Department Chairs

POLICY

The department chair, in conjunction with program coordinators where appropriate, shall be the responsible administrator for the governance, supervision, and fiscal operation of the academic unit. The chair will provide academic leadership, vision, and strategic planning for the department and shall be directly responsible to the dean. Upon recommendation of the dean and the provost, the chair shall be appointed for one-, two-, or three-year terms by the president of the university. The standard appointment shall be for three years. Responsibilities of the department chair are outlined below.

1. Oversee the recruitment, hiring, ongoing professional development, and regular evaluation of staff and adjunct faculty, contract faculty, and tenure-track faculty.

2. Make recommendations to the dean regarding personnel including: appointments or changes in appointments; merit salary increases; leaves of absence or sabbaticals; dismissals; retirements or other matters affecting personnel of the department.

3. Communicate department budget needs to the dean, and prudently manage the funds allocated to the department.

4. Convey to the dean pertinent recommendations of the department.

5. Prepare and file reports of departmental activities as directed by the dean.

6. Hold regularly scheduled department meetings and forward a copy of the recorded minutes to the dean.

7. Sit on the department Ranking and Tenure Evaluation Committee

8. Evaluate faculty and staff as per all applicable departmental, college, and university policies (see PPM 3-62, 8-11, and 8-12).

9. Schedule all full-time and adjunct faculty members for teaching assignments and laboratory duties in conjunction with Continuing Education and the Davis Campus and other satellite locations when appropriate.

10. Maintain a file of the syllabi for each course taught in the department.

11. Make department committees and individual assignments, including student advising as appropriate, for department faculty and staff.

12. Foster good teaching within the department (see PPM 8-11.IV.E)

13. Encourage faculty to be involved in scholarly activities as defined in the tenure and promotion document (see PPM 8-11.IV.F)

14. Promote faculty involvement in service to the institution and/or profession (see PPM 8- 11.IV.G)

15. Oversee and manage the department's curriculum, courses, programs, and assessment.

16. Oversee the accreditation and program review processes.

17. Represent the department to community organizations, when applicable.

18. Coordinate department outreach efforts, including program promotion and recruitment.

19. Encourage, where appropriate, collaboration with other departments and programs at WSU.

20. Model ethical principles and professional behavior as outlined in PPM 9-3.

21. Perform other duties as required elsewhere in the PPM.

22. Perform other duties as directed by the dean