Middle-level academic managers play a central role in university management; however, their roles are not always clear and straightforward. Although this research subject has been comprehensively investigated in the last 40 years, most studies are western-biased. This study examines the roles of Heads of Department in a newly established…

There is an adage common among deans and provosts: The board is concerned with the care and feeding of the president; the faculty is concerned with the care and feeding of the faculty. The implication--and why it brings a knowing smile to any chief academic officer's face--is that no one seems concerned with the care and feeding of the CAO. Small…

The role and responsibilities of the chair of an academic department in higher education is considered from the perspective of both actor and agent, within the context of the institution being served and the department being represented. The intent of this article is to further research on the role of department chair by analyzing it in the…

Observing that the chairperson must at minimum be able to reconcile the role expectations of the institution and department with those of the individual, the author discusses the chair's specific role in establishing missions and goals, in communications, and in decision making. A sampling of twenty-nine specific functions is also presented. (DTT)

Two consistent paradigms of the position of a departmental chairman: (1) administrative head, appointed by and accountable to the administration, and (2) representative chairman, elected by colleagues to preside over their collective decision making. (Author/RY)

This book presents 11 contributed papers which examine communication aspects of the department chair position in academia. It is noted that most academic department chairs are not trained in management skills, including communication strategies. After an introductory chapter by Christopher H. Spicer and Ann Q. Staton, the following papers are…

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)

This investigation examined the dimensional sources and perceptions of occupational stress experienced by department chairs in institutions of higher education, and the influence of professional independent variables associated with these stressors. Surveys were mailed to 800 randomly selected department chairs at 100 institutions (523 surveys…

This study examined the association between financial difficulties of institutions of higher education and their organizational effectiveness with 334 colleges and universities. An investigation of this relationship was made using three variables: a decline in required financial resources, degree of organizational effectiveness, and a set of 12…

This paper reports on a study that investigated the role, attitudes, and behaviors of department chairs in higher education. Specifically, the study investigated four objectives: (1) to examine role factors of effective chair performance; (2) to assess the impact of antecedent variables such as individual characteristics (gender, marital status,…

This study reports on the job challenges and corresponding response strategies that department chairs at graduate and undergraduate colleges and universities encounter and rely upon. Literature and research related to marketing department chairs, marketing education, and marketing majors indicates that business schools have come under attack by…