The original version of this list was developed by a past chair who hoped to communicate to others a sense of the details activities, deadlines, and other events that occur (approximately) within each month that chairs should be aware of. This list is not intended to be complete, nor are the dates written in stone, but rather, this information is presented as a suggestive guide to the many responsibilities a chair has throughout the year. 

August

• Final call for next Spring Schedule of Classes sent to departments this month.
• Early in September, look for the call for next year's Extended-Day and Credit Outreach Education proposals.
• Schedule first Department/Executive committee meeting(s).
• Send e-mail memo requesting reporting of university committee service if you want a list of who is on what college/university committee, which can be useful
• Welcome visitors memo (to visiting faculty, lecturers, etc).
• Schedule brown bag with member/former member of Graduate Research Committee to offer advice on submitting proposals (for the Friday before they are due).
• Construct department committees
• Select post-tenure review cases and send out notification (reviews begin in Sept.)
• Begin to construct junior faculty review committees and schedules (reviews begin in Sept.)
• Arrange for mentors for any new faculty.
• If possible, have meeting of the Awards Committee early to determine what if any award nominations will be made this year. The ones requiring letters require long lead times and are usually due early November at the earliest. Try to give 4-6 weeks lead time for letters of recommendation.
• Check the list of which professors have been in associate professor rank for at least 5 years to determine whether a promotion review committee should be established. Consult if it seems a problem. If it does not seem appropriate to do a formal review, the chair is nevertheless required to have reviewed the case.

September

• Instruction begins.
• Department picnic.
• Sabbatical leave proposals due to departments early in the month, then to Dean at end of the month.
• Research Service Grant Proposals due to departments early in the month, then to Dean at end of the month.
• Conduct annual Executive Committee vote on delegation of certain matters to a subcommittee of full professors per FPP 5.21 and 5.22 (see Handbook Chapter I.13).
• By mid-September, finish picking out committees for review of probationary faculty and consider possible dates for Executive Committee review.
• Construct schedule for doing curriculum planning and Schedule of Classes for Fall of next academic year. Memo should go out to all faculty, remind field chairs of their jobs, construct deadlines that allow at least one round of circulating a draft timetable before it is due to TACS (usually in December).
• Spring final Schedule of Classes due.
• Sabbatical proposals due to the Dean at end of month.
• Research Service Grants due to the Dean at end of month.
• Faculty Development grants due to departments at end of month.
• The call for short-term staffing for spring comes out in September.
• Sept-Oct: Meet with Grad School Research Committee member assigned to your department to review assistant professors' research programs.
• Identify and prioritize minor (under $30,000) research and instructional remodeling needs in response to L&S call for proposals issued this month, due early October.

October

• Early in month distribute requests for proposals for Summer.
• Early in month distribute schedule for reviews for the year; try to plan fall meeting dates.
• Faculty course preferences due to Field Chairs.
• Respond to call for Summer Schedule of Classes.
• Faculty Development grants due to dean.
• Kemper Knapp Bequest proposals due.
• Academic Staff Professional Development grants due to department early in month; due to Dean at end of month.
• Classified Staff Excellence Awards due to Dean’s office mid-month.
• Reports from faculty for next academic year's courses due.
• Look for next Fall's Schedule of Classes materials (mailed to departments about end of month).
• Catalog materials usually distributed to departments to update (Undergraduate Catalog in even years; Graduate Catalog in odd years); if making substantive changes to requirements for academic programs, contact the L&S Curriculum Committee chair or staff about process and approvals.
• For spring tenure review: work up list of referees. Make sure candidate submits materials to be sent out to referees (vita, autobiographical statement, publications). Have candidate get copies of books at author's' discount and be reimbursed by department.
• Research and instructional remodeling proposals are generally due.

November

• Nominations for Career Distinguished Service Award for Retired Classified Staff due.
• Nominations for Campus-wide TA Awards due.
• Romnes Faculty Fellowship, Kellett Mid-Career, and WARF Named Professorship files due to Grad School.
• L&S Faculty Senate meets in November; refer to the Handbook for explanation of who serves (http://www.ls.wisc.edu/handbook/ChapterOne/chapter1-4.htm )
• Announcement of Brittingham Scholar awards.
• Wisconsin Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award nomination due (to WAA).
• Registration for spring begins: Seniors and Graduate Students register first, followed by Juniors, Sophomores and first-year studentst.
• Circulate first draft of Schedule of Classes for next fall to faculty.
• Received notification of Distinguished Teaching Award deadline.
• Thanksgiving recess.
• Notify TA’s of Spring semester assignments, if known, by December 1.

