1. Eligibility Faculty shall be eligible for the position of Head of Department if they
- have served in the School for a minimum of two (2) years.
- hold the rank of Assistant Professor or higher.
- have administrative and/or program development experience.
Note: Faculty on contract must be eligible for a new contract; however, the term of office automatically ends at the expiration of the contract unless the contract is renewed.
2. Election Process
- Elections shall take place no later than the end of the spring semester of the calendar year in which the term of office of a Head of Department expires and shall be conducted by the Chair.
- At least six (6) weeks prior to the election, the Chair shall notify the School of the impending vacancy and call for nominations, with the consent of the nominees, and/or applications to be forwarded to his/her office.
- At least one (1) month prior to the election, the Chair shall circulate the names of candidates to all Faculty.
- Faculty shall have one (1) vote only; proxy votes shall be allowed; decisions shall be by majority vote.
- Voting shall be by secret ballot
- In the event of a tie, an immediate run-off shall be conducted.
- The Chair shall notify in writing the relevant Dean of the election results. The Dean shall notify the Vice President Academic Affairs and Human Resources.
3. Term of Office
A Head of Department shall be elected for an initial term of two (2) years and may be elected for additional terms.
4. Duties and Responsibilities
- Develop, implement and evaluate departmental goals and objectives consistent with the goals and objectives of the School.
- Provide academic leadership through personal example in teaching, scholarship and research and consult and disseminate knowledge in their discipline/field
- Assign cross-moderators.
- Prepare book orders.
- Advise and assist the Chair in the allocation of Department resources.
- Assist with the orientation of new Faculty.
- Assist the Chair with annual Faculty assessment.
- Make recommendations to the Chair in the selection and appointment of Faculty and staff.
- Develop and implement guidelines and procedures for the smooth operation of the Department.
- Promote excellence and equity in all aspects of the Department's operations.
- Plan and conduct monthly Departmental meetings and circulate minutes to all Faculty, including Faculty on other campuses.
- Prepare and submit an annual end-of-year report to the Chair.
- In collaboration with Faculty, initiate, plan and implement course and programme reviews.
- Assist the Chair with the scheduling of courses and assignment of Faculty.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair.
5. Heads of Department shall have a reduction of one (1) course per semester.