2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Life Cycle of a Department Chair: Transitioning from Faculty to Chair and Beyond or Back

Presented at Leading Change and Innovation in Civil Engineering Education

Individuals who accept the role of head or chair may do so for different reasons including personal growth, career advancement, serving the department, or even because others are not willing or able to serve. The perspective of a faculty member may shift significantly as they step into the role of a chair as different challenges and opportunities arise during their term of service.

Previous research has identified desired leadership characteristics from academic leaders and, more recently, from faculty members being directly supervised. However, there is a gap in research on leaders’ reflections on transitioning successfully into the leadership role as a chair, on maintaining activities to transition back into a faculty role at the end of their term of service, or identifying practices to transition to other administrative roles in the university or beyond.

Using surveys and interviews of current and past chairs, as available, the goals of this study are to characterize: faculty perceptions and expectations of Chairs’ role prior to becoming a leader and a comparison to information provided in search documents (i.e. advertisements).
Useful practices to transition into the chair role; strategies to maintain teaching, research, and service activities and skills while serving as a leader; useful practices to transition to other administrative roles.

This paper may be of interest to faculty considering service as a department chair, currently serving in that role, or considering options upon completion of their term.

Authors

Dr. Audra N. Morse http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8337-5726 Michigan Technological University [biography]

Dr. Audra Morse, P.E., is a Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering at Michigan Technological University. Her professional experience is focused on water and wastewater treatment, specifically water reclamation.
Dr. Camilla M. Saviz P.E. University of the Pacific [biography]

Camilla Saviz is Professor and Chair of Civil Engineering at the University of the Pacific. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University, an M.B.A. from the New York Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Davis. She is a registered engineer in California.
Dr. Joel Sloan P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8135-3048 United States Air Force Academy [biography]

Colonel Joel Sloan Ph.D., P.E. is the Permanent Professor and Head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy, M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado, and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. He is an ASEE member and a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia. His research interests include geotechnical engineering, column-supported embankments, and engineering education.
Dr. Scott R Hamilton P.E. York College of Pennsylvania [biography]

Scott Hamilton is a Professor of Civil Engineering at York College of Pennsylvania. He is a registered Professional Engineer and has both a MS and PhD in civil engineering and a Masters in
engineering management from Stanford University and a BS from the United States Military Academy, West Point. He is a retired US Army Corps of Engineers officer who has had assignments in the US, Germany, Korea, and Afghanistan. During his military career he spent over 10 years on the faculty at the US Military Academy at West Point teaching civil engineering. He also served as the Director, Graduate Professional Development at Northeastern University’s College of Engineering. He is the recipient of the 2021 NSPE Engineering Education Excellence Award and the 2019 ASCE Thomas A Lenox ExCEEd Leadership Award.
Dr. Norb Delatte http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1811-4335 Oklahoma State University [biography]

Dr. Norbert J. Delatte, Jr., P.E., is a Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Oklahoma State University. Formerly, he was the Head of the School. He is the author of Beyond Failure: Forensic Case Studies for Civil Engineers (ASCE Press, 2009).
Dr. David A Saftner University of Minnesota Duluth [biography]

David Saftner is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy and MS and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Tanya Kunberger P.E. http://orcid.org/https://0009-0003-9407-7753 University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown [biography]

Dr. Kunberger is Division Chair for Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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