NIU’s Department of Physical Education has begun the search for a permanent chair able to start work in August of 1990.

Current chair Jerry Ball is retiring and moving to California. Judith Bischoff, a faculty member in physical education and former executive secretary of the University Council, is holding the post temporarily.

Dean of Education Charles Stegman is in charge of the search and will be accepting nominations and applications for the position. Applicants are expected to have a doctorate and an established scholarly record in a field that would justify a senior level appointment in the department, Stegman said.

Applicants also must have excellent leadership and management skills, along with prior administrative experience. Other required skills include the ability to communicate effectively within a multidisciplinary department.

The chair is the spokesperson of the department and is accountable for its proper functioning as an instructional, research and public service unit. The person filling the position also is responsible for defining the department’s goals and developing policies that make those goals reachable.

Effective leadership is key in improving the department’s capacity to carry out its mission and accomplish its goals with distinction, Stegman said.

Other responsibilities of the chair include making budget, curricular and personnel recommendations along with managing the staff and its resources.

The chair is the chief academic and administrative officer of an interdisciplinary department and reports directly to the dean for all aspects of its operation and development.

The department offers programs at the baccalaureate and master’s level, and has 26 tenure-stream faculty and enrolls about 339 undergraduate and 84 graduate students.