Policies and Procedures for the Appointment and
Review of Department Chairs

(This Policy Statement supersedes 79 -18 and 89-08.)

This revised policy was recommended by the Academic Senate on February 17, 2000
and approved by the President on February 22, 2000.

18.000 Introduction

18.010 The authority for the appointment and removal of a department chair is specifically delegated by the President via the Vice President for Academic Affairs to the Dean of the School.

18.020 It is essential that the individual selected for the position of department chair enjoys the mutual confidence of the members of the faculty of the department and the Dean of the School. Therefore, the individual appointed to the position of department chair must have received an affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on a secret mail ballot by department faculty members who are eligible to vote in accordance with section 18.030. (A "majority" is defined as more than one half of the votes cast through secret mail ballot. A ballot cast that is not marked for or against a candidate shall be counted as a negative vote.)

18.030 Only tenured and probationary faculty members, including individuals who are on authorized leave status are eligible to vote in an election for the department chair. Participants in the Faculty Early Retirement and Pre-retirement Programs, regardless of time base and semester of employment, are eligible to vote. Faculty members of the department who have an academic administrative assignment and teach at least six units within the department each semester during the academic year in which the election is held are eligible to vote.

18.040 As in all personnel matters, the deliberations and discussions concerning the candidate(s) shall be confidential.

18.100 DEPARTMENT CHAIR NOMINATING COMMITTEE

18.110 When there is a vacancy in the position of department chair, or when the chair is up for periodic review as stipulated in section 18.710, the eligible faculty shall elect by secret ballot a department chair nominating committee or vote to function as a committee of the whole. An elected committee shall consist of at least three tenured/probationary faculty members, none of whom is a candidate for the position, and with a majority of whom are tenured. If the Department does not have a Vice Chair, the Dean shall designate a person to convene department meetings for purposes of consultation and nominations.

18.120 The Dean of the School shall meet with the faculty of the department to establish the requirements for the position and the nomination or application procedures to be followed.

18.130 Tenured and probationary faculty members of the department shall be eligible to be nominated or to apply for the position of department chair.

18.140 A notice containing the requirements for the position and the nomination or application procedures shall be published in the department. The department chair nominating committee shall conduct a search for qualified and willing candidates.

18.200 PRESENTATION OF NOMINATIONS TO DEPARTMENT FACULTY

18.210 The committee shall present nominations for the department chair at an officially department faculty meeting at which time an opportunity is provided for additional nominations to be made from the floor. The notice of the meeting and the agenda shall be distributed in writing to all department faculty members at least five working days prior to the meeting.

18.300 DEPARTMENT ELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION OF CANDIDATE(S)

18.310 The eligible department faculty members as defined in section 18.030 shall vote by secret mail ballot on the nominee(s) to determine who shall be recommended to the Dean of the School. A faculty member may cast an affirmative vote for more than one candidate. To be recommended, a nominee must receive an affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast.

18.320 The department chair nominating committee shall prepare the ballot, set a reasonable time for the return of the ballots, and distribute them by mail to faculty members eligible to vote. In case a faculty member is on authorized leave, the ballot for that individual shall be sent by first class mail to the home address or to a forwarding address on file in the department office. The committee shall count the ballots and report the results to the department and to the Dean. 

18.330 A department may recommend to the Dean as many candidates as it so determines In accordance with the provisions of this document.

18.340 After consultation with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean shall normally appoint one of the recommended candidates as department chair. The appointment is subject to review as set forth in Section 18.700. The designated chair shall receive an appointment letter from the Dean with copies to all faculty members within the department and to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Dean shall also notify other appropriate administrative officers.

18.350 In the event a department is unable to endorse at least one candidate for department chair, or the Dean is unable to concur with the recommendation of the department, an impasse may be declared by a majority vote of the faculty on a secret ballot or by the Dean in consultation with the faculty.

18.400 IMPASSE PROCEDURES

18.410 When an impasse has been declared, an ad hoc committee shall be established to select an interim department chair, from within or from outside the department. An interim department chair shall be limited to serving no more than one academic year during which time the faculty and the Dean shall continue the process of selecting a regular department chair.

