MU Department Chairs’ Council and Chairs/Directors Forum 02/27/02; revised 02/09/06; 9/9/13

Purpose: The primary purposes of the Council and the Forum is to enhance communication, both among chairs and between Chairs and other campus administrators, and to provide professional development opportunities for department chairs. Specific aims are:

  • To create a network of Chairs and Directors, who can share experiences and insight with one another;
  • To provide current information to Chairs and Directors to help them function more effectively in their roles;
  • To ensure representation of Chairs and Directors in campus matters (e.g., key campus committees);
  • To share with campus administrators the perspectives of Chairs and Directors, who represent the level at which nearly all campus initiatives are implemented; and
  • To enhance leadership development on campus.

Nature of the Organization

The MU Chairs Council, consisting of elected representatives from all academic divisions, will provide leadership and planning for the larger Forum. The Department Chairs/Directors Forum is an organized meeting venue developed by and for the department Chairs and Directors for the purposes stated above. In a spirit of seeking to have informed leadership at the department or other programmatic level, the Council will work with the Deans, the Office of the Provost, and Faculty Council as relevant matters dictate.

Administrative Liaison

A representative of the Office of provost will serve as administrative liaison to the MU Chairs Council. The Council will provide MU’s chief academic officer with regular and direct access to the expertise of those charged with leading the campus’s academic programs. The access to the expertise of those charged with leading the campus’s academic programs. The Deans Council and Chair of Faculty Council will be notified of Chairs Council meetings.

Representation of Chairs Council

All academic divisionswill be represented on the MU Chairs Council. Each division will have one representative, except for Arts and Science, which may have two. Department Chairs within a given academic division will elect that division’s representative(s) to the Council. Representative to the Council will serve three-year terms, with the option for additional terms if chosen by the academic units they represent. Approximately one-third of the divisional representatives will be selected each year establishing overlapping terms to ensure continuity of Council membership. (For the inaugural election, one-third would be elected for terms one, two, and three years, respectively.) If a division does not have conventional departments, that division will determine how it shall choose a representative to the Council. Each year, the elected representatives to the Chairs’ Council will elect a Chair of this group and a Chair-elect who will become the group’s chair one year later. The chair will be responsible for convening the Council and providing leadership for the group during his/her term. The Council anticipates meeting three times per semester.

* For the purposes of this document, department “Chair” refers to the leader of an academic unit (department, division, school, or institute) that offers degrees and/or academic credit.