At some point in your academic career, you will probably take your turn at being department chair. This position requires some change in orientation. As academics, we are used to working on our own. We develop our own research projects, possibly with a co-author and a research assistant or two; we design and teach our own courses. In fact, many find the ability to work independently one of the attractive features of being an academic. As chair, you will work a lot more with others---with faculty in your department and in the social sciences division, with student groups and with deans. You will also be responsible for supervising a small staff of department administrative assistants and secretaries.

Your tasks are multi-faceted. You will be responsible for staffing courses and overseeing the recruitment process for new faculty, the tenure process for junior faculty, and the retention process for existing faculty. You will implement department and university-wide policies and may also be involved in shaping the evolution of those policies. You will represent your department's positions and views in university-wide forums, make the case to deans for needed departmental resources, and often be your department's liaison to other constituencies on campus. You develop the department's budget within strictly-defined parameters and try to live within that budget, and you may also have some discretionary funds to help supplement guest speakers, department social events, or some faculty initiatives. At unexpected times you will need to listen to unhappy students or disgruntled faculty and help them solve problems. In short, your term as chair will be varied and fun, sometimes rewarding and occasionally stressful.

I was chair of Dartmouth's Economics Department for a three-year term, from 1995 to 1998. Here are some of the things I learned, in no particular order.

Choose ways to communicate with your faculty. Some people think their colleagues want to be left alone to do their research and teaching, so they carry out their chair duties with minimum feedback to their fellow faculty members. Others believe their faculty want to be involved in all the details, so they spend hours in other faculty offices discussing each issue. I believe the best approach is something between these two extremes. You have to know what issues are the important ones to discuss in person with your faculty, particularly your senior faculty. I communicated other issues in a bi-weekly or monthly memo to my colleagues. Junior faculty are especially appreciative of being kept informed.

Keep your attention on a few key initiatives. It is so easy to be driven by your in-box and the meeting schedule. The academic year does have a flow to it, and there are certain things you must do at certain times of the year. But try to keep in mind the big picture, with an eye on accomplishing a few tasks that reflect your own priorities. Perhaps you want to start a special summer workshop for a few guest faculty and some of your own faculty -a sort of academic "summer camp." Or perhaps you want to start an outreach program to get alumni more involved with the department and even support a special project financially. Maybe you want to explore ways the department can be more nurturing for junior faculty. Or maybe you want to get the department curriculum committee thinking about a new design for the honors program or the introductory economics course. Keep task-oriented.

Get good administrative and secretarial staff. You might be lucky to inherit an excellent staff who can keep the department running smoothly on a daily basis. Alternatively, you may be faced with the need to replace or hire staff. Having a staff who can run the department well with minimal supervision, who can work effectively with faculty and students, and who can do the zillions of things that just require your signature or quick approval will save you enormous amounts of time and headaches.

Maintain good relations with your university administration. Your meetings with the dean of faculty, associate dean and college budget officer are infrequent. Make them count. Know your talking points and supporting arguments. Do your homework so you can discuss the issues effectively. Remember that you are representing your department. Don't make promises you aren't sure you can keep. If an issue requires further consultation with your department before you can come to an agreement, say so. If an important departmental concern requires you to initiate a meeting with the dean, make sure that you have the backing and advice of your faculty before proceeding. Always follow up every important meeting with a paper trail. In addition, recognize that the e-mail messages you send may be treated as public information by others. If you don't want to see your e-mail message to a colleague get forwarded to a dean, or your e-mail to a student get forwarded to a parent and then to a dean, don't write it. Another rule of thumb: you can relate good news by e-mail, but bad news should be conveyed in person.

Compartmentalize. Being chair is a part-time position. You still need to keep your research program going. You still must do your teaching, although your course load should be reduced to compensate for your administrative responsibilities. It is especially important to set aside specific times when you focus on research, say a certain period of each day, or certain days of the week. If possible, try to work in a separate location from your regular office to avoid interruptions or distractions.

Keep high ethical standards. It goes without saying that your position requires you to maintain the highest personal standards---honesty, integrity, fairness. You must also be discrete. For example, you may be involved in crafting a salary package for a senior hire, or a faculty member may confide in you about a troubled marriage or illness that affects his/her leave plans for the upcoming year. You must keep these kinds of things confidential. Also, avoid the temptation of making negative comments about a colleague's eccentric behavior or annoying habits. You are the chair to all your colleagues. Listen carefully and sympathetically to others and keep your sense 'of humor. After all, we have all heard the saying that being a department chair is a bit like herding cats.

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