Obtain funding from the university board of directors for establishing a philosophy department. In a typical liberal arts college, the philosophy department will be a part of the larger college of humanities, which is in turn a part of the university at large. You can do this by giving a presentation to the board outlining your goals and needs, or by drafting a document outlining these aspects and the support of the other members of the college of humanities.
Establish a philosophy department head. A department head is an administrative figure that manages the day-to-day operations of the philosophy school, designs courses for each semester, and most importantly hires faculty to teach the students enrolled in classes. A department head may be an existing teacher with credentials in philosophy currently in another discipline at your university, or an outside hire.
Develop a curriculum. You may look at the course offerings listed on other college websites and base your curriculum on popular course topics. According to The Philosophical Gourmet, Tufts is the most prominent philosophy program in the country, and can be used as a basis for your own. Your department head can help develop your curriculum based on the number of projected students in the program and number of faculty members. The curriculum should set out the requirements for graduation for each student and the intended learning goals for philosophy majors in general.
Hire faculty. Finding fresh faculty for a new university department can be a lengthy process, given the amount of interviews and discussions involved. You can make things easier by posting job listings on college job websites, attending academic conferences to scope out possible candidates, and finding existing professors at your university qualified to teach in your department.
Enroll students in your program. Attracting students to a new college department can be challenging, when more established schools may have more prestige. However, work with your university to advertise what makes your program unique and interesting to help get potential students interested. As time goes on, you can begin establishing a reputation for your philosophy program based on the quality of your scholarship and achievements.