The chair or director of an academic department or program is a leader of the department as well as in the broader college community. Chairs and directors are responsible for the implementation of the College’s mission, academic goals, and community values on the departmental and program level. The chair/director facilitates the development of a shared strategic vision of the department or program’s work, and assumes primary responsibility, through inspiring their colleagues and appropriate sharing of tasks, for serving both majors and non-majors in the department or/program in the best possible way. The chair or director must develop a depth of knowledge of strategic planning, budget issues, personnel management techniques, the current state of their discipline, and larger college-wide and higher-education issues to make them effective leaders and adept facilitators of both departmental/program conflict and growth. They are committed to creating an environment in which all members of their department or program not only feel respected and valued, but also that they can thrive as they build a satisfying and well balanced career at Colorado College.

Chairs and directors’ responsibilities fall into four categories: governance, budgetary, personnel, and curriculum. Use the drop down menu for additional information.

Chairs and directors are expected to be familiar with and able to implement the policies of the College that fall under their purview. College policies can be found in the Faculty Handbook, the Pathfinder, and the College Policies page.