Management Introduction
Managing an academic department is complicated. On a daily basis, there are competing demands from students, faculty, staff, and the administration. Learning to juggle these demands is challenging but essential.
The topics included in the Management Issues section are intended to offer guidance (not rules) on many of the routine matters that arise in the chair role.
Major Events Timeline for Academic Departments
July
- 1st Summer session final exams
- 2nd Summer session begins
- Travel Enrichment Award applications
- New student orientation
- External reviews for tenure and promotion
August
- Full and 2nd Summer session final exams
- Commencement
- Departmental meetings/retreats
- College & university meetings/retreats
- New faculty arrive
- Orientations—faculty and GA's
- Graduate Assistant contracts
- Part-time instruction contracts due to college
- Fall term begins
September
- Initiate faculty searches
- Finalize part-time instruction forms/spreadsheets
- Spring course schedule
- Departmental review of T&P dossiers
- Departments develop curriculum changes
- Graduate faculty applications
- Graduate candidacy forms
- Curriculum changes submitted to college
October
- College T&P committee meets
- Spring Advising and Registration
- Review faculty job applications
- PDA applications
- TAF software requests
- Travel Enrichment Award applications
- Provost's Pre-doctoral Diversity nominations
- Program Reviews begin
- Begin scheduling for next academic year
November
- Program reviews completed
- Review faculty job applications
- Comprehensive exams for graduate students
- Alumni Association Distinguished Research & Creative Activity & Engaged Scholarship Award nominations
- Spring GA contracts due
December
- Final exams
- Commencement
January
- Faculty evaluate chairs
- Faculty update CVs and submit planning/activity reports
- Part-time instruction paperwork
- Faculty Research Grant applications
- Interviews for tenure track faculty (peaks in Jan. & Feb.)
- Review GA applications
- Scholarship process for next academic year--online
- Graduate candidacy forms
February
- Summer & Fall class schedules finalized
- External reviewers on-campus
- Revenue estimates
- Graduate Assistant Meritorious Teaching & Morton Thesis Award nominations
- Van Vleet Memorial Doctoral Award nominations
- Early Career Research Award nominations
- Interviews for tenure track faculty (peak period)
- Review GA applications
- Tenure-track renewal recommendations
- Recommendations on renewal of 1-year faculty
March
- Complete faculty evaluation & planning
- Finalize tenure track faculty searches and appointment paperwork
- External reviewers on campus
- CAS Outstanding Employee nominations
- Honors Assembly award information due
- Review GA applications and making offers
- Graduate University Council nominations
- Travel Enrichment Award applications
April
- Honors Assembly
- Part-time Masters Award nominations
- Advising/registration for summer and fall terms
- Final exams
- Comprehensive exams for graduate students
- Convocation
- Solicit external review letters for tenure & promotion candidates
- Summer school contracts distributed
- Review GA applications and make offers
- Staff performance appraisals due
- Final base budget revisions
May
- Commencement
- Pre-session
- Summer school contracts
- Final chance for purchase orders
June
- 1st Summer and Extended sessions begin
- Year-end budget cleans up
- Finalize summer school spreadsheets
- New student orientation
- Part-time Masters Fellowship Nominations Due
Staff Attendance Expectations and Absence Notification Procedures
Prompt, dependable attendance is an important job function for all members of the staff. All staff members are expected to report for work every workday unless prior approval for annual leave has been obtained or the employee is sick. Planned absences, such as vacations, are to be scheduled as far in advance as possible. Unplanned absences and tardiness may negatively impact office operations and must be kept to an absolute minimum.
Requesting Scheduled Absences
Planned absences must be requested and approved in advance. An employee is expected
to notify the supervisor promptly when the leave is known in advance. For leaves of
one or two days the leave request should be made a minimum of 48 hours in advance.
For longer leaves the request should be made at least one week in advance.
Reporting Unscheduled Absences
Unplanned absences can be very disruptive. In the case of sudden illness or other
personal emergencies, the employee is expected to immediately notify his/her supervisor
regarding the reason for the absence and the anticipated return-to-work date. Unscheduled,
non-medical absences may or may not be approved retroactively at the supervisor's
discretion. In the case of illness, the supervisor may require the employee to provide
written verification from a medical professional.
Reporting Tardiness
An employee is expected to notify his/her supervisor as far in advance as possible
of any anticipated tardiness. If unforeseen circumstances result in tardiness of 30
minutes or more, the employee should call the supervisor immediately.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Each supervisor is responsible for documenting employee absences/tardiness and for
approving or disapproving absences. The supervisor should develop a process, in writing,
for how employees are expected to request advance approval for annual leave and planned
sick leave as well as how they are expected to report unscheduled absences and tardiness.
Discipline
Employees who are frequently tardy or absent or who fail to follow departmental guidelines
for notification may be subject to disciplinary procedures up to and including termination.
The supervisor will work with HR to ensure all University policies and procedures
regarding disciplinary actions are followed.