ABSTRACT
This chapter explains how the role of department chair has changed, the recruitment of department chairs, their view on career opportunities, the management role of the department chair, and their view on management challenges. The first modern wave of reform is generally known as New Public Management reform. Thorstein Veblen had already written about introducing business administration techniques in academia. The literature on the role of managers in universities has clear traces of the discussed debate on the public governance paradigms and the various roles for managers. The department chairs handle administrative tasks, economy, and other demands on faculty, giving them time to do research and teach. The importance of creating a common culture at the department shows that running a department is not just a question of handling administrative matters and economy. Universities have been through major reforms and they are subject to an increasing political interest.
