Those who become chairs of academic departments for the first time seldom are well prepared for the ethical challenges they will face. Their background is in a specific academic field (e.g., chemistry, philosophy), not administration. Furthermore, it is unlikely that they will have discussed the kinds ethical issues administrators must deal with. Often they are “caught in the middle” between the expectations of their faculty and those of their deans and other administrators. Finally, they face the challenge of helping their faculty understand that some departmental problems are “ours,” not just “mine” or “yours.”