WNMU POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
FACULTY
General
This process for screening and hiring faculty is adopted by the WNMU Administration pursuant to authority by the WNMU Board of Regents to the University President to develop a personnel system that addresses the recruitment and selection of personnel. The screening and hiring process at WNMU is intended to address three important goals. First, this process is designed to assist in hiring the best qualified individuals for available faculty positions and to support WNMU’s mission of excellence. Second, adherence to this process should ensure that sufficient effort has been made to include members from diverse, gender, cultural, racial and ethnic groups in the pool of applicants considered for interview for available positions. Third, a broad pool will allow the University to establish diversity within WNMU’s faculty in accordance with the WNMU Affirmative Action Plan and furnish positive and successful role models for WNMU students.
This process is designed to encourage communication among the parties involved in hiring: Search Committee, department chair, Dean, Provost & VPAA, and the department of Human Resources and AA/EEO Office.
Objectives
The goal of the University’s recruitment and hiring process is to achieve an excellent and balanced workforce with representation and participation from all of the diverse sectors of our society. The primary objectives of the process are:
· To attract and hire the best qualified candidates, matching the qualifications of the candidate to the needs and expectations of the faculty position and to support WNMU’s mission of excellence.
· To assure the expeditious placement of qualified candidates into vacant positions.
· To increase participation of qualified candidates from underrepresented groups in applicant pools.
· To ensure fair and equitable treatment of all candidates in the recruitment and hiring process.
Confidentiality of Employment Applications
All persons involved in the personnel recruitment process at WNMU shall keep confidential the identity of candidates for employment and the deliberations of those responsible for screening candidates, except as provided in this policy. This policy applies not only to those with a designated role in the screening process but also to any other employee of the University who may become aware of the identity of a candidate or the details of the deliberations. For purposes of this policy “candidates” shall include either applicants or nominees for positions at WNMU.
The identity and resume/curriculum vitae of a candidate shall be made public only in response to a request and only when interviews have been scheduled between that candidate and the hiring supervisor or between the candidate and the search committee members. For purposes of this policy the term “interviews” shall include meetings or discussions in which the hiring supervisor and the search committee members participate, either at the same time or in a series, and shall include discussions by telephone.
All candidates who are invited for interviews, as defined herein, shall first be advised of this policy and shall be given the opportunity either to continue in the search or to withdraw. The names and resumes/curriculum vitae of candidates who withdraw shall be kept confidential. All requests for the names of candidates for University employment shall be referred to the Public Information and Community Relations Office. Under all circumstances, letters of reference, the deliberations of the search committee, and other similar evaluative materials shall be kept confidential with respect to all candidates.
Faculty are considered professionals and are therefore exempt from the FLSA. Exempt positions require a search committee. All University employees are requested to participate as members of search committees from time to time. Participation on search committees is a vital component of duties and responsibilities for each University position and is considered to contribute to the good of the University community. The hiring authority shall recommend employees to serve on a search committee. All proposed committees shall be reviewed for approval by the appropriate Vice President and the AA/EEO Officer. Each committee shall have a minimum of three members. An attempt will be made to include members of minority groups, women, or under-represented groups, and members from the department involved in the search. Community or student members may also be included on
Page 2
search committees as appropriate. Persons holding the following positions are exempt from participation in search committees: Director of Human Resources, Internal Auditor, and the AA/EEO Officer.
To start the recruitment process, the hiring supervisor contacts Human Resources for an Employment Packet. The packet will contain the following forms where applicable: ERF; Interview Reimbursement Form; Interview Request Form; Contract Request Form; Checklist; Budget Revision Form; instructions on how to proceed with a list of recommended search committee members and any other applicable information. If established questions need updating or are nonexistent, the search committee should work with the hiring supervisor in creating new questions to be submitted for approval with the packet. Any changes to the recommended search committee list will be communicated in writing to HR by the AA/EEO Officer for inclusion in the job file.
