Faculty Searches Guidelines and Procedures

I. Faculty Positions Approval

A notification to the respective Department Chair affirming the approval or disapproval of each new or replacement faculty position will be issued by the Dean of the respective school upon obtaining similar confirmation from either the Provost or the President. Department Chair, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, Dean, Provost, President will be copied on the notification. Whenever possible, the position will be approved, not approved, or deferred by April 30.

II. The Job Description

• The faculty position description will be developed initially by the Department, in consultation with the Dean. Once developed, the description will be:
  • Vetted and approved by the entire faculty of the respective department, Department Chair, and Dean.
  • Vetted and approved by the Director of Human Resources.
• If the Director of Human Resources suggests changes, the job description will be returned to the Search Committee and Department Chair for approval.
• The Department Search Procedures, which have been vetted and approved by the Dean, must be submitted to the Human Resources Office prior to advertising the position (see below).

III. Advertising

• Chronicle: Each fall one advertisement will be placed in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The deadline to be included is the 2nd Thursday of August. The Search Committee will provide the
• Office of Diversity & Inclusion 2-3 sentences for this advertisement. This text and the title of the position to be advertised will not be changed, edited or altered by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion thereafter, without the Search Committee’s approval.
• Professional Journals and Conferences: The Department Chair or Search Chair will forward suggested venues for such advertising to the Office of Diversity as soon as possible.

IV. Faculty Search Committee – Roles and Responsibilities

• Note that Interview Exchange is the only vehicle through which applications will be accepted
• Each Search Committee Member is responsible for:
  • Attending any and all workshop training sessions and programs as required and as presented by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion.
  • Obtaining electronic access to the pool of applicants.
  • Familiarizing themselves with all documents provided during the search committee orientation.
  • Attending all formal Search Committee meetings
  • Reviewing CVs and accompanying information submitted by all applicants
  • Participating in the formulation of questions for telephone interviews
  • Participating in the formulation of questions for on campus interviews
  • Participating in all telephone interviews
  • Attending and participating in all on campus interviews
  • Attending all candidate classroom presentations
  • Participating, contributing, and assisting in the formation listing of strengths and weaknesses of candidate finalists including the recommendation of and order of preferred candidates for offer of employment.
  • The Office of Diversity & Inclusion, will make all contacts with the applicants/candidates.
  • Only those candidates selected for phone or campus interviews will be contacted by HR.
  • Candidates not moving forward at any time in the process will not be contacted until the process is complete (a candidate has accepted an offered position).

V. Search Committee Chair

• In addition to procedures specific to individual academic departments, the Search Committee
• Chair is responsible for:
  • Being the liaison between the Search Committee, the Department Chair, the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, and the EO Officer.
  • Working with the Search Committee to obtain interview times, based on search committee members availability.
  • Working with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion to schedule all telephone interviews.
  • Working with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion to schedule all on campus interviews.
  • Coordinating with the EO Officer the questions that the Search Committee has formulated for the telephone interviews and the on-campus interviews.
  • Making required edits and changes to questions that the EO Officer has found to be improper and/or in violation of certain employment laws or regulations, or adding questions if necessary.
  • Maintaining minutes of Search Committee meetings and collecting search committee members notes at the end of the interview process.
  • Transmitting to the EO Officer and to the Dean, EEOC forms, consensus summaries, and recommendations as to the preferred candidate.

VI. Interview Questions

• Questions for phone interviews should be different from onsite interview questions.
• It is the responsibility of the Search Committee Chair to share proposed questions, developed by the Search Committee, with the EO Officer for approval and work with the EO Officer regarding proposed changes.
• Follow-up questions are allowed for clarification or elaboration.

VII. Selection of Candidates for Interviews

The following is in addition to procedures specific to individual academic departments:

• Search Committee members will review all candidates and deliberate as a committee to determine who will be recommended for audio/video phone interviews. Once the committee agrees to the list of phone interview candidates, others may be reviewed but are not guaranteed consideration.
• Selection of candidates for on campus interviews will be determined once all candidate phone interviews are completed.
• Search Committee voting will be deliberated as a committee for a single committee recommendation.
• The Search Committee will consider the best qualified candidates and be diligent toward achieving diversity goals.
• The Search Committee Chair will submit names for the EO Officer’s approval. The EO Officer may ask the committee to include protected group candidates. There will then be a discussion with the Search Committee Chair regarding the qualifications of the recommended candidate. Only those candidates that meet with qualifications will be added to the list.
• Please refer to the MSCA CBA for information regarding consideration of current unit members. (Article X.7)

VIII. Interviews

• The Search Committee Chair will provide the Office of Diversity & Inclusion with a phone interview schedule, allowing at least two weeks advance notice whenever possible. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion will make all contact with selected candidates and confirm dates and times for the audio/video phone interviews to be conducted, as well as arrange and coordinate the necessary room reservations.
• The Search Committee Chair will arrange the full day schedule and times for on-campus interviews to include:
  • Office of Diversity & Inclusion welcome
  • meeting with the Search Committee
  • meeting with the Department Chair
  • meeting with the Dean
  • lunch with available Department members
  • tour of the campus
  • related breaks and private time
  • classroom presentation
• The Search Committee Chair is responsible for logistics associated with room reservations for the on-campus interview and can do so through their department’s administrative support staff.
• The Search Committee will forward the completed schedule for on-campus interviews to the Office of Diversity & Inclusion which will make all contacts to and with the candidates to schedule and coordinate the interviews, including presentation guidelines.
• The Office of Diversity & Inclusion will make all necessary travel arrangements as circumstances warrant and request electronic references of candidates invited to on campus interviews if they have not been provided as part of the application process
• Search Committee members are required to be present for all interviews.

IX. Selection of Recommended Candidates

• Prior to recommending candidates, all references for candidates to be recommended will be contacted by the Search Committee or Department Chair (per departmental procedures).
• The Search Committee will convene and prepare a comprehensive set of strengths and weaknesses for each of the finalists and transmit the information to the EO Officer, the Dean and the Department Chair by uploading the consensus summary to the EEO requisition form.
• The Department Chair can do the same during the respective review and approval of the EEO form.
• The Department Chair will prepare an independent statement of strengths and weaknesses of each of the finalists.
• The Department Chair forwards to the Dean the Search Committee’s statement of strengths/weaknesses, summary of the recommenders’ comments, and department chair’s statement of strengths/weaknesses.
• In the event the recommendations are inconsistent, the Dean will make the final recommendation based on all recommendations and the Dean’s own interview.

X. Offer of Employment

• Prior to the offer of employment, the Office of Diversity & Inclusion will forward the EEO requisition/form to the search committee chairperson for completion. Once the EEO form is completed and approved by all necessary parties, an offer of employment as outlined below follows.
• The Dean will work with the Provost to set the salary offer based on Appendix O-1 and other considerations.
• The Dean will make the call to /contact the preferred candidate.
• The Dean may consult with the Department Chair and keep the chair apprised of the contact, offer extended, or offer accepted.

XI. Acceptance of Offer

• Upon acceptance of offer, the Dean will communicate to:
  • Provost
  • Director of Human Resources
  • EEO Officer/ Director of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity
  • Department Chair, who will inform the search committee and the department members
• Once the Office of Diversity & Inclusion is informed that an offer has been made and accepted, they will notify all unsuccessful applicants. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion will then close the position.
• Human Resources will conduct a background check of the selected candidate after the offer letter has been signed.
• The Search Committee will forward all search-related materials to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the conclusion of the search.

Please refer to the CBA and specific academic department search documents for additional information