The purpose of this study was to identify the principal characteristics of history department chairpersons and the office, and to describe the administrative/leadership role of history department chairpersons in relationship to a variety of structural variables. The administrative/leadership role was measured by the chairpersons' self-perception of their influence in a number of functional areas, self-perceived roles, allocation of time among selected responsibilities, and job satisfaction. Chairpersons of 384 departments of history in the United States were contacted and 84% responded. / History department chairpersons exercise their greatest influence in areas commonly associated with administration: budgeting, scheduling, committee assignments, and hiring, firing, and evaluating personnel. They exercise less influence in areas where authority is traditionally shared with faculty: curriculum development, academic standards, and promotion and tenure. / The administrative/leadership role for history department chairpersons was found to be related to department size, method of selection, term of office, institutional control, current conditions, and the level of degree offered. Collective bargaining and the formality of the decision making process bore no relationship to the chairperson's administrative/leadership role. Their leadership role was strongly oriented toward the department and the faculty. / A majority of history department chairpersons believe training is important for the position and most receive little or no training at all. Training should be provided in budgeting, performance evaluation, and basic management and communication skills. / Most history department chairpersons report favorable conditions for their departments, and enrollment and staffing patterns appear to be relatively strong and stable. / History department chairpersons accept the job because of the opportunity it provides to strengthen and influence the department, they appreciate the opportunity it provides to help colleagues and students, and they enjoy the job. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-01, Section: A, page: 0082. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75484 |
| Contributors | MCGUIRE, JOHN MICHAEL., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 181 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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