The 2004 Conference for Political Science Department Chairs was dedicated to discussingthe strategies available to chairs who are dealing with growing budget constraints. Themesincluded declining state budgets, surviving administrative mandates, tradeoffs of usingadjuncts, and supporting professional development. APSA President Susanne Rudolph opened theconference, noting the theme is both relevant to the discipline and valuable for politicalscience department chairs. Susan Pharr, Departmental Services Committee (DSC) chair,moderated the panel, which consisted of Michael Baer, Stephen Majeski, Shirley Geiger,Donald Baumer, and John Brehm. The Conference drew over 65 attendees to hear the fivepresentations and to consider concrete suggestions for how to operate efficiently under ashrinking budget. Given the widespread interest in the topic, the DSC has asked that theparticipants publish their findings in this symposium.