Applies to: (examples; Faculty,Staff, Students, etc)
Faculty , Staff
Faculty , Staff
The policy on Faculty Searches provides a consistent approach to ensure that the recruitment of full-time and part-time faculty is conducted in a manner that meets compliance needs, consistent with our values (diversity, growth, inclusion, integrity, positivity, professionalism, respect), UHSP’s strategic priorities and goals, as well as following best practice to ensure for selection of the best possible faculty members.
Applies to faculty, staff or administrators authorizing, managing or participating in faculty searches.
Appendix A: Job Specifics and Description Template
Appendix B: Sample Faculty Recruiting Timeline
Appendix C: Minority Directories
Appendix D: Screening Criteria
Appendix E: Sample Thank You Rejection Letter
Appendix F: On-Campus Interview Evaluation
Appendix G: Checklist for search policy requirements
Appendix H: Written Advertising Plan
Appendix I: Sample diversity statements
Appendix J: Search Committee Membership Notice
Appendix K: Sample “Core Values” Questions
Appendix L: Phone/Initial Screening Interview Template
Appendix M: Report of Recruitment Results and Request to Interview Candidates
Appendix N: UHSP Candidate Disposition Reasons for Applicant Tracking System
Term |
Definition |
Faculty |
All full-time and adjunct faculty who have appointment letters from University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis with an academic rank. |
Adjunct Faculty |
Contingent, non-tenure track, part-time faculty, who work on a term-to-term (semester-to-semester or other term) appointment. |
1) Introduction
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis believes strongly in the principles of shared governance and recognizes that an academic institution’s faculty traditionally have had significant influence in searches for new faculty. While selection of new hires is not a faculty charge outlined in the bylaws, faculty participation is critical. This policy aims to provide the structure needed to encourage participation in job searches while recognizing that there are different roles for faculty and administration (human resources, chairs, deans, president) within that process. The goal of the search committee is to recruit, evaluate, and recommend the best candidate(s) for the position. The hiring process followed by the committee helps to ensure the candidate pool is diverse in terms of culture, worldview, experiences, skills and/or abilities.
2) The Importance of a “Search Committee”
Faculty positions can have a number of roles ranging from administrative positions (program directors, assistant or associate dean, chair, dean) to research positions and a combination of teaching, clinical practice, research, and scholarship, and service. In all instances, appropriate input is critical in selecting the best candidate. It is important as well to hear from a variety of campus constituents to ensure broad campus input when selecting a new faculty member.
3) Culture of Searching
Reimagining recruiting as an ongoing activity rather than as a special occasion means encouraging your department to be in the habit of regularly “scouting” for potential candidates who will enhance the faculty and its diversity profile in specific ways.
Scouting activities are meant to identify and build relationships with potential job applicants so that the department is in a good position to attract high quality applicants when it has an approved search. Scouting also can lead to the identification of “preferred” candidates the department would like to hire.
When thinking about scouting, units should bear in mind that:
With these cautions in mind, here are some ways a department can foster effective habits for scouting:
4) Defining the Search
When a faculty opening occurs, the appropriate dean shall work with the appropriate department chair to define the terms of the search.
a) Determine Position Specifics and Job Description
The position description must be consistent with established academic need and strategic plans. Human Resources can provide a template (Appendix A). The appropriate dean and/or chair (if delegated by the dean) will broadly define the type of faculty position based on budgeted positions, approved strategic initiatives or goals. The chair will select faculty within the department, and request input from faculty across departments, when developing the position specifics and job description. For faculty positions funded wholly (90% or more) by a faculty Primary Investigator’s (PI) research, the PI may direct the creation of the specifics and job description, but the chair and dean of the affiliated academic department and school must approve of the description.
A complete description will include:
b) Develop a Realistic Timeline
Beginning with the target start date for the faculty member, work backwards and develop a realistic timeline for recruiting candidates and interviewing applicants. The timeline should be developed by the dean, but may be delegated to the department chair and approved by the dean, or delegated to the PI and approved by the chair and dean. An example can be found in Appendix B.
c) Determine if Sponsorship is Available for the Position.
Some candidates may need to be sponsored for employment. Additional work, time (three or four months) and budget resources is involved to obtain a visa if the University wishes to hire a foreign national candidate. The dean will determine if funding is available for visa sponsorship and notify the committee. See the Employment Eligibility and Sponsorship Policy.
