Academic Leadership Department Chair

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Academic LeadershipDepartment Chair
Judy M. Vance Professor and Chair Mechanical
Engineering Department Iowa State
University Ames, IA
Utah State University Leading the Way September
25, 2006
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Roadmap

• About me
• About my university/college/department
• How are the tasks of a department chair different
  than the tasks of a faculty member
• Why is being a department chair so important
• Challenges and opportunities

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About me

• Not a straight path to engineering or academia

Professor
Retail Banking
Mechanical Engineering
Math
Bacteriology
John Deere
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Iowa State Universityof Science and Technology

• First land grant institution in the US (1864)
• 8 Colleges
• Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Engineering
• Business
• Human Sciences
• Agriculture
• Design
• Veterinary Medicine
• Library

Enrollment 25,462 20,440 Undergraduates
439 Professional 4,583 Graduate Students
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ISU Mechanical Engineering

• 3rd Largest undergraduate program at ISU
• 1056 Undergraduates
• 180 Graduate students
• 9th Largest undergraduate ME program in US
• BSME
• MSME (thesis and non-thesis)
• PhD

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Faculty Department Chair

• Research and teaching Department
• Write proposals Write memos, letters
• Supervise graduate students Supervise staff
• Mentor/coach graduate students Mentor/coach
  faculty
• Grade homework and exams Evaluate faculty
• Lectures Presentations
• Attend meetings Chair meetings
• Proposal budgets Department budget
• Represent your research group Represent the
  department
• Independent entrepreneur Dean is the boss

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Faculty Department Chair
University interactions

• Department chair Other department chairs
• Faculty Faculty
• Dean Dean
• Associate Dean Associate Deans
• Provost
• Human Resources
• University Counsel

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Faculty Department Chair
Evaluation
Your performance is in large part judged by the
performance of others
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A Week in the Life

• Exercise 6 hr
• Personal trainer 2 hr
• Running 4 hr
• Department 20.5 hr
• Meetings with secretary - 1 hr
• University Budget meeting 1 hr
• Deans Academic Council 2.5 hr
• Meeting with faculty member 1 hr
• Provost candidate seminar 2 hr
• Meet with director of grad program 1 hr
• Conference call concerning potential research
  collaborations 1 hr
• Host a visiting seminar speaker 8 hr (includes
  evening dinner)
• Prepare for faculty meeting 1 hr
• Faculty meeting 1 hr
• Conf call with Advisory Committee Chair 1 hr
• Research 20.5 hr
• ADVANCE meetings 4.5 hr
• Tour for visitor to research lab 2.5 hr
• Graduate student and post doc meetings 5.5 hr

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Why is the department chair position so important?

• Hiring and Promotion
• Budget Management
• Strategic Planning
• Undergraduate Program
• Graduate Program
• Alumni Relations

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Why is the department chair position so important?

• To your career
• Builds credibility
• Prerequisite for other academic administration
  positions

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Challenges

• Finding the carrots as well as the sticks
• Never enough money or space
• Supporting the deans vision while embarking on
  your own vision for the dept
• Focusing on the important tasks
• Learning who to take advice from
• Listening

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Opportunities

• To make a difference
• To have an impact

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How to get prepared?

• Watch and listen
• Think beyond your classes and your research
• Get promoted to full professor
• Have a strong research program
• Take advantage of leadership training
  opportunities
• Be aware of what is emerging in your discipline
• Be active outside your university in leadership
  positions

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Questions?