ABSTRACT
Few newly minted Ph.D.’s start their careers by saying they want to purse an administrative track to reach the level of program director, department chair, or at some point dean. Moreover, even seasoned academics who have risen through the professorial ranks from assistant to associate to full professor seem to steer clear of these roles for a variety of reasons. However, some faculty in the field are lured into administrative roles by the promise of the opportunity to set the course of the program/department/college, the challenge of managing a complex organization, increased remuneration, a stepping stone to future administrative appointments in the academy (at the provost level or higher), or, quite frankly, because no one else on the faculty was willing to serve in the role. This chapter explores the pathways to administrative roles in the discipline but primarily tries to offer observations and reflections on what you do when you get there, what the roles and responsibilities entail, and why it’s important to think strategically about these administrative roles in the context of one’s academic career and whether or not they are right for you.