5) Approval to Fill a Position
a) Requisitioning the Position
The hiring department/researcher is responsible for completing a requisition for each position, regardless if it is a replacement or new position. The requisition must be approved by the relevant chair and dean before being sent to Human Resources and the president. Only when a requisition is completed can an open position be confirmed.
b) Review for Affirmative Action Goals
Affirmative Action is the University taking demonstrable action to increase diversity and inclusiveness. The University accomplished this through an Affirmative Action Plan, which analyses its workforce to assess the possible underutilization of women, minorities, veterans, and persons with diversity. If underutilization is identified for specific positions, the University creates specific outreach efforts to find underrepresented candidates. In addition, the University trains hiring staff to ensure that the recruitment process is equitable and unbiased. Affirmative action is not a “quota” or extending preference to any individual based on race, color, religion, gender, veteran status, or national origin. Selection is merit based.
Human Resources will use the requisition and job description to review the position in light of the University's Affirmative Action plan, determining if the position requires specific outreach efforts. The results of this review will then then be communicated to the search chair, department chair and dean.
c) Freezing a Search
Should administration determine that stopping an active search might be required; the appropriate dean will discuss the potential need to stop the search with the faculty in the department and the search committee and receive input. If it is essential to stop the search, the appropriate dean will actively communicate with the search committee and department that the search has been stopped as early in the process as possible.
6) The Search Committee Makeup and Guidelines
a) Search Committee Structure
The make-up of search committees may vary depending on the function of the faculty position. Specific examples of various structures are outlined below. In general:
Input and representation from faculty is important in all of these types of searches, but the proportion of representation will differ depending on each position’s requirements.
b) Appointment of Search Committee Chair
The department chair will recommend a search committee chair to the dean who is responsible for affirming the appointment. The chair should be someone who is held in high regard by other University personnel, is knowledgeable about, but not necessarily from, the same discipline in which the search is being conducted, and who has experience in successful searches or possesses other skills including the ability to conduct meetings. Through his/her own work and interpersonal interactions, the potential chair should demonstrate both a commitment to University values and a willingness to expand the applicant and interview pool so to increase the number of underrepresented minorities involved.
The chair is responsible for:
c) Appointment of the Rest of the Committee
The department chair and search committee chair shall recommend committee members for the dean’s approval. While a substantive portion of the committee’s membership may consist of personnel from either the department conducting the search or the discipline to which it pertains, other stakeholders should have appropriate representation. It is helpful in many circumstances to balance junior and senior faculty and have student representation where a position has heavy student contact. Given that the committee’s composition sends a message to potential applicants about the culture of the department, the college, and the University, it must include members who will provide a range of different perspectives and expertise, and whose behavior consistently aligns with University values. Consequently, the committee’s membership is expected to reflect the University’s diversity in gender, ethnicity, educational background, and other social identifiers. The dean will be responsible for providing written notice to Human Resources that the committee is sufficiently diverse based on faculty available to serve on the committee. See Appendix J for an example.
In addition to the assigned chair, two special roles should be assigned to committee members other than the chair:
These roles may be in addition to placement on a committee as a disciplinary expert, departmental member, etc. For adjunct faculty searches, the chair and course coordinator may fill these roles.
Below are typical but not the only acceptable models for search committees:
Teaching/Scholarship/Service Faculty Search
Administrator search committee:
Clinical educator search committee:
Faculty researcher search committee:
Adjunct faculty search committee:
The committee is responsible for sharing the search workload in a fair way, working within the search parameters, following policies and procedures as outlined, and proceeding in accordance with the University's mission and goals. Committee members who act in their self-interest, do not participate and/or fail to follow guidelines may be removed and replaced from the search by the dean at the request of the search chair or department chair.
d) Goal for the Committee
The goal of the search committee is to recruit, evaluate, and recommend the best candidates for the position. A search committee will be given a specific charge to find outstanding, qualified, and diverse candidates. The dean or designee will give the search chair the official committee charge:
• For teaching/scholarship/service faculty, clinical educator faculty, and research faculty the committee charge will typically end with recommending finalist(s) to the dean.
• For administrator searches, the charge will typically end with a recommendation of finalist(s) to the dean or, in the case of a dean search, the president.
• For adjunct faculty the charge will typically end with a selection of finalist(s) by the department chair
Information or instructions shared by the dean or designee in the search charge will also include:
• Job specifics and description for the position.
