STEPS IN FILLING FULL-TIME FACULTY POSITIONS
(Note: All forms mentioned below are included on the Provost’s website under the heading Faculty Recruitment Guidelines and Forms).
1. The Department Chair should review departmental staffing plans with the Provost and directors of area studies programs supported by this position. Consult with the Provost regarding the position description and the deadline for receipt of applications.
2. Complete a “Faculty Vacancy Request” form and send it, along with the position description and ad text, to the Provost for review/approval. Each position advertisement should include a statement to this effect..........
Wittenberg University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage women and minority applicants to apply as we are committed to creating an ethnically and culturally diverse community.
3. After the Provost has approved the Faculty Vacancy Request form and position description, the Chair is responsible for placing ads in the appropriate disciplinary publication(s). Upon request, Human Resources will also place the ad with The Chronicle of Higher Education and relevant Internet sites. In addition, HR will submit the position announcement to appropriate minority publications. HR Contact: LuAnn Shafer, x7519.
4. The Screening and Interview Committee must include at least one faculty member from outside the department. Searches for a position that supports an area studies program must include faculty from that program.
5. The Search Committee should make special efforts to recruit candidates who would increase campus diversity. A list of strategies for recruiting members of under-represented groups is available on the Provost's website.
6. Responsibilities of each faculty member in the hiring process are outlined in “Appointment Procedures” in the Faculty Appointments section of the Faculty Manual on the web (for your convenience, a copy of this information can also be found at the end of this document).
7. The “Faculty Request To Hire” form (which is eventually submitted to the Provost and filed in Human Resources) calls for an evaluation of each candidate with reference to the essential qualifications for the position. The committee should determine these qualifications prior to screening applications. Like each hiring form, this one may be duplicated and can be downloaded from the Provost's Office website. If the screening process identifies more than two top candidates, the department will conduct phone interviews to determine two individuals for on-campus interviews. Suggestions for phone interviews can be found on the Human Resources web page.
8. Credentials of the top five candidates should be forwarded to the Provost, along with the committee’s rationale for those selected for campus interviews. Also forward applications from people who may be members of under-represented groups. After the Provost approves the selections, the top two candidates may be invited to campus for interviews (more if the Provost approves).
9. Please clear interview dates and times with the Provost's executive assistant prior to extending an invitation to the candidates. Arrangements should be made by the committee for the candidate to teach a class or present an informal seminar for students and faculty. Each candidate should be scheduled to speak with a representative from the Faculty Personnel Board as well as the Provost, who prefers being the last to meet with the candidate. The President meets with all tenure-track candidates as his schedule permits.
10. Candidates are not required to visit Human Resources. Instead, they should be directed to the Benefits link on our Human Resources website.
11. Final candidates must sign a release for routine background checks before leaving campus.
12. Important: Background checks on all visiting candidates are now being handled in this manner..........
When first meeting with a candidate, the committee should make certain the applicant reviews and signs an “Authorization and Release” form and a “Disclosure” form, both of which must be sent to the Provost’s Office on the day the candidate’s visit begins. Each candidate should also be given a “Summary of Rights” form to keep.
13. After all interviews are conducted, the committee should submit a written comparison of all the candidates to the Provost. After the Provost has consulted with the committee (sometimes through its chair) and has approved a top candidate, the Chair should complete the “Faculty Request to Hire” form. This form must be submitted to the Provost along with copies of the application materials of the candidates who were interviewed.
14. The Provost then authorizes Human Resources to prepare an offer letter for the President's signature. At this point, a verbal offer can be made to the candidate, contingent upon the President's approval.
15. When a signed contract letter is received by Human Resources, a copy is also sent to the Chair. It is the department's responsibility to send regret letters to all other applicants.
Note: Departments will be reimbursed by the Provost's Office for the cost of candidates' visits. If in doubt concerning advance or follow-up preparations, contact the Provost's Office.
PROCEDURES FOR APPOINTMENT TO TENURE-TRACK POSITIONS
Appointments to the Wittenberg Faculty are made by the President upon the recommendation of the Provost.
The Provost 's recommendation is informed by the Search Committee evaluation which is forwarded to the Provost by the Department Chair.
1. In formulating recommendations to the Provost for tenure track positions, the chair of the search committee should consult members of the academic department and area studies programs by arranging for them to:
a. review dossiers in order to participate in deciding who should be
interviewed further and/or invited to campus for interviews;*
b. interview candidates;*
c. meet to share their judgments about who should be appointed;*
2. When the description of the faculty position includes responsibilities for teaching in an interdepartmental program, the chair of that program or his/her designated representative must be included in the screening and interview process. The interdepartmental program responsibilities of the position must be considered in the final recommendation to the Provost.
3. When the description of an administrative/staff position includes responsibilities for teaching in an academic department or interdepartmental program , the chair of that department/program or his/her designated representative should be included in the interview process and should be consulted by the relevant administrator regarding the candidates' potentials for meeting the departmental or program responsibilities of the position.
4. After consulting with faculty members as described in steps 1-3, the chair of the Search Committee should communicate the committee’s recommendation to the Provost.
5. Time considerations may not allow for the use of these procedures in making temporary or part-time appointments, but their use is encouraged.
*Some or all of these functions may need to be carried out by a search committee comprised of representatives of all departments and programs supported by the position.
Revised: September 12, 2007