Presents a series of "self-evident truths" based on the personal experiences of department chairs. Groups the 22 truths into 4 areas: departments are cultural and social entities; departments are connected to other units as well as to various constituencies; there are personal skills, feelings, and values involved; and there are philosophical…

Relates the experience of a speech communication faculty who chose, in a campus reorganization, to locate themselves in a professional college. Discusses benefits and difficulties. (SR)

Discusses the compelling motivations for a department to recruit faculty effectively and efficiently and how to integrate these motivations into the hiring process. Explores different perspectives of chairpersons and new hirees on retaining new faculty. Offers six steps to facilitate retention of new hires. (SR)

Uses the rating systems of a number of studies recently undertaken concerning research productivity of speech communication departments to determine a profile of the chairs of 27 doctoral-granting departments considered prolific. Finds that chairs of prolific departments publish more than the "average" author listed in the author index for speech…

Explores journalism and mass communication administrators' support for paid media consulting (such as a writing coach, a market analyst, or a management consultant) by faculty members. Examines whether their programs' policies encourage such activity. Finds that administrators generally encourage their faculties to consult. (KEH)

Identifies the competencies that faculty members believe their department chairs need to possess in order to function effectively as academic leaders. Considers whether those competencies are generalizable across different academic departments. Assesses the degree of relationship between perceptions of department chairs' competencies and overall…