• The department’s specific goals for the search (if any) and expectations for the search process, including the expectation of confidentiality.
• An outline of the ideal search and recruitment timeline (Appendix D).
• An emphasis on the importance of each committee member’s regular attendance at meetings and full participation in the search process.
• Available fiscal resources to assist with the search (such as funds for travel, advertising, etc.) and administrative support.
The committee is not required to recommend a certain quota of final candidates. Nevertheless, committees are generally expected to recommend at least two, and no more than four, finalists.
e) Committee Training
Prior to reviewing candidates, all UHSP committee members must have undergone committee search training within the past two years. This ensures that committee members are up to date regarding questions that can and cannot be asked during an interview, confidentiality, recordkeeping, and UHSP processes. UHSP committee members must be knowledgeable about the University’s equal employment opportunity policy (that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, age, gender, gender expression/identity, sexual orientation, veteran status or other protected class in admission, financial aid, athletics or any of its educational policies and programs), its affirmative action plan, the University’s diversity and inclusion values, ways to avoid interview bias, and promote the long-term retention of prospective candidates.
f) Confidentiality
While appointment to a committee and most of the description of the job is not confidential, some job specifics should be treated as confidential. In most circumstances, only administrators will have confidential search information such as salary range and access to academic resources, such as research start-up, development funds, etc.
All applications are considered confidential. An applicant’s name, CV, or other materials may not be shared outside the committee, department chair, appropriate dean, Human Resources, and assigned support staff until a candidate accepts an invitation to interview on campus. Revealing an applicant to his/her current employer may jeopardize his/her position and/or reputation.
When finalists are selected and brought to campus the committee should disclose to the candidate who, to assist in the assessment process, the applicant’s CV will be shared with constituents on campus.
g) Communication with Applicants and Candidates
To ensure confidentiality and integrity during the search process, only the search chair (or designee, such as support staff), division director/department chair, and Human Resources may communicate with the applicant. The search chair, division director/department chair, and Human Resources will coordinate to ensure communication efforts are not duplicated. Committee members may be assigned the task of contacting references or candidates, but under no circumstances should committee members make contact with candidates or outside recommenders without the committee’s knowledge, direction, and assent.
h) Search Committee Records
The following records should be kept during the search:
After the search has concluded, Human Resources will retain search records.
i) Search Committee Materials
Human Resources will provide the search committee with a packet of materials (see Appendixes) that includes all the necessary checklists, sample forms, etc. at the beginning of the search.
7) Advertising and Sourcing Candidates
a) Print/Online Advertising
Human Resources will work with the search committee to create advertisements consistent with the University’s branding efforts and requirements. Care will be taken to:
Budgets for advertising are limited and search committees should make efforts to ensure that advertisements are of value.
All positions will be posted on the University’s public website as well as sites that can help ensure the candidate pool is diverse. Examples include Diverse Issues in Higher Ed, National Pharmaceutical Association, and Higher Education Recruiting Consortium (HERC). Human Resources will help the committee craft a longer, more descriptive advertisement for our website as a well as a shorter advertisement for publications, if necessary. Human Resources will assist in finding the most productive venues for advertising to a broad range of potential applicants.
All postings are required to have the following language:
“We are an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer that values diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race/ethnicity, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, protected veteran status or status as an individual with a disability. EOE/M/F/Veteran/Disabled”
b) Broadening the Applicant Pool
All search committees are required to make specific efforts to broaden their applicant search for diverse applicants that will enhance their department and the institution. As best practice, committees are strongly encouraged to utilize minority directories and associations. A sample list is included as Appendix C.
c) Networking
It is best practice to use professional conferences and meetings to find outstanding candidates. Committees should also contact peers, doctoral programs, and post-doctoral programs directly to notify them of the search and request information on potential qualified candidates.
