When I first visited Germany, I struggled to understand the soft side of the academic system. The place was filled with ‘chairs’ & people who identified as part of ‘chairs’ but who do not act like ‘chairs’ in the United States.
I met ‘chairs’ responsible for research, yet, with heavy service, teaching & mentoring responsibilities.
This notion of a German ‘chair’ who did service directly contradicted what I knew of many American ‘chairs’ - who often did minimal service or administrative work for their uni.
I waffled between envy of my friends for holding chairs (which were out of my reach) & relief because my position required so much less service (which my friends seemed to do a lot of).
Once the ping-ponging between emotions abated, I understood that the term ‘chair’ means very different things in Germany & the United States.
What is similar is that people referred to as ‘chairs’ tend to be tenured faculty, appointed for their scholarship & expected to continue research.
What is different is that the term ‘chair’ references completely different responsibilities & mental mindsets.
What are the key differences? And what do they mean?
First, German chairs have administrative responsibilities that Americans do not.
Germans chairs do administrative work, coordinate courses, & physically sign paperwork/degrees.
American chairs most often don’t touch these activities.
Second, German chairs often administer Undergraduate & Master’s programs - directly or indirectly through their Ph.D. students.
German chairs can sign off on hundreds of master’s theses a year.
American chairs most often are disconnected from managing degree programs.
Third, German chairs have to build teams to fulfill their responsibilities.
Germans invest time in hiring & training students who can work with them for six to ten years.
American chairs usually outsource hiring students & work with them for shorter periods.
Fourth, a German chair is a team with a professor who leads it (and is called the chair).
Chair members identify with the professor as a leader & who directs their activities & often see each other as a family - which sometimes spans student generations.
Sometimes, chairs are so tightly knit they feel like organized crime - with deep loyalty to each other.
An American chair is an individual who works in a dept.
Fifth, while equally capable of conducting research, German chairs often do less direct research than Americans.
They don’t have time. They must care for & train & eventually place members of the team.
Americans often are more about ‘me’ & their research than the ‘team' (dept).
Today, I’ve come to respect that Chairs are not easy to earn or maintain in either country, but they mean different things.
I would love to see Americans move closer to the ‘team’ model that I’ve seen in Germany & be more engaged with their uni’s.
Prost!
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