant to II.A.4.b. and II.B.2. of the Board Regulations.
SELECTION PROCEDURES
The Dean shall consult with the Director of the Office of Civil Rights prior to initiating the process for appointment and before recommending appointment to the Provost and the President.
There are four options for selecting a Department Chair: (1) reappointment of the incumbent, (2) appointment through a national search process, (3) appointment from within the department following an advisory nomination, and (4) appointment by the Dean of an acting chair for a specific term.
All nominations, recommendations, and decisions made by the department members concerning these appointments are advisory to the Dean.
1.
Procedures for
Reappointment of the Incumbent Department Chair
a. No later then November 1 of the last full year of the term of office, the incumbent must notify the Dean whether or not reappointment is desired.
b.
If the
incumbent wants to be considered for reappointment, the Dean shall conduct a
review of the incumbent’s performance prior to December 15 of the final year of
the incumbent’s term of office.
c.
According to
established College procedures and IGP 31, the Dean shall consult with eligible
members of the department concerning the Chair’s performance.
d.
The Dean shall
use the Administrative Appraisal Instrument as one source of the Chair’s
performance evaluation.
e.
By January 1,
the Dean shall make a recommendation regarding the reappointment of the
incumbent chair to the Office of the Provost.
2.
Procedures for
Appointment of a Non-Incumbent
a.
If the
incumbent will not be reappointed, the Dean shall determine if there is
budgetary support for a national search.
b.
If a national
search is feasible, the department may advise the Dean of its preference for a
national search or an internal search.
An advisory vote should be sought from tenured and tenured-track faculty
members. If the Dean selects a
national search, the Dean and department then follow the procedures outlined in
Section 3 below.
c.
If the
incumbent will not be reappointed and the Dean does not select a national search,
the Dean and department then follow the procedures outlined in Section 4 below.
3.
Procedures For
Appointment of a Non-Incumbent Through a National Search
a.
If the Dean
Selects a national search, the Dean will appoint a Search and Screening
Committee and select its chair.
b.
University
employment procedures will be followed.
c.
Internal
candidates may apply.
d.
Department
faculty may participate in interviewing candidates invited for interviews.
e.
If the search
process does not yield a candidate acceptable to the Dean, the Dean may reopen
the search with the same committee or name a new committee, or authorize the
Department to nominate candidates from within the department according to
procedures outlined in Section 4.
4. Procedures For Appointment of a Non-Incumbent From Within the Department
a.
The Dean will
set the date, time, and place for an advisory ballot through which the
department will nominate candidates from among tenured and tenure track faculty
members.
b.
Candidates and
all participants in advisory balloting must be tenured or tenure track faculty members.
c.
Permission of
nominees must be received prior to tendering their nomination.
d.
Nominations may
be made on the first, or any succeeding ballot, by tenured and tenure track
faculty. Nominations and votes
will be by secret ballot.
e.
Any nominee may
withdraw at any time by personal request.
f.
Any tenured and
tenure track faculty member who cannot be present at the meeting for an
acceptable reason may participate by arranging with the Dean prior to the
election to vote absentee.
Absentee ballots must be received on or before the stated election time.
5.
Procedures for
Appointment of an Interim (Acting) Chair
An Acting Department Chair is appointed by the Dean in accordance with procedures established by the College, and with the agreement of the Provost and the President.
COMPENSATION
1.
Initial Salary
Determination
a.
Interim
(acting) Chairs appointed internally from faculty ranks will have an
administrative attachment added to their monthly salaries. The amount of the administrative
attachment will be determined by the Dean in consultation with the incoming
chair and will be clearly identified on the personnel authorization and appointment
forms.
b.
When appointing
a Chair on a continuing appointment from within the existing faculty ranks or
when appointing a chair on a continuing appointment from a national search with
faculty rank and/or tenure, the monthly base salary will be established
relative to the individual’s qualifications and the market for chairs at the
rank in the discipline. The
administrative attachment must be specified and be clearly identified on the
personnel authorization and appointment forms.
2.
Base Salary and
Adjustments for Chairs
a. For interim (acting) Chairs, the monthly base salary plus the monthly administrative attachment will be used in calculating percentage-based annual administrative salary adjustments.
b.
For continuing
Chairs, the monthly base salary plus the monthly administrative attachment, if
separately identified, will be used in calculating percentage-based annual
administrative salary adjustments.
c. Chairs who receive a promotion will also receive an appropriate base salary adjustment.
3.
Salary for
Chairs Returning to or Assuming Faculty Status
a.
For an interim
(acting) Chair hired internally, the administrative attachment will be removed
and the salary adjusted to 9/12ths of the then current annual salary. In no case will the adjusted salary be
less than the salary would have been had the Chair remain in the bargaining
unit and received non-discretionary negotiated base salary increases.
b.
If/When a Chair
assumes or returns to faculty status, the administrative attachment will be
identified and removed prior to adjusting the final salary. The final salary will be no less than
9/12ths of the then current annual salary and, if applicable, will be increased
to be commensurate with the department faculty of comparable rank and
experience.
TENURE AND PROMOTION
In accordance with Board Regulation II.B.3., Department Chairs shall be eligible for consideration for tenure or promotion during the term of service as Chair if they hold at least the rank of Assistant Professor and meet the educational requirements and years of service outlined in Board Regulations. A Chair hired from outside the University may be granted tenure at the time of employment in accordance with Board Regulation II B.3.
PROCEDURES FOR REMOVAL OF
DEPARTMENT CHAIR
A Department Chair may be removed by a Dean after consultation with the department faculty and agreement by the Provost and the President and in accordance with Board Regulation II.B.4.
ADMINISTRATIVE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Department Chair is the chief administrative officer of the department who represents the faculty of the department and the administration and who is responsible for the execution of University policies which concern the department. More specifically, with the counsel and advice of the faculty, the Chair is responsible for:
1.
Developing and
reviewing long-range department goals and objectives;
2.
Providing
leadership in curricular matters, improvement of instruction and academic advisement;
3.
Facilitating
communication and coordination of activities between the department and the
college, the administrative offices, the community, and the alumni;
4.
Recruiting and
making recommendations for hiring high quality faculty and staff;
5.
Encouraging
professional development of faculty members through study, research, and
participation in professional organizations;
6.
Facilitating
actions which support and promote diversity and providing leadership regarding
compliance with federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination;
7.
Supervising and
evaluating departmental faculty and staff;
8.
Preparing class
schedules and assignments of department faculty and staff;
9.
Reviewing grade
appeals and other student concerns;
10.
Preparing and
administering the department budget;
11.
Convening
department meetings on a regular basis, at least once each term;
12.
Overseeing the
preparation of Board of Higher Education program reviews, as well as annual
departmental planning documents, accreditation, and other appropriate administrative
reports and;
13.
Performing such
other responsibilities as assigned by the Dean and Provost.
TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES
With the approval of the Provost, the Dean may set the teaching load of a Department Chair commensurate with administrative duties. The Chair’s teaching load may be reduced or eliminated dependent upon the number of faculty, scope and complexity of the undergraduate and graduate program, research, community and public service, and co-curricular activities.
Approved by:
President
September 1, 2004
Monitor: Vice President for Academic Affairs