The characteristics of the typical department/division chairman and his relationships with others were studied by means of a survey of relevant literature. Other areas studied were his role as an administrator and leader. The following conclusions were drawn from the survey: (1) department/division chairmen have many of the characteristics of other college administrators--predominantly white, male, middle-aged, former instructors with master's degrees; (2) the chairman's role in the college organization is still indeterminate--in some colleges he is given considerable authority to administer, whereas in others, his authority is severly restricted; (3) despite the lack of clarification of the chairman's role, the position continues to attract faculty; and (4) it is unlikely that the chairman's role will change significantly during the next 5 years. (DB)