What a Department Head Can Do to Help
Make Research Happen

Chair — Linda McMullen
Other resource people — Larry Fowke and Ron Sutherland

• Selection of top candidates — It is essential that the very best faculty be selected, both from the standpoint of teaching and research. One good measure for faculty is whether they are judged capable of obtaining a grant or award from an external funding agency. Top faculty will prepare grants, attract funding, train students, and be productive scholars. It is also essential that new faculty be compatible with other members of the department. A harmonious department is more likely to be a productive department.
   
• Start-up funding — Offer as much start-up funding as possible to allow faculty to initiate their research programs.
   
• Reduced teaching — It is important to provide reduced teaching assignments for the first two years if at all possible.
   
• Mentor new faculty — Provide advice to new faculty, particularly related to acquiring research grants. Suggest funding sources, critically review grant proposals, and, where possible, provide small amounts of seed money. Encourage more senior faculty to co-supervise graduate students with new faculty.
   
• Broker collaborations — It would be very helpful for heads to inform new faculty about possible collaborations on campus with faculty members in other disciplines, with industrial partners and national laboratories, and with other research units and institutes nearby. This might involve personal introductions where possible.

• Attitude toward research — The Head should make it clear that research is a priority in the department. Expectations regarding research and scholarly work should be clearly enunciated to faculty (e.g., faculty expected to apply to one of the major national granting bodies).
   
• Tone of the department — It is equally important to provide the proper environment where research will flourish. Where possible, have an open door policy and run the department in a democratic manner. Use common sense! Treat others as you would have them treat you.
   
• New directions — Work with faculty on a long-term plan to re-direct the department into new research areas. Hire new faculty in a smaller number of strategic areas (i.e., do block hiring).
   
• Work environment — Create an inclusive, positive work environment in which all members feel part of a community or sub-community and in which research performance is respected.

• Long-range outlook — With the involvement and support of your faculty, determine what you want to be. Consider your retirement profile.
   
• Choose not to fill positions — Decide if your chances of recruiting good faculty might be enhanced if you keep a position(s) vacant for one or two years. Arrange to keep the salary fall-in and put it into 4-accounts to be used for start-up funds for new faculty, including support of graduate students.

• Non-salary budget — Preserve some of your non-salary budget from year to year.
   
• 4-accounts — Put money into 4-accounts to be used to assist faculty with their research on an as-needed basis.

• Communal facilities — With limited funds within the sciences, it may be useful to create communal facilities (e.g., tissue culture, molecular). Closely linked to this would be attempts to create groups of faculty with similar research interests — critical mass in terms of research initiatives.
   
• Joint purchase of equipment — Provide departmental contribution to purchase of new equipment and encourage individual faculty to contribute as well.
   
• Posters — Purchase poster boards for hallways and encourage faculty and graduate students to display posters prepared for conferences.
   
• Colloquia/seminars — Have a vibrant colloquium/seminar series.
   
• Retreat — Some departments have had good success with faculty retreats focused on both research and teaching direction.
   
• Symposia — Some departments have also had success with one-day symposia at which graduate students presented their research results either orally or by poster. Such events are attended by faculty, students and staff.
   
• Flexible teaching assignments — Where possible, allow faculty to arrange their teaching assignments to facilitate their research programs (e.g., field work) or attendance at conferences.
   
• Flexibility with space needs — Try to assign space within the department to reflect the research needs of faculty. Young active faculty will likely require more space than some senior faculty who have opted to spend more time on their teaching.
   
• Communicate — Establish a web page with summaries of the research programs of all faculty. This will promote collaboration as well as help to attract graduate students. Discuss new research initiatives with faculty. Circulate information.
   
• Documentation — Do a good job of documenting research results and productivity.
   
• Lobbying — If it is difficult for the research and scholarly work of your faculty to be supported by national or provincial funding agencies, work with your faculty to convince senior administrators (and government) of the need for new sources of funding.

In many disciplines, graduate students are integral to a successful research effort.

• Well-defined program — Establish a clear set of regulations for handling graduate students. This can take the form of a booklet which describes all the general information and regulations pertaining to graduate students. This is particularly useful to new faculty.
   
• Scholarships — In departments with devolved scholarship money, it is possible to increase the number of scholarships by requiring individual faculty to contribute a portion of the funding (e.g. 40%). It is also important to encourage the best students to apply for external scholarships (e.g.. NSERC, SSHRC).
   
• Lobbying — Be prepared to lobby for more graduate student funding with your own college and with CGSR.

• Leaves off campus — Department Heads should encourage faculty to plan sabbatical leaves outside of the University of Saskatchewan. Being somewhat isolated in Saskatoon, sabbaticals provide an excellent opportunity to move to centres where cutting-edge work is being done. Faculty typically return full of enthusiasm and excitement about their particular area of research.

• The barrage from above — Departments are deluged with paperwork from various administrative offices on campus. It is important to deflect as much of this as possible from your faculty.