A PDF version is available at this link.

General Guidelines for SoHE Chair Elections

• The School of Human Ecology (SoHE) has operated under the practice of one chair for each Academic Department. The prevailing sentiment is that this configuration represents our operating “ideal”. However, the SoHE is defined as a single department under FP&P which can allow some flexibility to also consider three acting chairs when it is deemed most appropriate.
• The chairs’ roles are to be performed more efficiently and effectively by leaders committed to developing excellent interpersonal, management, and team-building skills over a sustained period of time which are based on advance preparation and continuing feedback.
• The chairs’ roles are more clearly focused on intellectual leadership, human capital development, and programmatic and discipline development, as opposed to transactional processes (e.g., timetables, student recruitment, student services, budgeting), all of which can be centralized.
• The chairs’ time and leadership are compensated competitively.

Duties and responsibilities: (see Chair Position description)

Term:

• Five-year preferred (3+2 – third-year checkpoint, confirmed annually with feedback)
• Renewable contingent upon a successful 5-year review; an exception can be made when considering an extension faculty member and/or when no other alternatives are possible.

Standard Compensation:

• 5% TBA + $15,000 flat rate for summer salaries  
• 2 course releases annually
• Discretionary/Flex funds ($5,000; not to be rolled over).

Additional support may be made available, depending on the scope of the duties, the size of the department/programs, and any special assignments.

Note: As of Spring, 2025 (based on a campus-wide survey), SoHE offers are comparable to those of the School of Education and the School of Business (It’s worth noting that these units have budgetary and operational responsibilities, whereas these functions centralized within the SoHE central administrative units); SoHE’s compensation is greater than that of a smaller school (professional schools, such as Pharmacy and Law).

Eligibility:

Executive Faculty Committee (tenured SoHE faculty members)

Election process:

• The Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs will solicit nominations from the academic department’s faculty.
• All interested candidates are asked to submit to the election chair a letter of interest that speaks of vision, goals, and qualifications, along with a CV.
• A Chair Election Committee chair is appointed by the Dean and may be either an emeritus professor, associate dean, the chair of another academic department, or a senior faculty member in the academic department who is not interested in the position.
• The Chair Election Committee invites all candidates to make a presentation about his/her vision for the future and take part in a brief interview involving members of the faculty, graduate students, and members of the staff.
• Each chair candidate also has interviews with the Dean and the Associate Deans for Faculty Affairs, Undergraduate Education and Graduate Program.
• The Chair Election Committee seeks and compiles feedback from all who have attended the presentation and then discusses the results with the department faculty.
• All departmental faculty and 100% FTE professional instructional staff members in the academic department vote (either highly acceptable, acceptable, or not acceptable).  This will be conducted by the Dean’s office.
• The Chair Election Committee recommendations to the Dean include the Committee’s voting results with a summary statement of the strengths and developmental areas for each candidate.
• The Dean makes a final decision and appoints the new chair.

Annual Report and Feedback:

• Each year, eligible voting faculty members (tenure-track, tenured, teaching professors, and teaching faculty) cast their votes and offer comments. The Dean’s Chief of Staff or an Executive Assistant will compile the comments for Dean’s review and, if necessary, for use in the annual performance review process.
• In the event that the vote is two-thirds negative, the Dean will meet with the department faculty to determine whether or not the negative vote is due to addressable issues.    Based on the nature of any such issues and the chair’s response, the dean will then make a final decision on whether to continue the chair’s appointment.

• At the end of the 3rd year, the Dean and the Chair will have an opportunity to discuss whether the chair intends to continue for two more years for a five-year term. Prior to the end of the 5th year, the dean and the chair will discuss their mutual interest for renewal or succession plans (see the Renewal or Non-renewal process below).

Chair renewal process after the first full-term 5^th year:

SPRING prior to Chair’s final appointment year (typically the end of 5^th year).   

• The Dean may extend a short-term additional appointment in agreement with the Chair, contingent upon a positive annual confirmation, strategic priorities, and other special circumstances.
• For the second 3+2 term, the Dean will initiate a new search according to the process above.