Congratulations on your new role as a LAU leader! This position comes with both responsibilities and opportunities to support and celebrate the success of your faculty, staff, and students. There are extensive resources available in this Department Chair Resources website—from budgeting to recruitment and hiring, faculty evaluation, and student enrollment, among others. This brief section is meant to alert you to a couple of foundational resources relevant to your new role. If you have questions for which there seem to be no listed resources or answers, write to us at facaffs@gmu.edu.
- Who do I ask for help? Our website has a listing of all the department chairs at George Mason. Do not be shy about reaching out and asking for support or guidance from more experienced chairs! This is a generous and collegial community, and once upon a time they were all as new as you. You can also reach out to our office at facaffs@gmu.edu and we can help you connect with resources or people.
- Conflict resolution. As a new LAU leader, you may inherit some long-standing conflicts; other times, problems that have been simmering below the surface can suddenly escalate and may require your attention. Regardless of their origin, you may have to step in and manage conflicts or discipline faculty, staff and students from time to time. The main Department Chairs Resource Page has a section on conflict resolution that you may find useful. Please review that material and reach out to us at facaffs@gmu.edu if you have questions or need additional guidance.