December

• Final deadline for Summer Schedule of Classes.
• Last day of classes; reading day(s) begin; exams begin.
• Exams end.
• Call for Instructional Lab Modernization Exercise proposals (due in February).
• Ranked list of research and instructional remodeling requests due.
• Graduate School research awards announced
• Throughout the month: follow enrollments for spring to stimulate more where needed; open and close sections properly; respond to enrollment issues re: short term staffing.
• Begin review of Academic Staff for promotion and job security.
• Develop Short term staffing requests for next year
• Submit request to reappoint probationary faculty with contracts through next academic year.
• Late December-Early January: update and send out Professional Activities Report/Post-Tenure Review memo (usual deadlines early February).
• December/January Indirect Cost Capital Exercise Funds allocated to departments.

January

• Sabbatical awards announced.
• Short term staff requests for fall due to South Hall.
• Nominations for Distinguished Teaching Awards due.
• Academic Staff Excellence Rewards nominations due.
• Instruction begins.
• Faculty/field chairs submit corrections to next Fall's draft timetable.
• Summer Schedule of Classes distribution begins.
• Initial call for next Fall Schedule of Classes.
• Next Spring Schedule of Classes process begins.
• Early January: Check enrollments for spring courses; transfers register in January, so you can pick up some that way; do what you can to avoid under-enrollments.
• Nominations for L&S Teaching Fellows due next month; prepare nomination packets.
• Nominations for L&S Academic Staff Awards due early next month.

February

• Professional Activities Reports due.
• All recommendations for academic staff job security forwarded to Assistant Dean for Human Resources
• Nominations for Vilas and "at large" Bascom Professorships due to the Dean.
• Proposals for Wisconsin/Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships due.
• Honors course funding requests due.
• First round of Academic Staff Professional Development Grants announced.
• Received notification that merit is due (second year of biennium).
• Nominations for Hilldale Awards due.
• Academic Advising Award Nominations due.
• Instructional Lab Modernization proposals due.

March

• Final Schedule of Classes updates for fall.
• All recommendations for academic staff promotions forwarded to the Assistant Dean for Human Resources
• Second round of Academic Staff Professional Development grant proposals due to dept, then dean.
• Research and instructional remodeling allocations made.
• Provost call for proposals for Assessment Grants (due in May).
• Proposals for Brittingham Scholars Fund due to Provost's Office.
• Nominations for Hilldale Lecturer due.
• Preferential ballots for Department Chair due to the Dean.
• Chairs/Directors PARs due to the Dean.
• All recommendations for promotion to full professor forwarded to the Dean.
• Merit Recommendations due to the Dean (will probably be later in a budget year).
• Emeritus Status recommendations due to South Hall.
• Spring Recess (March or early April).
• Faculty promotion materials due to Divisional Executive Committee (March/April)

April

• Academic Staff Professional Development Grant Program due to the Dean.
• Fall registration begins.
• During registration for fall: Check enrollments during the early stages every day. Consult with the associate chair and undergrad adviser on: opening up new sections, under-enrollments, what to do if faculty announce leaves during registration period. Have announcements made in appropriate classes regarding (under-enrolled) courses still open for registration. Use other publicity outlets to try to get students. Remember that transfers don't register until much later.
• Last call from the Dean for reappointment of probationary faculty.
• Complete all assistant professor reviews.
• Request memos for faculty recruitment for next year due.
• Requests for "more than two-ninths" Summer salary due.
• Nominations for honorary degrees due.
• First call for Spring Schedule of Classes.

May

• Parking Renewal/Application process begins this month for next academic year parking needs (.
• Receive solicitation for nominations of appointment of faculty to university committees.
• Last day of classes.
• Brief summaries of the year's post-tenure review cases due to the Dean.
• Review and approve outside activity and financial disclosures for all
  departmental faculty and academic staff.
• Nominations of faculty for university committees due.
• Continue watching fall registrations to avoid under-enrollments.
• Attend L&S commencement reception; send letter of congratulations to graduates on behalf of department.
• Remind faculty that if they go on leave away, they are responsible for having materials available to help students with Incompletes complete their courses.
• Have Executive Committee delegate authority for summer decisions.
• Parking applications due.
• Prepare for end of fiscal year.

June

• Schedule of Classes for spring due.
• Close of fiscal year accounts.
• Appointment Fiscal Year Reports (AFYR) for fall semester.

Last reviewed: August 2006

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