I was EEC department chairperson for AY07 and AY08. For a more detailed report, please see this Report.
My assignments for AY 2007-2008 included approximately quarter-time teaching and ¾ -time with responsibilities as ES:EEC department chairperson and ECE coordinator. I carried out duties of department chairperson as defined in faculty contract, including directing student advising programs, developing and administering department budget, addressing student and faculty concerns, coordinating curriculum and program planning, coordinating department hiring activities, supervising administrative assistant and graduate assistants, etc.
I was particularly happy to help the College of Education as it sought donors to the MSU Foundation. Here is a letter from Jeff Halbur, program officer for the College, that reflects on my efforts. And here is a letter from Ken Pengelly, donor, that responds to my letter of appreciation for his donations.
According to the IFO contract, activities in this assignment included:
- Developed and administered the department budget according to university, college, and department policies.
- Directed student advising program, including improvements in procedures and assignments.
- Coordinated department interactions with student organizations, including the Early Childhood and Elementary Education Club.
- Coordinated department student recruitment activities, including establishing articulation agreements with South Central College.
- Ensured that student concerns and complaints are properly addressed, including use of the College procedure to record concerns and issues.
- Developed proposed department class schedule and long-term schedule for course offerings, during Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.
- Coordinated handling or curricular proposals and new program planning, including program revisions for the undergraduate program in Early Childhood Education and program planning for the new graduate program in Early Childhood Special Education.
- Chaired department meetings and coordinated department committee activity through strategies of shared leadership that included rotating assignments for facilitating meetings, recording minutes, keeping time, and providing snacks.
- Facilitated department planning activities, including goal-setting and integration with institutional goals and objectives, through a strategy of “program coordinators” who lead colleagues in areas of Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education/Middle School, Graduate Programs, and programming at Normandale Community College.
- Prepared reports and other information for college and university administrative officers, including EEC department sections of the annual University Assessment Report and the College of Education annual report.
- Prepared department correspondence, including information for the Office of the Registrar and acknowledgements to donors to the Foundation.
- Coordinated department grant and other externally supported activities, including grants from the International Programs Office and from the Faculty Improvement Grants program.
- Developed a proposed hiring plan for departmental action and recommended to Dean, such as position requests for Elementary Education/Middle School and for Reading.
- Coordinated department hiring activities, through the department’s Personnel-Search Committee.
- Oriented new faculty to department and assisted faculty with professional development planning, including one first-year tenure-track faculty member (ECSE), one first-year fixed-term faculty member (literacy), two second-year fixed-term faculty members, one fourth-year tenure-track faculty member, as well as more than one dozen adjunct faculty members.
- Directed non-unit employees (including one administrative assistant) and student workers (two or three each semester).
- Supported department members in the conduct of other duties such as scholarly activity and community service, including guests at department meetings about research procedures and about publications possibilities.