Search Procedures and Hiring Practices

Upon obtaining approval from the Dean of Arts & Sciences to conduct a search for new Faculty, the Department will take the following steps:

1. The Department Chairperson will appoint the members of the Search Committee (including Regional faculty) and designate one member as chairperson of the Committee. The Department Chairperson will serve as a member ex officio of the Search Committee, and the Committee chairperson will invite the Department Chairperson to all meetings of the Committee.
2. The Search committee, in consultation with the Department Chairperson, will draft a job advertisement and establish a tentative application deadline. When funding and scheduling pem1it, the deadline for applications  should be sent early enough to permit interviews at AHA annual meeting in January.
3.  The Department Chairperson and the Search committee will meet with the Dean of Arts & Sciences, or his/her representative, to discuss hiring priorities and affirmative action mandates in force in the College.
4. After consultation with the Dean, the chairperson of the Search Committee will forward the job advertisement to the University Affirmative Action Office and  other appropriate University offices for final approval.
5. Once approval is granted for the job description, the chairperson of the Search Committee will forward that advertisement to the relevant periodicals, including those venues for attracting underrepresented minority applicants, and post the advertisement on H-Net.
6. On receipt of each application, the chairperson of the Search Committee will send a letter to each candidate confirming receipt of all applications. The Departmental Secretary will  process each file and add the candidate's name to a master list of all applicants.
7. At the application deadline, the Search Committee members will consider all the appropriate files and meet to compile a list of probable finalists for preliminary interviews. This short list  will narrow  the applicant pool down to approximately one dozen candidates.
8. After conducting the preliminary interviews of the probable finalists, the Search Committee will meet to determine a list of top  candidates (ranked  or unranked, total number at the discretion of the Search Committee) to submit to the Department.
9. The Department Chairperson will convene a meeting of the Faculty to consider the short list of candidates, all of whom have been interviewed in person or over the telephone. The Search Committee will present its list of the top candidates; the faculty will consider that list and any other applicant deemed worthy of consideration. A vote of the Department will determine the final list of candidates to bring to campus.
10. The chairperson of the Search Committee will notify the finalists of the Department's intent to bring them to campus for interview.
11. In preparation for on-campus interviews the Search Committee chairperson will assist the candidate in making travel and accommodations reservations, and will inform candidates of the lecture topic for the teaching portion of their interview.
12. The department Chairperson will convene a meeting of the Faculty to deliberate and select a candidate. Faculty will rank the candidates in order of preference, with first choice earning 1 point, second choice earning 2 points, and so on. The rank ordered lists will be tallied to achieve a numerical total, and the candidate with the lowest total score will be declared the Department's first choice, the candidate with the second lowest total score will be declared the Department's second choice, and so on and passed on to the Chair as the recommended candidate.
13. The Department Chairperson then communicates the selection (and the points ranking) and her/his recommendation to the Dean of Arts & Sciences.