Abstract
This article analyzes the administrative and ethical challenges faced by department chairs in implementing merit-based salary systems within higher education. Drawing on the author’s decade of administrative experience, it examines how varying institutional structures (from unionized, step-based systems to wholly merit-driven allocations) shape the chair’s discretion and accountability. Using the case of George Mason University, the discussion details procedures for goal-setting, annual review, and salary distribution, highlighting tensions between equity, gender parity, and institutional policy. The article critiques both the subjectivity of qualitative evaluations and the rigidity of quantitative point systems, arguing for a balanced, evidence-informed approach to faculty assessment. A survey of department chairs reveals broad support for merit pay as an incentive and recognition mechanism, but also widespread dissatisfaction with its procedural inconsistencies and divisive effects on morale. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of perspective, humor, and reflective judgment as essential survival skills for chairs navigating merit-based compensation systems.
Recommended Citation
Taylor, Anita
(1987)
"The Department Chair and Merit Salary Increases,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 59, Article 9.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol59/iss1/9
