Ways are discussed for making faculty assessment an integral part of a department. Suggestions relate to developing career plans, specifying goals, identifying skills, conducting regular reviews, and locating assessment within the departmental and institutional culture. Guidelines and procedures are illustrated with sample letters and third-year…

A revision of one published in April 1985, this checklist yields useful information for preparing self-study reports. Questions are categorized as follows: data on community and institution; goals and priorities; curriculum; faculty; teaching; students; operational activities; and resources. (Contains one reference.) (LB)

Suggestions for a new language department chair are presented. They include the following: assemble teams to help; be accessible; learn administrative details; make decisions; create a procedures manual; be chair of all the department; and be an individual. (LB)

The reward structure in higher education is reviewed, followed by a discussion of the way it is viewed and the terms in which it is discussed outside as well as inside the profession. The reward structure in foreign language departments is then examined. (Contains 86 references.) (LB)

The department chair's responsibilities for program planning and development are discussed, embracing three broad areas: conception and development of new projects, application and inclusion of projects in the department's course of study, and cultivation of agreement and support within the wider college community. (LB)

Examines the shift in the role of the college and university language department head from that of colleague and leader to manager, resulting from changing institutional and professional culture. Argues department chairs must read recent research on department leadership, learn about changes in higher education and the faculty's role, and…

Policy statements of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages are presented for administration of foreign language departments; use of outside reviewers; and statement of good practice: teaching, evaluation, and scholarship.(LB)

Argues that two forms of leadership exist currently in college and university foreign language departments: the top publishing and public-speaking scholars; and the people who chair the departments, dealing with the daily business of staffing courses and working with faculty and administrators. Suggests the two types of leaders operate in…

Findings from the Modern Language Association survey, based on returns from 598 2- and 4-year colleges, are reported. Factors affecting department chairs' conditions of service and perquisites were found to be the presence of a union; levels of instruction offered; number of students; number of languages offered; and faculty size. (Contains two…

College language department heads are encouraged to become proactive in responding to change in higher education by: undertaking departmental planning; ensuring good teaching; emphasizing collegiality; thinking creatively; becoming part of any college restructuring process; identifying allies on campus; staying informed about institutional…

Fluctuations in the role of foreign language department chairs since 1958 are discussed, with focus on the "intellectual expansion" of language educators' roles in American education as a whole. The nature of leadership is considered. (one reference) (LB)

Designed to help foreign language department chairs, this article discusses the dynamic environment of elementary and secondary foreign language teaching, the departments' role in developing successful foreign language teachers, and the teacher licensure process. (Contains 29 references.) (LB)

The role of department chair is not one of power or authority, but rather one of service to the community and one's colleagues. The chair must commit to work diligently and balance the often conflicting needs of students, staff, faculty, and administrators. (LB)

Ten rules that department chairs need for dealing with the dean are presented, including knowing the dean and the college mission, speaking the dean's language, knowing your numbers, making deadlines, making the department look good, and preventing any budget surprises. (LB)

It is argued that foreign language study has failed to secure a central place in the American curriculum partly because of a lack of articulation from elementary through university studies, possibly because of a lack of universally accepted methods for assessing language development. Department chairs are encouraged to recreate an articulated…