Question:
I'm writing an email to a department head asking for a reccomendation for an advisor as I don't know most of the professors in the Foreign Affairs or Economics department all that well. When I begin the email, should I write "Dear Dr. ________" or something else?
Any comments or advice relating to this would be helpful.
Always the highstest title. Since you say that he/she is a department head, then he/she is most likely either a Prof. or a PD, so recheck that.