Upon receipt of the employment packet, Human Resources will work with the hiring authority to prepare a draft copy of the advertisement and forward it with all support documentation to the AA/EEO Officer, department chair, the Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs, Grants Accountant when applicable, and the Vice President of Business Affairs for approval. The vacancy announcement will identify the job, salary range, faculty classification (e.g. Lecturer, instructor, professional rank, tenure track or non-tenure track, etc.), minimum educational and experience qualifications, application deadlines, and lists of required information to be included with the candidate’s application, and how candidates may receive additional information related to the position. Positions will be posted for a minimum of six (6) working days. Each announcement will include a statement of the University’s commitment to equal employment opportunity. Positions may be advertised as anticipated vacancies if there is uncertainty about funding. The hiring authority will review all recommended changes and forward to the appropriate Vice President of Academic Affairs (Provost & VPAA) for final approval. Advertisements containing extensive changes will be re-routed for final review. The Director of Human Resources, the AA/EEO Officer, the department chair, and the Provost & VPAA shall determine the manner in which the position shall be advertised which may include advertising on a local, statewide and national basis. The manner of advertising should be sufficient to generate an adequate pool of qualified candidates and also to recruit members of minority groups, women, or under-represented groups for the department seeking to fill the vacancy. Internal and external advertising may occur simultaneously. Packets will be processed in the order received. HR will be responsible for maintaining the job file, monitoring the progress of the hiring process for timeliness, and reporting to the President weekly on the status of each vacancy.
The AA/EEO Officer will be responsible for contacting the search committee members and the department chair to arrange a mutually convenient time for orientation. The AA/EEO Officer will address the search committee on EEO and Affirmative Action policies and the laws.
A faculty search committee to screen applications and interview prospective candidates shall be established by the department chair in consultation with faculty in the department and related fields. The department chair will submit a memo listing the search committee members which shall be approved by the Provost & VPAA and the AA/EEO Officer. The search committee shall normally have three to five members, and it should consist of faculty members of the department filling the vacancy. Faculty members from other departments may be invited to serve on the committee. An attempt should be made to include members of minority and other underrepresented groups or women from the department involved in the search. Community or student members may also be included on search committees as appropriate. Final approval of the search committee should occur at least four weeks prior to the date for the proposed review of applications.
The Department of Human Resources shall prescreen all applications received by the application deadline to assure that applications are complete and meet the minimum job qualifications. The AA/EEO Officer shall provide the search committee with relevant information as to the University’s commitment to diversity as expressed in the WNMU Affirmative Action Plan. HR will address the committee chair on the hiring process.
The committee will develop standard questions for the interview process prior to the proposed candidate review date. They will be forwarded to AA/EEO for approval.
Page 3
Prior to selecting a group of finalists for an on-site interview the search committee will:
1) meet with the AA/EEO Officer and Human Resources Director for orientation,
2) prepare standard questions for the telephone and/or on-site interview process,
3) prepare and complete a qualifications grid on each candidate,
4) prepare and complete reference questions on each candidate,
5) complete the interview request form with Provost & VPAA approval and submit to HR (identify desired dates for candidate visits)
Departments may not test individuals unless the test has been validated as required by 41 Code of Federal Regulation #60-03 (i.e. content validity). Testing is defined as any verbal or pen and paper tests, such as composition or writing, and skill tests, such as typing or word processing. Departments may administer other test(s) only if validated and notice of intent to test including a copy of the test is filed in advance with the Department of Human Resources. Exceptions to this policy are confidential national standardized tests such as those used by a Police Department.
HR will notify the search committee chairperson when the applications are ready to be reviewed. Once the search committee has determined via the qualifications grid which candidates will be interviewed (usually three to five). The hiring supervisor and the Provost & VPAA may review the applications prior to submitting the approved Interview Request Form and the scheduling of the interviews. At the department’s discretion, the department or the Director of Human Resources may coordinate the interview schedule. The Department of Human Resources will be available to assist in this process and will handle travel arrangements. Should they wish HR to coordinate the interviews they should notify HR by using the Interview Request Form (which requires the hiring supervisor and the Provost & VPAA approvals) supplied to them in the interview packet. HR will then arrange the interviews with all involved parties. The on-site interview process may include additional steps such as an interview with the Department Chair, department members, Dean, Provost & VPAA, University President, a teaching or research demonstration, a campus tour, an open forum in which interested faculty, students, staff or community members may meet the candidates, or other activities deemed by the Search Committee or Provost & VPAA to be appropriate to the position being filled. HR will be given at least one week to schedule interviews with local candidates; two weeks for candidates that are not local. HR will then arrange the interviews with all involved parties. HR will distribute copies of the interview schedule to all interview entities. One copy will be sent to the search committee chair. The chairperson will be responsible for sharing the information with other members of the committee. Telephone interviews will be conducted when it is deemed necessary by the search committee and in agreement with the candidate (if offered to one candidate then it will be offered to all candidates).
