I believe I am qualified to be the Chair of the CS Department because
I have a strong record of research and professional accomplishments, 
strong leadership ability, devotion to education and commitment to 
faculty governance.

The Department offers plenty of challenges and opportunities to
the next Chair. If I become the Chair of the CS Department, here 
are some of the things I will do:

(1) Keep the faculty, staff, and students abreast of the developments
    at higher levels and more actively involve all faculty members in
    the decision making. This may involve holding faculty meetings
    more often.

(2) Increasing the research productivity of the Department will be 
    a high priority item for me. Research productivity is mainly 
    judged by peer-reviewed  publications, graduated Ph.D. students, 
    and external funding. To become a prominent CS Department 
    nationally, the Department must excel in research.
   
(3) I will meet every PhD student in the Department once year on
    one-to-one basis to review his/her progress, discuss the 
    difficulties he/she is facing, and give appropriate advice.

(4) The quality of instruction is very important for me. I will 
    closely monitor the quality of teaching (mainly through course 
    evaluations) and take necessary corrective actions (as and when
    needed).

(5) Revamping the undergraduate curriculum will a high priority
    item for me. With the faculty members, I will critically
    examine the undergraduate curriculum and make necessary changes to
    insure that we are graduating students who are well-equipped
    with a solid foundation, knowledge and skills to succeed.

(6) I will make efforts to increase (the sagging) undergraduate 
    enrollment. I will investigate the cause and take remedial
    actions.

(7) Increasing the quantity and quality of Ph.D. students in the
    Department will be a high priority item for me.

(8) I will address the salary inversion problem with the faculty 
    (and staff) salaries. Also, I will strive to insure that TA 
    and RA salaries are competitive and their working environment 
    is productive and conducive.

(9) I will regularly meet with the staff members and address their
    concerns. 

(10) I will promote faculty members and the Department within the 
     College/University and to outside agencies and the industry. 
     I will nominate faculty members to various internal and external 
     awards and recognitions.

(11) I will be pro-active in my administration and management style.

(12) I will make every possible effort to bring more faculty, staff,
     and TA/Fellowships lines to the Department.

(13) Since the Executive Committee represents the whole faculty
     and makes decisions on the behalf of the whole faculty,
     I will allow faculty members to elect the members of the
     Executive Committee (rather than hand-picking the people 
     of my choice). So I will strive for more democracy.

(14) I will have open-door policy. I will allow a faculty, staff,
     and student to walk into my office any time and discuss his
     or her concerns. I may set aside two hours every Friday 
     afternoon for this purpose.

(15) I will every effort to fill an open endowed chair professor
     position. The challenge is to hire a person with international
     reputation who can help the Department move to the next level.

(16) Currently, the CS faculty is housed in two buildings which are
     0.5 mile apart on the campus and this creates problems. I will
     work hard for a new building that will house the entire CS faculty.
     
(17) Finally, I will vigorously and vigilantly protect the interests 
     of the faculty, staff, and students in the Department and try my 
     best to make it an excellent place to work.
    
Clearly, the Chair of the CS Department is a position with 
tremendous responsibilities and it requires sacrifices.
I believe I have necessary qualifications, motivation and drive,
and skills to undertake the job.