After serving ten years as the chairperson for the Department of Communication, Paul Gullifor is stepping down from the position this semester.
“You just kind of know when it’s time,” Gullifor said. “Frankly, I’m tired, and it’s probably good for the department to have someone with new energy, new vision and new ideas to step in and takeover.”
The next chairperson will be chosen by a committee of four faculty members within the communication department: Dan Smith, Elena Gabor, Quan Xie and Gullifor.
“The process usually takes a couple of months, so we’re hoping to have a candidate chosen by the end of the semester,” Gabor, an associate professor, said. “We’re in the second stage of the search, so we’re interviewing the finalists via Skype.”
Gullifor said normally within the communication department a chairperson stays for around eight years.
Gullifor said he never had any administrative ambitions and ended up in the position mostly out of a sense of responsibility.
“Ten years ago, the department chair stepped down and people started pointing to me,” Gullifor said. “I was flattered that my colleagues thought I had the qualities necessary for the job, and so I agreed to do it for one year as a sort of test run.”
After that first year, Gullifor said he stayed on for a full term because he saw the chance to make a difference in lives of students and faculty.
“What kept me going was the excellent people in the department,” Gullifor said.“They’re not just excellent teachers and scholars, but also fundamentally good human beings. There’s an old saying that it’s amazing the things that can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit, and I think that’s a really good description of this department.”
Gullifor said despite his amazing colleagues, the job was very demanding.
“You work on evenings and weekends, and you have to rearrange your life priorities for a little while because if you want to do this job right, you have to pour yourself into it,” Gullifor said.
Gullifor said one of the most difficult adjustments was the position’s unpredictability.
“I was always one of those people who liked schedules,” Gullifor said. “However, with this job there is no beginning or end. You never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. No two days are going to look alike, and the semester cycle is meaningless.”
Gullifor said he also missed interacting with students.
“As the department chair, the students are rosters — names and ID number — and I don’t get the interpersonal experience I’d like to have,” Gullifor said. “With teaching, you get to really know what’s going on in your students’ heads. There’s something about engaging with young people that keeps you young yourself, so I’m really excited to return to teaching.”
Gullifor said in addition to returning full time to the classroom, he also plans on spending more time on personal matters.
“I’m in a stage of my life where I’d like to have the time to work on things that interest me personally and do more research,” Gullifor said. “And I just had my first grandchild last year, so I’d like to see her. I want the flexibility to say ‘I’m out of here’ after my last class on Friday and go visit her. It’s been an honor to be the academic leader of the department, but I’m looking forward to the future.”
