OM 2.4.1 Appointment and Tenure of Department Chairs and Academic Program Directors Policy Statement
Policy Statement
Appointment. Departmental chairs and academic program directors or equivalent are appointed by the Dean/Institute Director, after substantive consultation with all department faculty members and staff, with approval of the Provost or equivalent.
Initial appointments are to three-year terms and are eligible for re-appointment by the Dean upon evaluation of their performance. Terms normally start at the beginning of the Clarkson fiscal year. Department Chairs and academic program directors or equivalent will receive annual performance evaluations, with a comprehensive review at the end of a three-year term prior to renewal. The Dean/Institute Director may initiate additional review at any time during the term of service.
Standard Appointment Process
Chairs and academic program directors or equivalent may be recruited by the Dean/Institute Director from within the unit, from affiliate units, or through an external search approved by the Provost or equivalent. Appointment processes must follow the procedures below:
(1) Candidate statements: The Dean shall solicit statements from candidates outlining their qualifications, motivations, and vision for the future direction of the department or program. Preferably, these statements should be written (email, memo, or similar) but may be given verbally in a meeting and recorded in the minutes.
(2) Opportunity for Confidential Input: All faculty and staff in the department or program shall have the opportunity to submit confidential personal comments to the Dean.
(3) Advisory Ballot: A faculty ballot may be conducted by the current department executive officer or a designee. Results shall be shared with the department faculty and staff, the Dean, and the Office of the Provost or equivalent.
a. The ballot advisory to the Dean/Institute Director and Provost or equivalent.
b. Any faculty member may request that the ballot be conducted by secret vote.
c. Faculty may include anonymous comments regarding their vote or concerns about the process, submitted to the Dean/Institute Director or Provost or equivalent.
d. Candidate statements must be shared with department faculty at least one week prior to any ballot unless the faculty votes otherwise.
Term of Office: Department chairs and academic program directors (faculty administrators who oversee degree-granting programs, see OM 2.4.0.B) shall be appointed for three-year terms and are eligible for reappointment. In general, a maximum of two additional 3-year terms is typical, though in exceptional cases, a chair/academic program director may be appointed by the Dean/Institute Director for additional terms.
Before such reappointments, reviews and evaluations of their performance will be obtained from the department/academic program faculty and staff, as well as from appropriate administrative officers and faculty members. The department chair/academic program director can resign prior to the end of the term. Should the Dean/Institute Director desire to remove the chair, the case shall be referenced to a representative faculty review committee before taking action. Such a committee's findings will be reported in writing to the Dean/Institute Director and the Provost to arrive at a decision, with the Provost holding ultimate authority.
Period of Duty. The department chair/academic program director will be appointed based on the academic year as with any other full time faculty member. The department chair/academic program director is responsible for the performance of department/academic program duties (OM 2.4.0) unless other arrangements are made in writing with the appropriate dean.
Department chairs are permitted to undertake summer assignments with or without additional remuneration within established University policies.
History
November 1986
Revised February 1972
December 1986
July 1987
July 1996
Revised December 2019
February 2021
November 2023