The first and most important to these is excellence. All administrators want to invest available resources in strong units that will use them effectively. Perhaps the most obvious way is by national rankings, by research productivity. Nothing jeopardizes a department's claim on resources so quickly as factionalization. Often factions are so convinced of the truth of what they are conveying to the dean that they don't realize they are compromising their department's credibility.
Administrators also pay close attention to the quality of teaching.
Departments that take teaching seriously and teach well have a greater claim on institutional resources. The third criterion I use in allocating faculty positions is centrality to the institution's mission. Again, English departments do not tend to have much trouble on this score. So, at this point, you might say, we are excellent, we have students lined up in the corridors, and we are undoubtedly central to our institution's mission. I have two further suggestions.