Stunner!

I got an email this morning from my department chair saying that he was stepping down at the end of the semester and that he would be leaving my university to accept a job at another university. I was stunned. My chair has always had a rebel/cynical side to his personality, particularly as he talks about administrators, but I never saw this coming. During one of the retreats over the past couple of weeks, we were talking, and he asked me if I felt appreciated and if I ever thought about moving to a more research-intensive university. That conversation makes much more sense now, since I'm sure he had an offer at that point. It's interesting to think who will be taking over in January. We have a new Dean as of this summer, and so to have a new chair also makes the future a little uncertain. I feel like my university carefully balances teaching and research. While most people respect that balance, I know that there are people in my department that would prefer a stronger teaching bias, and I hope that the new chair does not fall into that camp.

But more than being destabilizing, it's a little sad. Nobody's perfect, but for all his faults, I really liked him. He was dedicated to our department and would "fight" for us if resources seemed scarce. More than that, he supported me in my research and teaching, and he understood my sense of humor (slightly sarcastic and cynical).

Dr. Chair, you will be missed.