Faculty Recruitment Policies and Practices Committee

Other Libraries' policies

Following are statements found in other libraries' recruitment and hiring policies. Do any of these seem like policies we should adopt for the Smathers Libraries?
Please join us at the Town Meeting on Thursday, Feb 28 from 1-2:30 in Smathers 1A to discuss these options.

Search Committee composition

1. the committee and its chair should have the following minimum composition:
   1. Supervisor of the vacant position or his/her designee
   2. Representative from the functional area where the vacancy occurs
   3. Representative from another functional area in the Libraries
   4. An at-large member whose representation has some application to the vacant position
   5. AUL for Human Resources
2. Search committee selected from among tenured faculty, or if necessary, untenured faculty with 3 or more years’ experience; Chair must be tenured;
3. The Search Committee Chair should be the hiring manager.
4. To document fair and equitable participation of all faculty members in search committees, the Committee on Faculty Benefits, Privileges, and Responsibilities maintains an archive of search committee membership. The Director consults this list when appointing committee members.
5. The position supervisor and the Human Resources manager, who also serves as the Affirmative Action Advocate, are non-voting ex-officio committee members. Each serves to provide factual information, clarifying position needs or requirements.
6. Persons accepting appointment to the search committee automatically disqualify themselves as candidates and as references for candidates of the position.
7. The chairperson is the liaison between the committee and the department head, division director, or dean.
8. The committee chairperson must hold a position at the same or higher level than the vacant position
9. If possible, the chair should be a faculty member from the appropriate division. For assistant librarian positions, the committee chair is usually the head of the unit served.

Advertising/Diversity

1. Maintaining ongoing professional contacts with colleagues at other institutions to solicit nominations of well-qualified women and minority applicants
2. Personally inviting women and racial/ethnic minorities to apply for position openings
3. Identifying women and racial/ethnic minorities in highly specialized fields and inviting them to recruit other women and minorities

Sunshine/Shade

1. The application materials (resume, cover letter, etc.) are considered sensitive and are not to be shared or distributed with anyone outside of the Search Committee or others involved in small group or individual interviews.
2. Public file. For interested library staff, a separate public access file is created that contains copies of each applicant's vita and cover letter. Browsing this file must be done in the LHRO.
3. Proceedings and deliberations of search committees are confidential.

Interviewing

1. The interview schedule should include meetings with the following persons/groups:
2. LHRO Serves as applicants' contact
3. Internal candidates should elect to absent themselves from interviews with the other candidates.
4. Arrange initial and debriefing interviews with Search Committee members*
5. Ask one or two questions that will help you determine the interviewee’s contribution to campus climate, department culture or student welfare. For example, you may ask, “What are your philosophy and life experiences in regards to the importance of diversity in learning, research and society?” or “How do you foster multicultural skills among your students and colleagues?”*

Feedback

1. Any individual or formal group interacting with the candidate should submit a written report to the chair of the screening/search committee by a predetermined date.
2. After all interviews have been conducted, the search committee provides evaluations of candidates to appropriate levels and the search committee chair will poll the faculty for their vote/comments.
3. (U, not libs) - Top candidates do not have to be submitted in any ranked order unless so requested by the Department Head or Director.
4. A ranked list is preferable when supported by the candidates' qualifications and the interview experience.
5. As part of the interview schedule, a subcommittee of AP&T interviews candidates for appointment and advises the Director of Libraries on its assessment of the candidate's potential to attain tenure and advance through the ranks, with a recommendation for rank at appointment based on the criteria. In this regard, consideration is given to the candidate's potential for achievement in librarianship, scholarship, and service in support of the Libraries' mission. The AP&T Committee will also advise the Director of Libraries in cases where credit toward tenure may be appropriate.
6. The dean may request that the relevant library faculty personnel committee convene to vote on a recommendation of the initial rank and tenure status most appropriate for the candidate.
7. [Hiring Authority] Informs the search committee chair of the result of the negotiations; the chair in turn informs the search committee

Decision

1. If rejecting the recommended candidate, the dean explains his or her reasons for doing so to the parties involved.
2. If the administrator disagrees with the recommendation of the screening/search committee, he/she will meet with the committee before taking any action.
3. In accordance with the Libraries' Pattern of Administration, if a candidate not recommended by the committee is selected for the position, the Director and/or Assistant Director consult(s) with the committee to convey the reason(s) for the decision prior to the offer being made.
4. If the appointment is offered with tenure, the Promotion & Tenure Committee is consulted.

 

New at UF (Faculty Recruitment Toolkit)

• “…this Toolkit does not constitute a University regulation, policy or procedure in itself and searches that do not adhere in any particular way to this Toolkit are not, for that reason, invalid or improper searches.”
• As of fall 2007, certificates indicating completion of a University sponsored recruitment tutorial or workshop is required of all Search Committee members upon appointment and prior to participating in a search, if recruitment workshop information has not previously been obtained or the certificate indicating completion is no longer in effect. (Page 7)

Government in the Sunshine (UF)

• The Search Committee must post notices of meetings within a reasonable period before gathering (three to seven days is a good guide, if possible), conduct an open meeting and create and maintain basic minutes promptly. (Page 8)
• All written documents made or received by the Search Committee are public (with few exceptions). (Page 8)
• Other than to arrange meetings, and similar matters that are not part of the decision-making process, you should not discuss, including via e-mail, anything in regards to the search with other Committee members outside of Committee meetings. (Page 8)
• Search Committees are required to retain minutes of their meetings. The minutes should record the date, the names of Committee members and invited guests present and topics discussed. (Page 14)
• Post a public announcement of any interview involving more than one Committee member; (Read to include telephone interviews) (page 24)
• Identify guests attending the interview in accordance with Florida’s Open Meetings Law and state whether they will have an opportunity to ask questions at the Search Committee’s discretion, although such opportunity is not required and is not recommended for all circumstances; (page 28)

Search Committee and Hiring Authority

• The hiring authority and / or chair of the department should not serve as chair or as a member of the Search Committee in order for the Committee to serve best in an advisory role.
• The Search Committee works closely with the department’s hiring authority throughout the search process. (Page 13) There should be ongoing conversations and updates shared between the hiring authority and the Committee. (Page 14) (Presumably covered by the Sunshine)
• Search Committees function as advisory to the hiring authority by recommending one or more individuals for a position. … This may be done orally or in writing as determined appropriate by the hiring authority. (Page 14) You should remain prudent in your commentary and rely primarily on the Search Committee Chair’s oral report to the hiring authority to clarify or expand upon agreed assessments. (Page 29)
• Recommendations for hiring consideration should be submitted with candidates unranked. Using the means and format requested by the hiring authority, highlight each candidate’s strengths, weaknesses and likely contributions to institutional goals, students and the department. (Page 29)
• Ultimately, it is the hiring authority alone who decides suitability for hiring. (Page 23)
• All candidates who are under the hiring authority’s consideration should meet minimum and additional hiring criteria as agreed among Search Committee members. This does not foreclose the hiring authority from deciding to not hire any of the candidates and to continue the search. (Page 29)

Contact any committee member with feedback!

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Last updated February 26, 2008 - db