"The chair is often caught in the crosshairs of conflict between faculty members or administrators, struggling to stake a claim in both worlds. It’s more of a duty than it is a calling for many people,” Dever said. “They’re sandwiched between the administration and the faculty and students without very many tools for solving problems and addressing the really complex issues that come up.”

A 2016 study found that 67 percent of chairs hadn’t received any formal training from their institution; two-thirds of those that did said it didn’t adequately prepare them for the job. [...] Establishing both initial and ongoing training for department chairs — sessions that focus on “soft skills” like leadership, in addition to administrative know-how — would help.