Summary Notes on "Mission Almost Impossible," by L. Creighton, PRISM, ASEE, September 2001, pp. 40-42.

Summarized by J. T. P. Yao, 9/6/01

"Across the nation, engineering schools are filling the crucial posts of department head or department chair with promising academic stars or veteran faculty members who may or may not be well suited for the punishing demands of what may be the most rewarding, challenging and yet thankless job on American university campuses today. … The post is the key link between a university administration and its faculty and students in developing a vision and direction for the department. …"

"… Department heads are confronted with personnel problems that can be thorny, unpleasant, including sexual harassment, alcoholism, and even suicides. Some can expose a university to litigation. …"

"And although they have the responsibilities of running a business, department heads don't have the latitude and resources of middle management in the world outside academia. Tenured faculty cannot be fired except for the most serious missteps. Incentives are few to entice professors or staff to take a new direction, with real budgetary decisions made above the rank of department chair. …"

"They exercise enormous influence over hiring. … Department heads also can update curriculum. … So, if becoming a department head might be in your future… what can you do to be successful? First, ensure the university has created a search process likely to assure success. … Second, make sure you have the right personality for the job, or are willing to hone particular people skills. … Third, make consensus building your priority. … Fourth, know the limits of your power… And fifth, give it time. …"

"Hard-earned advice from those who have been there and done that: if you're asked to be a department head, run. But if you're caught, make it a good life experience."

[Readers who are interested in this article are encouraged to read the original paper in its entirety. Other summary notes on faculty reward systems are available on the Internet at http://lohman.tamu.edu under the heading "Summaries of Papers ..."]