Section 2

Administrator Interview: Possible Questions

The following sets of questions are meant as a guide for conducting the administrator interview, not as an exhaustive list. Please select the ones of most interest to you or compose similar ones of your own.

Position

• What is your current position and how long have you been in it? What are your responsibilities? What other responsibilities do you currently have beyond this position?
  
• What is your academic background? How did you arrive at the position you're in today? Where might such a position lead you in the future?
  
• What do you find most surprising/interesting about the position? Why? What are the challenges/obstacles? Who supports your efforts? In what ways?
  
• What advice would you give to someone interested in developing skills for a future administrative position
  Unit/office/center
  
• What is the size of your unit? What is the role of your unit in the University?
  
• What is the history of the unit? How would you like to expand/change your unit's role in the University?
  
• How does your unit interact with the local/regional/national community?

Relationship between administrators and students/faculty

• How would you describe the relationship between administrators and students/faculty?
  
• How does your unit affect students and their education? What is your unit doing for students today? What do you think the University should do for students today?
  
• How do you feel students, faculty, etc. perceive your contributions? What would you like to be recognized for? How should your contributions be formally recognized?
  
• Do you have a mentor or serve as a mentor to another faculty member? What role has mentoring played in your career? What advice do you have about choosing a mentor?

Additional Suggestions

• Before conducting the administrator interview, you might want to write a job description that you imagine might fit/capture the roles and responsibilities of the person you are interviewing. This may also help frame what questions you would like to ask the person. Then after the interview write a more enlightened job description.
  
• During the interview, ask the administrator to comment on who has influenced them most at the University and why. Remind them that this need not necessarily be one of their favorite people.