Length of Term and Transition to a New Chair
- Chairs receive a stipend from the Provost and are awarded one or more course releases by their deans. See the Chair Compensation Model.
- Department chairs are appointed by the deans, upon recommendation by the departments.
- Departmental recommendations are put forward to the deans based on elections conducted on terms specified in departmental constitutions.
- The usual length of term for a chair is 3 years, though some department constitutions specify otherwise. Chairs can be reelected for additional terms, subject to departmental by-laws.
Before ending your term as chair, you should:
- Advise anyone considering the position to review this Handbook;
- Think about ways to help transition the new chair, especially if the person has not chaired the department before;
- Invite the prospective chair to observe or participate in one or more key tasks: for example, planning out the course schedule for the next year (an especially important topic with which the incoming chair should be relatively familiar);
- Discuss things that are on the horizon that will need to be dealt with during the new person’s tenure as chair;
- Discuss issues especially relevant to your department;
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Ensure your files are in order, so it's easy for the next chair to find things.
