Department Chairperson-Education

Department Chair for Education

Reporting to the Dean of the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences, the Department Chair for Education advocates for the mission of the department and acts as its representative to the administration and outside constituencies. Also, the Department Chair serves as a mentor and facilitator for the faculty and staff within the department and as an administrator of the department in accomplishing necessary managerial tasks.

Essential Functions and Required Knowledge,

Skills and Abilities

Department Chair is responsible directly or by delegation (with Dean's approval) for the following duties:

• Facilitate the academic (graduate and undergraduate) and pre-professional programs of the department.
• Understand the AAUP CBA, Local Union 1007 CBA, and Employee Handbook.
• Promote the academic quality of the department and discipline.
• Supervise, evaluate, and mentor all department faculty members and support staff.
• Manage faculty leave and encourage professional development.
• Process paperwork and manage external grants for various committees, special programs, and development projects.
• Manage the departmental assessment process and conduct periodic reviews.
• Manage specialized facilities (labs, technical equipment, instruments, etc.).
• Organize and preside over department meetings.
• Serve as a liaison and provide information to administrative offices, faculty committees, ad hoc committees, accrediting organizations, and other groups and departments.
• Respond to student inquiries, degree applications, complaints, requests, etc.
• Supervise new student recruitment, retention of majors, and advising assignments.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences and professional development.
• Development of viable new curricular offerings in the field.
• Participation in research, writing, and responsibility for any necessary self-study or program-related reports.
• Management of the student learning assessment plan and the program review process for the department to identify needed improvements to student learning.
• Responsible for departmental budget planning and fiscal management.
• Development of strategic planning for growing and sustaining programs.
• Responsible for overseeing the department's process for recruiting and retaining students.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Dean or Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs, which may include coverage of courses (preferably no more than one course per semester).

Authority of the Department Chairperson

As an administrator, the chairperson has the primary responsibility for communicating the department's views to the University. In consultation with department members, the Department Chair has the primary responsibility and authority to:

• Formulate and communicate recommendations for faculty hires, tenure, promotion, and sabbatical applications, retention, and evaluation of faculty and departmental support staff.
• Establish and monitor departmental budget priorities and allocations.
• Recommend teaching assignments and teaching times, in consultation and discussion with faculty, to the dean and regulate faculty workloads.
• Recommend leaves and special assignments to the dean.
• Develop and articulate departmental goals, strategic plans, and assessments.
• Ensure that faculty in the department are fully engaged in departmental and general faculty duties, with committee assignments, mentoring, and peer classroom observations and evaluations.

Qualification Standards

1. Must hold a terminal degree in a field related to the discipline(s) of the department and at least three years of demonstrated leadership experience at an accredited higher educational institution. Normally, a faculty member is expected to have earned the terminal degree appropriate from an accredited institution.

2. A record of scholarship, teaching, and professional service commensurate with the University's requirements for tenure in the rank of associate or full professor.

3. Evidence of having a collaborative and transformative leadership style.

4. Evidence of having successful supervisory experience in higher education. Knowledge of the accredited programs related to the department.

5. Experience with administrative academic leadership, acquisition of extramural grant funding, and the management of traditional and online programs.

EEO Statement

Delaware State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The University does not…