Roles of academic department chairpersons at the university level

Abstract

The study presents an attempt at investigating the role perceptions of academic chairpersons of departments at the University level, the fulfillment of these roles, and the desirability to fulfill them.A group of 90 chairpersons in six universities responded to a questionnaire that was especially developed for the present study. Factor analysis yielded five main factors: l) Curriculum and Instruction, 2) Initiation, 3) Staff Development, 4) Democratic Leadership Style and 5) Departmental Status. Significant differences were found between the actual fulfillment and the extent of the desire to fulfill all the roles. Several background variables and role factors were found to explain the variance in chairpersons' satisfaction with role fulfillment. Findings shed some light on a relatively neglected subject -the role perceptions and satisfaction of department chairpersons. The information gained on this subject is expected to initiate attempts at making the role more satisfying in the direction desired by chairpersons. Role of academic department chairpersons at the university level: Perceptions and satisfactionThe problem Higher education is characterized by an increase in size and complexity and by a multiciplicity of functions and roles. Consequently, it has become a matter of great concern both with people who are directly involved and with the community at large (Cerych and Furth, 1972; Unesco, 1976). This concern is also understandable in view of the growing demands for academic excellence, for the creation and dissemination of knowledge on the one hand, and of budgetal constraints, on the other. These problems among others, have been the incentive for the vast amount of research that has been carried out in the area of higher education. The majority of studies deals with issues of student learning, of instruction and of management. Students and instructors constitute the higher education population that is most extensively studied.Interestingly enough, chairpersons of academic departments, a population highly involved in problems of higher education, has not been given the proper attention in educational research, as it might be expected, considering the important roles they play in staff recruitment and tenure, in curriculum planning

Perceived Characteristics and Abilities of an Effective Marketing Department Head

“…Department heads have the primary responsibility for managing their academic units (Murray 1992). Estimates of the number of distinct functions expected of a department head ranged from 26 to 97 (Alexander and Cowan 1987;Atkins and Hageseth 1990;Kremer-Hayon and Avi-Itzhak 1986;Staton-Spicer and Spicer 1987). The roles of the department head are typically clustered into four generally accepted categories of leader, faculty developer, manager, and scholar (Carroll and Gmelch 1994;Creswell et al 1990;Moses and Roe 1990;Tucker 1993;Wolverton et al 1999a).…”

Life After Being a Pathology Department Chair II

“…There have been selected reports describing experiences, perceptions, and lessons learned by individuals who have served as academic department chairs. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The Association of Pathology Chairs (APC) senior fellows have been previously described and have contributed to this literature. 12 Some of these reports have suggested that the most challenging aspects of chairing a department are paperwork, faculty conflicts, responsibility without authority, financial concerns, sacrificing personal growth, and the relative lack of autonomy.…”

Academic Librarians’ Views of the Chair's Professional Development Role

“…Some of these include: "place faculty on committees" (Weinberg, 1984); "encourages faculty to participate in conventions, conferences, professional associations, etc. "; "reports departmental accomplishments to [the] dean or immediate supervisor" (Smith, 1972); "commending achievement" (Moses, 1985); "delegates authority" (Kremer-Hayon and Avi-Itzhak, 1986); and "develop the potential of . .…”