Identifies the difficulties faced by a female English department head. Creates several case studies of typical moments of conflict experienced by a department chair of feminist leanings. (HB)

Reveals that black professors make up 6 percent of the 979 full-time English department faculty at the 25 highest-ranked universities, with 30 being tenured and 10 holding chairs. The paper lists and briefly profiles these 30 tenured faculty. (GR)

Considers the profound impact of severe budget cuts on the English department at Portland State University. Describes some of the surprising and peculiar types of behavior among faculty members resulting from intense departmental changes. Provides advice for chairs facing similar budget restrictions. (HB)

Discusses the seemingly contradictory nature of chairing an English department by highlighting the opposing impulses faced, especially as related to funding. Presents the situation in the form of a parable similar to a work by Franz Kafka. (HB)

Considers the rewards and sufferings of English department heads. Offers advice aimed particularly at those who have newly been appointed as department chairs. Describes the major challenges faced by department chairs. Provides a list of "dos and don'ts" for new department heads. (HB)

Considers the ways by which English departments might begin the process of revitalization. Provides suggestions in eight areas of concern: record keeping, teaching, scheduling, advertising, handling workloads, revising the curriculum, funding, and hiring. (HB)

Describes steps taken by the English department at Washington State University to deal with the double bind of overproduction of PhDs and the situation of temporary instructors. Addresses the forces pushing against these efforts and the department chair's difficulties in dealing with those forces. (RS)

Suggests two principles for successful evaluation of college faculty members: chairs should know their departments; and "always, always pay attention." Describes how the chair of the English department at Michigan State University developed and implemented these suggestions. (RS)

Discusses the role of an English department chair within the modern university. Presents 10 useful lessons for a chairperson who is trying to make a department's case to the administration. Concludes that talking successfully to administrators requires avoiding a "them-versus-us" mentality and being willing to think collectively and creatively…

To determine how English department chairmen perceive the role of the freshman English director, a study surveyed English department chairmen from 250 randomly selected medium/small to large universities nationwide, representing every state (with a 54% response rate). The questionnaire solicited data about the tasks and responsibilities of…

Shows why English department chairpersons feel that they are under a state of siege; suggests that chairpersons form bonds with other humanities chairpersons, help faculty members understand current difficulties, take the idea of accountability seriously, focus on student writing skills, and try to determine which courses are educationally…

Presents eight "sophistical" principles for English department heads, using the historical characters of Protagoras and Gorgias as a framework for discussion. (MM)

Summarizes issues raised in speeches and group discussions at the Minnesota Conference on the Future of Doctoral Study in English and makes personal observations about the conference in general. (MM)

Describes dividing up the responsibilities of the department chairperson among senior members of the department, then reconsiders the profession and the state of the humanities. Discusses views advocating "excellence," cultural literacy, great books, and a core curriculum in the humanities. Identifies political tasks and continued…

Describes how English department chairs might successfully order and structure their departments. Analyzes two central characteristics of English departments as political entities: purpose and values. Lists several observations about departmental organization. (HB)