Selection of a Department Chair
Term of Office
The department chair is typically appointed to a four-year term.
Upon recommendation of the department and approval by the dean, the
chair may be reappointed to one or more additional terms.
Temporary Absence of the Chair
When the chair is absent from campus or unable to perform the duties
of office, those duties are temporarily assumed by the assistant
chair. If the assistant chair is also unavailable, the senior of the
composition coordinator and the graduate coordinator (seniority
determined by years of UNCW service) performs the chair's
duties.
Vacancy of the Position on Short Notice
If the chair resigns on short notice or if the position otherwise
becomes suddenly vacant, the assistant chair performs the chair's
duties until the dean appoints an acting chair or a full-term
successor.
Selection of a New Chair
When a vacancy in the chair position occurs or is anticipated, the
department recommends a candidate to the dean. The departmental
recommendation procedure is as follows:
The department determines, by vote of the professorial-rank
faculty, whether to recommend an inside search (limited to
departmental candidates) or an advertised national search (open to
departmental and non-departmental candidates). The dean may wish to
meet with the department to discuss these options. The department
forwards its recommendation regarding the search to the dean.
Inside Search
If the dean authorizes an inside search, the search process is
supervised by a "search coordinator," who cannot be the
outgoing chair or a candidate for the position. If the department
has an acting chair who is not a candidate for the position, the
acting chair is the search coordinator. Otherwise, the assistant
chair or, if the assistant chair is a candidate, the senior member
of the steering committee who is not a candidate is the coordinator
(seniority determined by years of UNCW service).
Only full professors are eligible for appointment as chair or, in
exceptional cases, associate professors. The coordinator solicits
nominations, including self-nominations, from the professorial-rank
faculty. The coordinator then contacts all nominees to ask if they
accept candidacy and makes the slate of candidates known to the
department. From each candidate the coordinator requests a vita,
supporting materials including publications and teaching
evaluations, and a statement of goals. The coordinator makes these
available to the department and to the dean.
The search coordinator arranges interviews with the department
and the dean for each candidate. For each interview, the full-time
faculty meet in executive session with the candidate, except that
the outgoing chair and any other candidates for the position may not
be present. At the interview the candidate makes a presentation and
answers questions.
After the last of the interviews, the coordinator calls another
meeting of the professorial-rank faculty, except that the candidates
may not be present and may not vote. Full-time lecturers may be
present but may not vote. The outgoing chair may not be present but
may vote by absentee ballot. The coordinator chairs the meeting and
invites discussion. Following discussion, professorial-rank faculty
cast a secret ballot in which each voter names the preferred
candidate. The results are immediately tallied and made known to the
assembled faculty. If no candidate receives a majority among those
present, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and a
second ballot is taken. The process is repeated as needed until one
candidate attains a majority. Procedures for breaking ties and for
recording the votes of absent faculty are those stated in the procedures
for hiring new faculty. Finally, a single yes/no ballot is taken
on whether the department supports a recommendation for the majority
candidate, and the tallied results are reported to the assembled
faculty.
Following this meeting, the search coordinator communicates the
results of the balloting to the dean. In addition, each
professorial-rank faculty member sends a letter to the dean, stating
a recommendation accompanied by supporting reasons. If the dean
concurs with the department's majority recommendation, the dean
offers the position to that candidate. If the dean does not concur,
the dean meets with the professorial-rank faculty to explain the
reasons for non-concurrence. The dean and the department then
determine what steps are to be taken to select a chair.
If sufficient lead time is available and if the department and
dean concur, the selection of an internal chair-designate may be
made a year prior to the beginning of the term of office so that the
chair-designate may have the benefit of serving as assistant chair
before taking office.
Outside Search
If the dean authorizes an outside search, the dean meets with the
professorial-rank faculty to discuss the search and to solicit
recommendations for a search committee. The dean appoints a
committee chair and a committee that reflects the diversity of the
department and that typically includes at least one junior member of
the department and one member from outside the department. The
hiring committee drafts an advertisement, which the committee chair
makes available to the department for review. Following review, the
committee chair forwards the revised draft to the dean for approval.
After the date established for screening of applicants, the
committee selects a pool of semi-finalists. Upon permission of the
dean, the committee interviews semi-finalists, either at a
conference or by other means, which may include telephone
interviews, and researches their qualifications. The committee
recommends to the dean a slate of finalists to be invited to campus.
Upon approval of the dean, the committee chair invites finalists
to campus and superintends all aspects of the visits. The committee
chair makes the credentials of the finalists available to the
department and to the dean. The committee chair also obtains
permission from the finalists to contact references and others
familiar with their records. The search committee makes extensive
efforts to research the backgrounds, qualifications, and
administrative records of the finalists. Campus visits include one
or more interviews with the dean and a presentation/interview with
the full-time faculty. Neither the outgoing chair nor any other
finalists for the position may be present at the interviews.
Non-departmental members of the search committee may be present.
Following the last visit, the committee chair calls another
meeting of the professorial-rank faculty, except that any internal
finalists may not be present and may not vote. Non-departmental
members of the search committee and full-time lecturers may also be
present and may participate in discussion but may not vote. The
outgoing chair may not be present but may vote by absentee ballot.
The meeting is chaired by the search committee chair. For each
candidate, the search committee reports on its investigation of the
candidate, and the faculty discuss that candidate. Following
discussion of the final candidate, the professorial-rank members
present cast secret ballots following the same procedure as for an
inside search (above), including a final vote on whether to support
a recommendation for the majority candidate.
After this meeting, the committee chair communicates the results
of the balloting to the dean. In addition, each professorial-rank
faculty member sends a letter to the dean, stating a recommendation
accompanied by supporting reasons. If the dean concurs with the
department's majority recommendation, the dean offers the position
to that candidate. If the dean does not concur, the dean meets with
the professorial-rank faculty to explain the reasons for
non-concurrence. The dean and the department then determine what
steps are to be taken to select a chair.
|