What does a department chairperson do?
A Department Chairperson is a faculty member who provides academic and administrative leadership to an academic department. They exercise leadership in recruiting and retaining capable faculty, communicate departmental needs and desires to the Dean and Provost, and coordinate the academic advisement process.
Department chairperson responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real department chairperson resumes:
- Manage the club's Facebook/Twitter accounts.
- Lead meetings with ESL department teachers in which teachers collaborate on unit plan ideas, classroom strategies and student needs.
- Manage the development of an alumni newsletter and coordinate with alumni to provide relevant content.
- Manage both individual and organizational achievements for the members through involvement with the community, philanthropies, campus involvement, and scholarship
- Negotiate and obtain clinical sites for PN and ADN programs.
- Develop and deliver dynamic, rigorous lessons for high school economics classes.
- Conduct research to monitor, and assess accomplishments of school improvement goals and RTI.
- Used technology, such as PowerPoint and the internet, for notes and activities.
- Create and maintain AFSP MN Facebook fan page, newsletter and developing MN web page
- Provide fiscal oversight to Perkins grant funding and supervise expenditures to insure compliance with grant guidelines.
- Work to improve the overall mathematics department in order to encourage the students to pursue post secondary education.
- Implement member study group sessions on a need basis, leading to an increase in overall member GPA.
- Evaluate student progress according to district and state criteria in geography, history and technology for middle school students.
- Develop an outdoor classroom, and organize weekly science happenings for elementary students in a high school chemistry class.
- Improve messaging and communication by implementing church Facebook page and sharing news of church events and updates through social media.
Department chairperson skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Department Chairpeople are proficient in Curriculum Development, Professional Development, and Classroom Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Department Chairpeople that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Curriculum Development, 15%
Performed administrative duties in curriculum development and outcomes assessment for general education in compliance with national & state accreditation agencies.
- Professional Development, 14%
Used adult learning methods to implement and facilitate protocols into professional development meetings resulting in 100% engagement and participation.
- Classroom Management, 13%
Implement behavior modification and classroom management strategies to create an environment ideal for learning.
- Rehabilitation, 7%
Implemented content lessons with a focus on behavior modification, social engagement, and rehabilitation.
- Student Learning, 5%
Provide differentiated activities and employ a variety of instructional strategies in order to actively engage student learning.
- Colleges, 4%
Negotiated articulation agreements with local colleges and universities to open up further educational opportunities for students.
"curriculum development," "professional development," and "classroom management" are among the most common skills that department chairpeople use at work. You can find even more department chairperson responsibilities below, including:
Computer skills. The most essential soft skill for a department chairperson to carry out their responsibilities is computer skills. This skill is important for the role because "postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records." Additionally, a department chairperson resume shows how their duties depend on computer skills: "present courses in computers, office management, human resources and general education for a private vocational/technical college with multiple campuses. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform department chairperson duties is organizational skills. Department chairpeople responsibilities require that "administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff." Department chairpeople also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "conduct organizational studies, investigations and operational studies, and make recommendation modifications to the instructional programs, policies and procedures. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of department chairpeople is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday department chairperson duties, as "administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "develop curriculum design for icet educational programs and deliver effective training solutions. "
Interpersonal skills. department chairperson responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents." This resume example shows what department chairpeople do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "participate in philanthropic and social events in order to serve the community and develop stronger leadership and interpersonal skills"
The three companies that hire the most department chairpersons are:
- University of Wisconsin System8 department chairpeople jobs
- Bristol Public School District6 department chairpeople jobs
- Georgia Military College5 department chairpeople jobs
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Compare different department chairpeople
Department chairperson vs. Registrar
A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information. In schools, a registrar is in charge of keeping a student or educator's academic, personal, and financial records. They also have the task of arranging a student's course and class schedules. Furthermore, a registrar may also have other administrative tasks such as responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, producing reports, and process requirements.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between department chairpeople and registrar. For instance, department chairperson responsibilities require skills such as "curriculum development," "professional development," "classroom management," and "rehabilitation." Whereas a registrar is skilled in "patients," "customer service," "medical terminology," and "patient registration." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Registrars earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $36,641. On the other hand, department chairpeople are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $110,842.registrars tend to reach lower levels of education than department chairpeople. In fact, registrars are 21.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.4% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Department chairperson vs. Finance aid director
A finance aid director oversees finance aid officers that deal with student loans, fees, scholarship grants, insurance, and other loans. They organize cash flow for all funds available. They analyze applications, grant scholarships and loans to students, and provide information on benefits and restrictions included with financial aid. They also help students resolve loan defaults or underpayments. They must have good communication skills to facilitate talks between students and universities.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that department chairperson responsibilities requires skills like "curriculum development," "professional development," "classroom management," and "rehabilitation." But a finance aid director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "financial aid programs," "title iv," "state regulations," and "enrollment management."
Finance aid directors may earn a lower salary than department chairpeople, but finance aid directors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $60,971. On the other hand, department chairpeople receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $110,842.In general, finance aid directors achieve lower levels of education than department chairpeople. They're 13.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 6.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Department chairperson vs. Assistant principal
An assistant principal is responsible for carrying out administrative support tasks in a school or similar establishment. Most of the duties involve producing reports and evaluations, attending meetings, overseeing daily school operations, monitoring classes and faculty performances, implementing school policies and regulations, and coordinating with the principal, school board, and other members of the institution. Furthermore, an assistant principal participates in devising plans and strategies to improve the school curriculum and organize various activities that will help students develop their skills and potential.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from department chairperson resumes include skills like "rehabilitation," "colleges," "hypertension," and "strategic plan," whereas an assistant principal is more likely to list skills in "instructional program," "math," "student discipline," and "professional growth. "
Assistant principals make a very good living in the government industry with an average annual salary of $72,714. On the other hand, department chairpeople are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $110,842.When it comes to education, assistant principals tend to earn higher degree levels compared to department chairpeople. In fact, they're 13.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Department chairperson vs. New member educator
A New Member Educator is a person who prepares new members to uphold the standards and ideals of a fraternity and sorority and continually strives to improve it especially found in colleges and universities. These positions are; educating initiated and active members on how to support and mentor the younger members to become successful within an organization, recruit new members whose ideals match those of the organization, assist new members to navigate campus, and make use of campus resources.
Types of department chairperson
Updated January 8, 2025
