Department Head Duties & Responsibilities

The department head is expected to be the academic leader of the departmental faculty. The department head is responsible for ensuring that highly qualified faculty are employed. Also, the department head ensures that official transcripts, including highest degree earned are obtained for every new faculty member’s official personnel file (routed through the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs). Insofar as possible, the kind of atmosphere in which the faculty can do their best work in teaching, research, and service should be maintained.

This section discusses Academic Leadership, Faculty Development, Professional Contacts, Teaching Support, Effective Management, Departmental Advocate/College and University Steward, Liaison to Dean, Policy Compliance, Role in Recruitment, Supervision of Graduate Assistants, and Department Head Teaching Requirements.

• Dean: Head is communication channel, implementer of rules and policies, member of the College team
• Faculty: They are the instigators of change, Head is an enable/provider
• Staff: They are the “department heads”
• Head: You are the responsible party for curriculum, planning, budget, department / office management, personnel, students. You have authority. You have responsibility.
• Department Governance: Admin duties, manage staff, shared governance, curricula/programs, courses, instruction, requirements, planning/scheduling, and assessment
• Faculty: Performance, assessment, recruitment, hire, promotions, tenure, discipline
• Students: Recruitment, retention, training, learning outcomes
• External audiences: Donors, alumni, community, funding agencies, foundations, accrediting agencies, legislators
• Financial management: Budgeting, planning, scheduling, requests
• Facilities: Space allocation, labs, equipment, resources

Department Head Appointments

Per ARP 6.71, a department head serves at the discretion of the dean/director, with the concurrence of the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. All academic departments are administered by department heads under the cognizance of the college dean, graduate dean, if appropriate, and the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Department Head Reassignment & Retreat

Per ARP 7.35, due to the larger scope of responsibility of most administrative positions, the reassignment of an administrator with faculty rank to a faculty position normally results in a reduction of salary. Several factors are considered in making the salary determination, including the level of faculty salaries in the department where the reassignment occurs. Normally, department heads who have less than 4 complete years return to 75 percent of their base salaries (not including department head increment), and department heads who serve 4 or more years return to 80 percent of their base salaries. Again, several factors are considered in making the salary determination, including the level of faculty salaries in the department where the reassignment occurs.

Department Head Leaves

For more information on annual leave, sick leave, and sabbatical leave for department heads, please see ARP 8.57.

Department Head Review

Per ARP 9.63, department heads are up for review on the third anniversary of their appointment as department head and every 5 years after.