In addition, the search committee should broadly communicate about positions within the discipline or within appropriate communities (academic discipline, degree granting institutions, associations, list serves, etc.). Record of these communications should be included in the committee’s search records.
d) Affirmative Action Outreach
As an institution that seeks federal contracts, we voluntarily comply with the affirmative action requirements under Executive Order 11246. Affirmative Action is the implementation of special recruitment and development efforts to overcome the under-representation of targeted groups to achieve a balanced workforce. Targeted groups include minorities/persons of color, women, persons with disabilities, disabled veterans, and Vietnam era veterans. All persons are afforded equal opportunity. Some committees may be required to conduct and document special outreach efforts for positions listed within the University's Affirmative Action policy as requiring special outreach. Human Resources will inform the committee chair, department chair, and dean of any affirmative action requirements for the search.
e) Written Advertising Plan
The search committee chair, human resources, and the department chair will collaboratively work to develop a plan to promote the position taking into account the position, labor market, departmental, and affirmative action goals. The dean must approve this plan. A template for the plan is available to facilitate this process (See appendix H). A plan approved by the dean must be completed and submitted to HR prior to reviewing applications.
The department chair is responsible for communicating within the academic department, and/or school regarding an open faculty position.
8) Applications
All applicants are required to submit an application through the Human Resources application system. This system ensures that electronic materials are available to the search committee. The system also asks for voluntary demographic information such as race/ethnicity, gender, disability, and veteran status.
9) Evaluation and Interviewing
a) Selection criteria
Prior to reviewing candidates, the search committee should develop selection criteria based on the job specifics and description.
A sample selection evaluation tool is available in Appendix D. This sample should be customized by the committee to ensure that it includes valid assessment for specific competencies needed for the position (knowledge, skills, abilities, or other attributes). The evaluation tool will include a tool for assessing a candidate’s alignment with institutional values.
Special care should be taken to ensure that selection criteria are inclusive and do not potentially limit underrepresented minorities from meeting the criteria.
b) Prohibited Selection Criteria
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis is an equal opportunity employer. Search committees are prohibited from using race/ethnicity, religion, color, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, age, veteran status, gender identity, and sexual orientation to discriminate against candidates.
Often a search committee will review an applicant’s publications and scholarly work. This is acceptable. However, under no circumstances should the committee investigate to discern information about an applicant’s personal life. For this reason general “Google” searches and Facebook searches are prohibited.
Candidates cannot be discriminated against based on citizenship status. However, some specific positions may require evaluation of citizenship status. This will be communicated to the committee prior to the search commencing.
c) Applicant Pool Demographics
The Human Resources system will track demographics of the applicant pool and report back to the search committee chair, department chair, and dean prior to interviews. The applicant pool will be compared to available data in the Affirmative Action, St. Louis Metropolitan area and/or other appropriate pool (such as AACP Faculty Roster demographics) to determine if the pool is reasonably diverse. Pools that are not substantially diverse may have to delay interviewing until additional applicants can be found or a reasonable explanation is presented to the dean.
In addition, the committee will receive information on UHSP student demographics.
d) Narrowing the Candidate Pool - Minimum Qualifications
The entire search committee should take part in reviewing candidates, using previously determined evaluation criteria to narrow the candidate pool into candidates who fail to meet minimum qualifications and those who meet minimum qualifications.
It is best practice to communicate with candidates who do not meet minimum qualifications and notify them that they are no longer under consideration. The committee and HR will coordinate who will communicate with candidates and when that communication will occur. See Appendix E.
The committee will be left with some candidates who meet the minimum and some candidates who may have preferred qualifications or more desirable qualifications, experiences, etc. The committee may decide to communicate to these candidates that they are still under consideration.
e) Assessment of Interview Pool Demographics
Human Resources will report demographics of the applicants selected to an interview list and report back to the search committee chair, department chair, and dean prior to interviews. The pool at this stage will be compared to the total applicant pool to determine if it is reasonably diverse. Pools that are not substantially diverse may have to delay interviewing until additional applicants can be found or a reasonable explanation is presented to the dean.
f) Preferred Qualifications
The committee will evaluate candidates using an evaluation tool to select candidates from among those who meet the minimum qualifications but have the preferred qualifications to select for interviews.
g) References
The search committee will check the references listed by the candidate. After notifying the candidate that they are going to do so, “off the list” references may be sought as well such as dissertation advisors/project leaders, prior supervisor, if provided references were insufficient. References done by the committee must focus on job related factors such as the same criteria used for screening and evaluation, as well as confirmation of dates, positions, etc. Record of these reference reviews must be maintained as a committee record.
Care must be taken to ensure that the candidate is aware of the solicitation of references and that checking those references is only done with the knowledge and direction of the search committee. The Search Committee will refrain from conducting its own personal-related background investigations (Facebook, court records, etc.).
