In this advisory video, Steve Tippins, Ph.D., explains why many dissertation chairs provide minimal mentorship and clarifies what responsibilities chairs are realistically expected to fulfill. He emphasizes that the lack of guidance is a systemic issue rather than a personal failing of the student. Tippins outlines the typical duties of a chair—high‑level idea guidance, milestone approval, and feedback on major pitfalls—while noting that chairs are not expected to teach research methods, conduct literature searches, edit drafts, or give step‑by‑step instructions. To succeed with a hands‑off advisor, he recommends students take the initiative: propose concrete deadlines, request specific meetings, and frame communications as requests for feedback rather than waiting for direction. If repeated outreach fails, he advises escalating the issue to departmental or program advisors. The overall message is pragmatic empowerment: recognize the structural constraints, assume ownership of progress, and use clear, proactive communication to keep the dissertation on track.
Chapters
How to work with a dissertation advisor who gives little guidance and yet still finish fast. Most chairs aren't paid to mentor deeply. Here's how to get what you need and move forward. So let's talk about the reality that nobody is really telling you as you enter a doctoral program. A common myth is my chair is going to provide the guidance I need to finish my program many times. And at many schools, chairs are not paid extra to mentor you to be your chair. In fact, it's considered extra work that they're doing by many people. And where they aren't rewarded or aren't acknowledged for doing that work, most are juggling teaching loads, research agendas, grant applications and service requirements along with the rest of their life. Many just don't have the time to walk students through every detail or they consider that that's the student's job, it's not their job because that's got through their program many times. The system, the institution that you're attending just assumes you as students are going to figure it out because everybody who's finished before you has figured it out. But that never considers the people who didn't make it because they didn't get the support that was needed. It is not on purpose that you're being neglected. It's just the way the system has been designed. And if you're aware of the fact that that it's the systemic issue, it's not yours, it's not your shame or fault to bear, it's the system that is doing this. So what actually is your chair responsible for? Guiding your ideas, helping you avoid major mistakes or pitfalls, providing high level feedback, keeping you aligned with expectations, and ultimately approving milestones. What your dissertation most likely is not responsible for is teaching you how to do research, teaching you how to find literature, editing your writing, explaining every comment, and giving you step by step instructions as to how to move forward. So let's look at that list we just provided of what you aren't getting, which is reasonable to expect. Your university is not providing you really what is needed to move forward. And that just, it's not criminal, but, but it certainly in my mind it shouldn't be that way. If they've accepted people into the program, they thought, hey, this is a valid person to enter our program, then the support should be there to move people into and through the program. How do I help a hands off chair? Help me move forward? First thing you want to do is take the lead. Don't wait for direction. And this can be hard for number of people to get and figure out how to do. Because we hold these chairs, these professors, in awe. They have doctorates. Oh, my gosh. I can't question them or I can't suggest. I'll just wait. They'll tell me what the right thing to do is. They'll tell me when. And unfortunately, when you're waiting two, three, four weeks, three months and just spending money to wait because I just can't talk to them because they're special and important. You're special and you're important. So by taking the lead, I mean saying things. Here's my document, and I'm hoping to have it reviewed by this date so that we can then move to the next step. This also puts them in a mindset of replying to your ideas instead of waiting for them to generate the ideas. Now, if you have tried to be proactive and just aren't getting any responses, I would try to contact again and say, can we have a meeting so we can. I can talk about what I can expect and what I'm supposed to do here so you can get them on board. Now, every once in a while, you get a chair who just doesn't respond at all. That's when you have to talk to advisors at your school or department chairs and say, what is it I'm supposed to.
