Department Chair Selection Policy

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February 3, 2017

February 3, 2017

Department Chair Selection Policy

All Departments shall have written chair nomination policies that conform to the following guidelines:

• Department policies shall explain how and by whom nominations for chair are solicited.
• Department policies shall indicate who is eligible to serve as chair. Ideally, only tenured faculty should serve as chair; however, this may not be possible in all cases and Departments should be given latitude in determining who is best suited to serve as
  chair.
• Department policies shall indicate who is eligible to vote in the election for chair nominee. Ideally, tenured, tenure-track, and full-time, term contingent faculty should be eligible to vote; however, because the mix of faculty ranks differs in each Department, Departments should be given latitude in determining who is eligible to vote in the election for chair nominee.
• Department policies shall provide for appropriate consultation between eligible voting faculty and the nominee(s) prior to the date of the election.
• Department policies shall describe the voting process and shall indicate how and by whom the votes are recorded. Department faculty will vote regardless of the number of nominees.
• Department policies shall indicate who will be responsible for informing the Dean of:
  • When the current chair is planning to step down. The Dean shall be notified by the final Friday in September of the final Academic Year of the current chair’s
    term.
  • The name(s) of the nominee(s) for chair. The Dean shall be notified by the final Friday in October.
  • The results of the Departmental vote on the chair nominee. The Dean shall be notified by the Friday before the Thanksgiving break.

After appropriate consultation with the Department, and after receiving the results of the Departmental election for chair nominee, the Dean shall make a recommendation for chair to the Provost. The Dean shall share that recommendation with the Department. The Provost may consult with the Dean and/or the Department before making a recommendation to the President. The Provost shall share that recommendation with the Department. The President may consult with the Provost, Dean, and/or the Department before appointing the chair.

If the Dean’s recommendation for chair is contrary to the Department’s vote, the Department may appeal in writing to the Provost within 5 business days after the Dean’s recommendation is made. If the Provost’s recommendation for chair is contrary to the Department’s vote, the Department may appeal in writing to the President within 5 business days after the Provost’s recommendation is made. The President’s decision may not be appealed.