References may be reviewed prior to interviews or after, but should be completed prior to any campus interview as a finalist.
h) Phone/Video Screening Interviews
As many members of the search committee as possible should take part in initial or screening interviews. These are often done on the phone but can also be done via videoconference. The search committee should establish standard questions to be used for all applicants. Follow-up questions may vary to get further detail on answers. Notes from each committee member should be shared with the whole committee. Sample questions will be provided to the committee and are available from HR. The question set should include questions about duties, general competencies, and/or alignment with UHSP values. See Appendix L.
Care should be taken to ensure that candidates are given an equal opportunity in the process.
After the initial interview, the search committee will narrow the pool to a few finalists. The search committee should reply in writing to candidates when they are no longer under consideration. A tool such as Appendix M may be used to rank candidates.
i) Finalists and On-Campus Interviews
At least more than one candidate should be considered for on-campus interviews. An itinerary should be developed that allows the candidate to:
Candidates may stay for one or two nights. Hotel accommodations through a partner hotel near campus are preferred. Candidates may arrange their own flight and be reimbursed or the department may arrange it.
Everyone who has an opportunity to meet with the candidate should complete an evaluation form to be returned to the search committee. See Appendix F.
j) Incomplete Search
If the interview process is unable to identify candidates who meet the requirements for the search the committee chair or division director/department chair may recommend to the dean that the search has failed. The dean and division director/department chair will determine if the position job description and specifics should be changed, if the job should be reposted, or determine if a new search committee should be formed or the existing allowed to continue.
10) Recommending a candidate
a) Report of Search Finalists
The search committee shall present a written report to the department chair and dean describing the search process, number of candidates reviewed, and details of finalists’ strengths and weaknesses. The department chair or dean shall draft an offer letter and complete a Personnel Action Request form. This is reviewed by Human Resources, and approved by the dean and president.
b) Negotiation
The dean is responsible for determining the final appointment terms with the finalist. Negotiated terms could include years toward tenure, academic resources and funding, academic rank, relocation funds, professional development money, and other. All specific terms should be documented in the appointment letter. In some instances, terms may be delegated to the division director/department chair and approved by the dean prior to an offer being made.
c) Acceptance of an Offer
Once an offer has been accepted Human Resources will begin the onboarding process, which includes new hire paperwork, benefits, keys, parking, IDs, computer equipment, etc.
d) Background Check
Human Resources is responsible for conducting a background check with the offer that includes criminal background information, and licensing, appropriate required credentials, etc. See Background check, Medical Exam policies.
Position/Office/Department |
Responsibility |
Human Resources |
· Advising on position specifics · Reviewing requisition for affirmative action goals · Training committee members · Analyzing candidate pool demographics · Resource for Search Policy · Recipient of search records |
Dean |
· Approving committee makeup · Approving written advertising plan · Approving applicant/interview pool diversity |
Office of Diversity and Inclusion |
· Resource for broadening the candidate search · Training committee members |
Appendix A: Job Specifics and Description Template
Appendix B: Sample Faculty Recruiting Timeline
Appendix C: Minority Directories
Appendix D: Screening Criteria
Appendix E: Sample Thank You Rejection Letter
Appendix F: On-Campus Interview Evaluation
Appendix G: Checklist for search policy requirements
Appendix H: Written Advertising Plan
Appendix I: Sample diversity statements
Appendix J: Search Committee Membership Notice
Appendix L: Phone/Initial Screening Interview Template
Appendix M: Report of Recruitment Results and Request to Interview Candidates
Medical Exams Policy
Name |
Contact Information |
Dan Bauer |
Director, Human Resources daniel.bauer@uhsp.edu |
|
|
Appendix A: Job Specifics and Description Template
Appendix B: Sample Faculty Recruiting Timeline
Appendix C: Minority Directories
Appendix D: Screening Criteria
Appendix E: Sample Thank You Rejection Letter
Appendix F: On-Campus Interview Evaluation
Appendix G: Checklist for search policy requirements
Appendix H: Written Advertising Plan
Appendix I: Sample diversity statements
Appendix J: Search Committee Membership Notice
Appendix L: Phone/Initial Screening Interview Template
Appendix M: Report of Recruitment Results and Request to Interview Candidates
Appendix N: UHSP Candidate Disposition Reasons for Applicant Tracking System