Department Chairpersons Research Articles

Editorial on Placement by the APSA Committee of Department Chairpersons

Editorial on Placement by the APSA Committee of Department Chairpersons

Editorial on Placement by the APSA Committee of Department Chairpersons

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Forthcoming Meetings and Conferences of General Interest

Study iii, undertaken in 1973–74 by the Commission on the Status of Women in the Profession, is the most far-reaching of the Commission's three studies. Unlike Study l and Study n, which were based on responses from selected department chairpersons to a questionnaire prepared by the Commission, Study m is based on responses from individuals in English and foreign language departments. These individuals are in institutions selected by the American Council on Education (ACE) for its study of teaching faculty in American colleges and universities in 1972–73. Like the two earlier studies, Study in examines the status of women in the modern language profession, but it furnishes a more comprehensive profile of the profession as well as comparative profiles of the two major fields within the modern language profession, English and foreign languages.

Accountability: Or Let Others Grade Your Students

This paper discusses resolution three passed in 1974 by the Conference on College Composition and Communication at Anaheim, which states,...all retention and tenure decisions...Le securely based on a thorough, balanced, and professional evaluation of teaching competence... A system developed by the author which approaches the spirit of this resolution is described and recommended for college teachers of English, especially those teaching composition courses for students in other disciplines. The system involves inviting teachers of humanities from outside one's own department to evaluate one's students; inviting people from within the student's profession to evaluate; inviting the general public to see one's students, both in person and on a video-tape television program; and inviting people from the humanities profession and from the student's profession to submit a confidential evaluation of one's teaching competence to one's department chairperson. (TS)

Campus Career Guidance: Assessment and a Model

This article reports a model for assessment of the needs and resources for career guidance on the college campus and the results of one such assessment. Students' need for career guidance was assessed by opinion polls on campus. Resources available on campus were assessed by structured interviews with all department chairpersons and deans. Graduates' views of the usefulness of college education as career preparation were obtained through mailed questionnaires.Results indicate that (a) family and personal friends have the greatest influence on career choice, (b) university departments supply very limited resources for aid in career choice, and (c) most graduates view their college major as a necessary or desirable prerequisite for their current employment. Recommendations are made for action that counseling centers, college divisions, and departments can take to improve career guidance resources on campus.

So You're Looking for a Chairperson?

Although few want ads for “Chairperson of Theology Department” appear in the Chronicle of Higher Education, nonetheless, it is more than rumor that a number of colleges and universities are searching for that “ideal” leader for the theology/religious studies department. The basic difficulty faced by search committees is that they find it difficult to draw up a job description of the position. Usually a letter announcing the opening simply declares that the university desires an “administrator-theologian,” dodging any details. A more lengthy ad—which did appear in The Chronicle—added: “who is willing to work in harmony with ecclesiastical authorities,” which makes the post even more mysterious, if not ominous.However, in defense of search committees, it can safely be said that it is almost impossible to define the task of departmental chairpersons. Faculty consider them part of administration, administration declare that they are essentially one of the faculty; they should be leaders in their discipline, but are given little time for research; they should be better-than-average performers in the classroom, but their teaching abilities are allowed to rust as they become more and more a cog in bureaucratic machinery. Moreover, in some institutions they are expected to be no more than the “secretary” of the faculty, while in others (at least according to the ‘manual’) they are endowed with dictatorial powers. In any case, they are surely “responsible for the department,” although realistically, their powers are so sorely limited by established procedures, bone-marrow budgeting, a freeze on hiring, that they are fortunate if they can even maintain the status quo.

The department chairman —in or out?

AbstractWith the advent of collective bargaining and the existence of the traditionally ill‐defined position of department chairpersons in American higher education, an increased need is emerging for a greater understanding of middle‐management roles, Hopefully, that understanding will minimize unnecessary conflict in bargaining.

Report of the Committee of Department Chairpersons: Placement of Political Scientists in 1975

Report of the Committee of Department Chairpersons: Placement of Political Scientists in 1975

Report of the Committee of Department Chairpersons: Placement of Political Scientists in 1975

Report of the Committee of Department Chairpersons: Placement of Political Scientists in 1975

What Are Department Chairpersons Doing?

What Are Department Chairpersons Doing?

Committee of Department Chairpersons

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Committee of Department Chairpersons

Committee of Department Chairpersons

Report of the Committee of Department Chairpersons: Placement of Political Scientists in 1974

Report of the Committee of Department Chairpersons: Placement of Political Scientists in 1974

Report of the Committee of Department Chairpersons: Placement of Political Scientists in 1974

Report of the Committee of Department Chairpersons: Placement of Political Scientists in 1974

Reflections on the role of the departmental chairperson at a South African university

In this article a description is given of some personal reflection on the challenges, complexities, responsibilities and expected performance that faced the author on becoming a departmental chairperson at a South African university. It was a daunting task, essentially because there were no leadership training programmes to provide support. The lack of institutional development plans was an acute shortcoming. This is a worldwide trend where departmental chairs are very seldom trained to meet the new demands that face them. Self-empowerment seems to be the most likely route. Although much has been written on departmental leadership, this is not sufficient, as theoretical training in, or underpinning, leadership alone cannot replace true experience and training. It seems unreasonable that departmental chairs be assessed as part of the institutional process of performance assessment if they have little or no experience and no access to developmental programmes. This article, which describes the context in which the author had to act as chairperson, gives an overview of some of the literature on the functions of the departmental chairperson. This is followed by a brief reflection on these functions as well as a description of an assessment instrument that the author developed to assist in the process of performance assessment of departmental chairpersons.