Abstract
This reflective essay documents the first year of administrative experience as a new department head at New Mexico State University. Organized around three themes—learning the job, learning the system, and being the “new man in town”—the narrative traces the author’s transition from faculty member to administrator. The discussion emphasizes the paradoxical nature of departmental leadership: the chair functions simultaneously as manager, faculty colleague, and intermediary between conflicting demands. Early lessons concern balancing responsiveness to faculty, staff, and central administration, navigating institutional routines and politics, and managing expectations from multiple constituencies. The essay highlights the emotional and cognitive challenges of leadership, including limited authority, administrative isolation, and the impact of bureaucratic work on scholarly productivity. Despite these strains, the author concludes that departmental leadership offers opportunities for creativity, institutional renewal, and belief in the “myth of possibilities”—the conviction that constructive change remains achievable through commitment and persistence,
Recommended Citation
Goss, Blaine
(1987)
"Reflections of a First-Year Department Head,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 59, Article 10.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol59/iss1/10
