Recognizing the unique pressures and responsibilities for those faculty members named to head university departments, the Provost's Office last week sponsored the first in a new, universitywide series of workshop sessions established to help orient department chairs.
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| From left, department chairs and professors Philip D. McMichael, rural sociology; Pamela S. Tolbert, ILR organizational behavior; and Paul Houston, chemistry and chemical biology, take part in a panel discussion to help advise department chairs about the challenges of their positions Sept. 13 in Clark Hall. Frank DiMeo/University Photography |
"A department chair, in my view, is an unusual hybrid of faculty sensibility and administrative responsibility," said President Hunter Rawlings, in opening the session Sept. 13 titled "The Importance of Department Chairs and Their Roles at Cornell University." Approximately 68 department chairs, deans and administrators attended the session in Clark Hall.
Rawlings explained that the new chair, whose appointment is temporary, tries to operate in two worlds simultaneously -- the department and the college -- often while trying to continue doing research. This precarious balance is made more difficult, Rawlings said, because the chair inevitably will be called on to make hard decisions that affect faculty peers.
"But this ability to operate in two worlds simultaneously makes you a vital link to the faculty," Rawlings said. "You are key individuals in creating a vigorous intellectual and collegial environment at Cornell."
The impetus for the chairs' orientation program came from faculty members who attended earlier sessions of the ongoing Academic Leadership Series, said Francille Firebaugh, director of special projects, Office of the President and Provost. Firebaugh said she met with a focus group of department chairs and solicited ideas from deans in order to identify areas of discussion for the three programs scheduled for this year.
"Departments are at the heart of the university -- in creating and supporting an intellectual climate and in promoting a welcoming environment for a highly diverse faculty, staff and student body," Firebaugh said. "Critical academic activities are often centered in departments -- faculty appointments, promotion and tenure, teaching assignments and class schedules." She added that an evaluation of the program would determine the shape of sessions for next year.
Last week's session included a panel discussion and brief presentations by three department chairs -- Paul Houston, Department of Chemistry; Philip McMichael, Department of Rural Sociology; and Pamela Tolbert, Department of Organizational Behavior.
Houston said that time management and delegating are keys to getting the job done. "It's not your job to do everything," he said. "You're the organizer and coordinator. It's important to motivate others to take part." And, he added, be careful that you don't reward those who don't participate by letting them slide by. Instead, he said, find a way to motivate them with a job they can find interesting.
McMichael said balance and clarity of communication are critical. "Try to develop balance emotionally," he said. "I think preserving emotional balance is a very important part of the job. ... An important strategy is to get the faculty involved in governance of the department. Make sure they have a sense of what is going on, through transparency and clarity of communication." He also suggested putting together a planning committee to help set the agenda for the department.
Tolbert advised chairs to differentiate between their own problems and department problems, and she urged them to remember to balance work and family issues, for themselves and for members of the department. "It's important to keep in mind that people have responsibilities outside their jobs and that these are legitimate. Be sensitive to these family issues."
Mary Opperman, vice president for human resources, said she has met with more than 500 staff employees over the past year and discovered that some of their best, most satisfying interactions occur in academic departments. She said her staff is always available to help support department chairs, and she offered a handout with advice on what works and what doesn't, culled from her interviews with faculty and staff. She also made one request: "If we are going to be asking more and more of people in the workplace, you need to be as flexible as possible."
Provost Biddy Martin closed the session by saying that the discussion was just the beginning and that more needs to be done. "We need to discuss how to balance your advocacy for your department with commitments to the interdisciplinary initiatives under way across campus in a wide array of fields. This is key to our future. We need more discussion about how to accomplish that very difficult balancing act. We need to set aside time to talk about interdisciplinary and cross-college issues.
"Finally, I want to underscore what Hunter said earlier," Martin said. "Your most important work as a department chair is advancing the intellectual vitality of this university."
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