Department Chairs

In the College of Engineering, each department has a chairperson who is in charge of the faculty and the courses taught in that department. The Office of Student Academic Affairs works closely with the department chairs in organizing and presenting the courses, but the decisions that determine which courses are taught each quarter come from the department chair.

Most students will not have occasion to contact the department chair, as most student business is handled by

• Individual instructors
• Student Academic Affairs advisors
• Undergraduate faculty advisors
• Department technical staff

However, there are still some issues that are reserved exclusively for the department chair. As overseer of their department, each chair is responsible for the instructors and teaching assistants who teach each course. Any concerns that a student may have regarding an individual instructor, or teaching assistant, that cannot be handled directly with the instructor, should be taken to the department chair. Chairs also have responsibility for planning the courses to be offered in any particular term. While the Office of Student Academic Affairs can provide course offering information to students regarding the current academic year, questions about course offerings in a future year are best directed to the department chair. Similarly, the department chair is responsible for overseeing the staff in charge of laboratory facilities and other departmental resources. Any questions or concerns that cannot be satisfactorily addressed by the technical staff are also appropriate to take to the department chair.

Only after all other resources are exhausted does consulting the department chair become an option. Though the occasions are few in number, the needs are often acute at the point that a student needs to contact a department chair. For these occasions, the contact information is provided below.