18.420 The ad hoc committee shall consist of the Chair of the Academic Senate (or designee), the Dean of the School (or designee), and one faculty member from the department involved. The department member shall be nominated at an officially called department meeting. The notice of the meeting and the agenda shall be distributed in writing to all department faculty members at least five working days prior to the meeting. The faculty member shall be elected by a majority of votes cast in a secret ballot election. No member of the ad hoc committee shall be a candidate for the department chair. A nominee recommended by the department and rejected by the Dean is ineligible to serve on the ad hoc committee.

18.430 The ad hoc committee must consult with the department faculty at a meeting called for this purpose. The ad hoc committee must also provide each department member who so requests an opportunity to meet with the committee.  The ad hoc committee shall do everything possible to select an interim department chair who has the support of a majority of the department faculty.

18.440 These impasse procedures shall not be implemented during summer months. During this period, the Dean shall appoint an acting chair until the following Fall semester, at which time the provisions of this document can be implemented.

18.500 EXTERNAL SEARCH
(Search for Department Chair from Outside the Institution)

18.510 After consultation with the Vice President for Academic Affairs on the feasibility of such action, the department may vote by secret ballot to conduct an external search for a department chair. If an external search is approved by a majority vote of the faculty, as defined In section 18.030, and if the Dean concurs, a request shall be directed to the Vice President of Academic Affairs for an authorization to conduct an external search for a tenure-track faculty member who will serve as department chair.

18.520 A department chair search committee shall be elected by secret ballot by the members of the faculty eligible to vote as defined in section 18.030. The committee shall consist of at least three tenured faculty members. If there are fewer than three tenured faculty members In the department, tenured faculty from other departments of related disciplines may be elected to serve.

18.530 The committee shall conduct a national search for applicants in accordance with University affirmative action policies.

18.540 After all candidates have been screened and evaluated, the department search committee shall select one or more candidates to be voted on by the tenured members of the department faculty to determine which candidate(s) is (are) endorsed for a tenure-track appointment. The candidate(s) who receive(s) a majority affirmative vote shall then be voted on for department chair by the tenured and probationary faculty members in accordance with sections 18.020 and 18.320.

18.600 APPOINTMENT OF AN ACTING CHAIR

18.610 If a department has a duly elected Vice Chair or Assistant Chair and this person has the confidence of the Dean, the Dean shall appoint this person to be acting Chair while the procedures of this document are being carried out. If there is no duly elected Vice Chair or the Vice Chair does not have the confidence of the Dean, the Dean may appoint an acting Chair until the procedures of this document have been carried out.

18.700 PERIODIC REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

18.710 To ensure that the department chair maintains the confidence of the faculty, the faculty shall have an opportunity to vote on the position of department chair every third year in accordance with relevant provisions of sections 18.000 and 18.100 of this document. This process shall commence no later than the third week of the Spring semester of the third year and must be completed by the midpoint of the Spring semester. The department chair is eligible for reappointment as department chair if elected by the faculty and approved by the Dean.

18.800 ELECTION TO RECALL A DEPARTMENT CHAIR

18.810 Any faculty member at any regularly called department meeting, when a quorum is present, may make a motion to initiate a ballot to determine the extent of support for the department chair by the department faculty. If the motion is seconded and passed at a second reading by a majority secret vote of the members present, then a ballot committee consisting of at least three department members shall be elected. A meeting may be called by a signed petition of at least 20% of the tenured and probationary faculty.

18.820 The ballot committee shall prepare a ballot containing the name of the department chair with two choices provided:

__ Affirm support for the department chair

__ Recall the department chair

18.830 The ballots shall be distributed to faculty identified in section 18.030 in accordance with the provisions of section 18.320.

18.840 The ballot committee shall count the ballots and report the results to the department and the Dean. If the results of the ballot shows that three-fifths of the ballots cast are marked "Recall the department chair," then the provisions of this document shall be implemented.

18.900 PROVISIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

18.910 Appropriate provisions of this document shall be implemented if the Dean requests, if the department chair resigns, if the chair is removed from office, or if a vacancy occurs for any other reason.