The search committee shall collectively interview those finalists who accept an invitation for an on-site interview. If further reference checks are deemed necessary, the search committee shall arrange to obtain such information and will be responsible for creating additional questions that must be approved by the AA/EEO Officer.
An exit interview will be conducted with each interviewee by the AA/EEO Officer. When the AA/EEO Officer is not available, exit interviews will take place with a designee. In the rare event that both of the above mentioned persons are unavailable, the candidate will be given an Exit Interview Form by the Director of HR to be mailed to the AA/EEO Officer.
Regular full-time employees are granted reasonable time off with pay to attend open forums or search committee activities which have been scheduled during their regular work hours by the Department of Human Resources. Employees should notify their supervisors in advance of such interviews. If the needs of the department are such that time off cannot be granted at the time of the scheduled interview, the applicant’s supervisor should notify the Department of Human Resources to allow for other arrangements to be made.
Page 4
After the interview is completed, the search committee shall identify in writing to the department chair the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates and identify any they consider unacceptable and the reasons for that decision. A copy of the strengths and weaknesses should be sent to the AA/EEO Officer and the appropriate Vice President. Comments must be job-related and specific to the qualifications of the candidate compared to those required for the position. The candidates should not be ranked. The document should also contain the name of the person they are recommending for hire. If the department chair does not agree with the Committee’s recommendation, both parties will provide the Provost & VPAA with statements of explanation for their particular recommendation. All materials should be given to Human Resources upon completion. The department chair can request to review interview notes, application materials, reference check information, and select the candidate that best matches the department’s needs. The department chair should submit his/her recommendation for hire to the Provost & VPAA and return all materials to HR once the candidate has accepted the position. After an offer has been extended and accepted HR is responsible for contacting all unsuccessful candidates for the position in writing.
The Provost & VPAA, after consultation with the Department Chair shall select one of the finalists for hiring.
The Provost & VPAA, prior to this recommendation, may conduct further reference checks. If the Provost & VPAA disagrees with the Committee’s and/or Department Chair’s recommendation, he/she shall meet with the Committee/Department Chair to discuss the decision. The final authority for making hiring decisions shall at all times reside with the Provost & VPAA or his/her designee. Due to cost considerations, a new search is not required if the candidate does not accept the position or if the candidate withdraws after acceptance. Rather, the hiring supervisor may make a hiring recommendation from the pool of candidates from the original search.
All offers shall be made by the Provost & VPAA or his/her designee. The Department Chair may be authorized to make the verbal offer after conferring with the Provost & VPAA. Notification of the job offer shall be submitted to the Department of Human Resources. The official written offer to which the candidate is requested to respond (verbal or written) within five (5) working days of receipt will be sent from the Department of Academic Affairs.
Upon receipt of an accepted offer, a Contract Request Form is to be completed by the Provost & VPAA or his/her designee and sent to Human Resources. The Human Resources Department will be responsible for generating the contract and routing the request and completed contract for all required approvals prior to the employee’s start date. No employee is to work without a signed contract. Verification of employability in the United States will be handled by the Department of Human Resources by completion of the I-9 Form. Employee’s not able to supply the proper documentation within three (3) working days will not be permitted to work. Human Resources will contact the Provost & VPAA if the employee has failed to supply the necessary documents.
New Employee Orientation
On the first day of employment or as soon thereafter as can arranged by the Department of Human Resources, each new employee participates in the New Employee Orientation program. The employee will be notified by the Provost & VPAA when to attend New Faculty Orientation. The Department of Human Resources advises the Provost & VPAA of the date the new employee is scheduled for Benefits Orientation. The hiring supervisor in turn notifies the new employee and provides time off to participate in the orientation program. As part of the Benefits Orientation process, each new employee is briefed on certain University policies, completes benefit election forms, is given a job description and staff handbook, and is afforded the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session regarding policies and benefits. A list of attendees will be forwarded to the AA/EEO Officer for completion of safety and anti-harassment training of the new employees. Copies of all benefit forms will be forwarded to the Payroll Office.
Approved By: Policy Committee
Date: July 16, 2002