Search and Appointment Procedures, Regional Campuses

The Campus Dean and the Vice Provost for Regional Campuses are responsible for identifying the faculty position to be filled.  The Dean, in consultation with the Department Chair and the local Department faculty, determines the specific qualifications and requirements for the position and incorporates them in a Position Request Authorization (PRA), for the approval of the Vice Provost for Regional Campuses.

The Vice Provost for Regional Campuses shall authorize appropriate notices, to appear in Job Opp and appropriate professional journals, stating minimum qualifications, position requirements and responsibilities, application deadlines and materials to be submitted.

The Campus Dean shall appoint a Search Committee and its Chair, typically composed of four faculty from that campus and one representative of the Kent Campus selected by the Department Chair.

The Campus Dean shall convene the Search Committee and present its charge.  At this meeting the Committee will discuss the specific qualifications required of candidates and determine procedures for reviewing applications, including the University’s commitment to affirmative action.  The Committee may also agree on a checklist of characteristics (weighted according to importance) being sought in the candidates.

Once the application deadline has passed, the Chair of the Search Committee will screen the applications to determine whether or not each meets the minimum qualifications for the position.  If necessary, the Committee Chair will consult with the Chair on individual cases.

The Search Committee then will review the eligible applications and draw up a short list of approximately three finalists it recommends to be invited for on-campus interviews.  The Chair will be invited to review the list before it is finalized.  This list then is submitted to the Campus Dean.  (In the case of multiple searches, if a candidate’s name should appear on the short list of more than one Regional Campus search committee, the office of the Vice Provost for the Regional Campuses will coordinate visits to allow for interviews on the interested campuses.)

Prior to the visits, the Search Committee will organize and publicize the itineraries, compose a uniform checklist of generic questions to be asked of each candidate and of key strengths and weaknesses to be noted during interviews.  It will also prepare evaluation sheets for faculty and students to record impressions during teaching demonstrations.

Each candidate’s visit should include the following: a teaching demonstration; separate interviews with the Search Committee, the Campus Dean, the Department Chair, and, if requested, a representative of the Vice Provost for the Regional Campuses; opportunities for informal meetings with faculty of the local campus and campus tours.  When possible, the candidate should make a scholarly presentation at the Kent Campus.  Because these activities involve two campuses, at least two days are generally needed for each visit.

Following the on-campus interviews, the Search Committee shall convene to formulate its report to the Campus Dean.  The Chair shall be invited to this meeting.  The Committee shall submit to the Campus Dean a list of the qualified candidates, ranked in order of preference, with accompanying summaries of each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses.

After consulting with the Department Chair, the Campus Dean shall choose the successful candidate and negotiate with the candidate.  The formal offer of employment shall be made by the Vice provost for Regional Campuses.

Throughout the process, the activities of the Search Committee and of all administrative officers shall be conducted with scrupulous respect for the privacy of all applicants; and, to the extent permitted by Ohio law, rules of strict confidentiality apply to all deliberations and actions involved in the hiring process.

When a candidate has accepted an offer, the Campus Dean shall announce the results of the search to the campus and to the Department Chair, who will publish it in the weekly newsletter.