As specified in Section 2 of our Bylaws, in the Fall of the third year of each Department Head’s three-year term, the Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee conducts a meeting of the voting faculty to determine the Department’s choice or choices for the headship during the next term. We use the following voting procedure.

1. Advance Nominations. Voting faculty submit names of “advance nominees” to the Department Manager at least two business days before the meeting. (Knowing the nominees in advance helps to assure a thoughtful choice, and allows us to obtain permission to make available their teaching evaluations.) In past years, the Dean has requested that nominees be Professors.

2. Voting Rounds. At the meeting, we begin with a nomination round, at which time new names may be added to the list of advance nominees. We follow the modified Ball-Hollingsworth algorithm. In order to be added to the slate, the number of votes received by a candidate must be a majority of those eligible to vote. Otherwise, at some stage “abstain” wins a majority of the votes cast, and none of the nominees from this round is added to the slate of candidates.

3. Possible Motion that Slate is Complete. At this point it is appropriate to entertain a motion that the slate of candidates is complete. If this motion is not made and seconded, or if it does not win by a majority of the votes cast, then we return to Step 2, beginning again with another nomination round (with all advance nominees not already added to the slate being automatically included on the list of nominees).

4. Motion to Order the Slate. Once our slate is complete and if it has more than one name, we decide whether we wish to present the slate to the Dean as an ordered or an unordered list. This decision is made by a single vote, with a majority of votes cast deciding.

5. Ordering the Slate. If we decide to order the slate, each permutation of the slate is considered as a “nominee” and we commence voting for the various permutations, using the modified Ball-Hollingsworth algorithm, beginning with round 1, until one permutation receives a majority of the votes cast.

6. Approval of the Slate. At this point we have a final vote of approval on the ordered (or unordered) slate we have just chosen. In order for the slate to be forwarded to the Dean, it must be approved by a majority of those eligible to vote.

7. Continuation. If the slate is not approved, the meeting should be adjourned until the next business day on which no job talk is scheduled. The first item on a subsequent meeting’s agenda is another vote of approval of the previous meeting’s slate. If this motion does not pass, we wipe the slate clean and begin anew at Step 2 (maintaining the original list of advance nominees).

All ballots are secret. Live nominees may wish to leave the room during voting, but we do not insist on this. If they leave, their votes can be collected from where they are assembled in an adjoining room. It is entirely appropriate, and in fact desirable, that there be open discussion at any point during the voting process. Vitae and teaching evaluations (for advance nominees) should be available in the room during the meeting. Those unable to attend the meeting may leave explicit voting instructions with someone who will attend the meeting; however, one may not simply give a colleague one’s proxy.