The Impact of Disciplinarity on the Career Patterns of Department Chairs: A Comparison between American CSU and Chinese NCEPU

Abstract

Based on career study and the disciplinarity in higher education administration, this paper intends to explore the variations of the career patterns of department chairs from differential disciplines. Taking American California State University(CSU) and Chinese North China Electrical University (NCEPU) as examples, it examines the simiarities, differences and limitations related to the overlooking of disciplinarity in regard to choosing of candidates, hiring mechanism, motivation and retention, training program, and post-chair stage. The conclusion is to highlight how university policies can assist chairs during their service: improving recruitment, training, and retention of chairs with the end of making them more enduring and effective leaders of their departments.