How to Become a Department Chair (Career Path Guide for Professors)

Becoming a department chair is the most common administrative role for professors. It comes with more money, more power, and more stress.

What Does a Department Chair Do?

Create schedules, manage budget, conduct reviews, lead faculty searches, handle complaints, advocate to the dean.

Pros: 10-20% salary stipend, reduced teaching load, more influence, good experience for dean roles.

Cons: More stress, less research time, dealing with conflicts, limited power, short term (3-5 years).

Step 1: Be a good colleague. Be helpful and collegial.

Step 2: Get administrative experience on search committees and curriculum committees.

Step 3: Understand budgets and finance. Take a workshop.

Step 4: Express interest when the position opens. Prepare a vision statement.

Step 5: Get mentored by a current or former chair.

Protect your research time (5-10 hours/week). Communicate transparently (weekly email). Delegate tasks. Document everything. Take care of yourself.

Do not become chair if you are pre-tenure, already burned out, have major family obligations, or hate meetings and conflict.

Being a department chair can be rewarding if you like problem-solving. Do it for the right reasons: to serve, not for power.