Ask the Chair: ‘The Job Keeps Changing and I Can’t Keep Up’


February 5, 2025

Question: I’ve been chairing my department for a year and a half. I would have thought that I’d be getting the hang of it by now, skiing on the downside of the learning curve. But each time I think I’ve got the work under control, the work changes. New responsibilities are passed down from central administration: admissions, retention, recruitment, expense approval, HR sign-offs, advancement, public relations — it’s just more and more.

Success on the job, or even competence, seems out of reach. What do I do?

Signed,
Dancing As Fast As I Can

Read more at:
https://www.chronicle.com/article/ask-the-chair-the-job-keeps-changing-and-i-ca…