Search Committee Kick-off Meeting

CALS Senior Associate Dean Discussion Points 

Establish a well-informed and capable search committee 

Committee chairs and CALS members are required to attend “It Depends on the Lens” and “The Interview” training offered by the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity (OFDD).

Develop and submit a search plan and job ad

Develop and submit a search plan and job ad for approval by your Senior Associate Dean and review by the Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion (ADDI). See examples in the CALS Search Process Procedures and review the best practices provided by the OFDD.

Once the search plan is approved, implement the plan and work with Tam Shollenberger (tms6, 5-0253 or 85-0253 via tie line) to advertise.

Secure the best pool of candidates

Contact broadly for potential applicants. Contact letter templates are provided in Appendix C of the search guidelines in the link provided above. One of the earliest actions should be to reach out personally to targeted candidates. Once the complete set of individual contacts have been made, please submit a record of those contacted to the ADDI (include date of contact, how contacted and by whom).

Collecting data on applicants

Discuss as a committee how to use Academic Jobs Online (AJO), how different qualifications will be weighted, and what form your recommendation to the unit will take. 

On the date when review of applications begins, please share the AJO diversity metrics with the ADDI (copy SrAD) for assessment of whether pool diversity has been achieved. As candidates do not always self-identify to AJO, to help refine these data as review of applications proceeds, please augment the diversity metrics if you find that diversity candidates have self-identified in their applications, or have been identified by letter writers.

Record/save data (very briefly is fine) in AJO or unit files regarding why candidates are rejected in case of a future audit.

Zoom/Skype interviews 

Most search committees are choosing to do Zoom or Skype interviews of the top 10-15 candidates. To help us with our ongoing efforts to assess our processes, please share diversity statements of your short list or Zoom group with the ADDI/copy SrAD. 

Following unit review, the unit chair/director requests approval to interview candidates: 

SrAD and ADDI approval will require a summary of why you recommend the particular list of interview candidates and not others from the top group (e.g. other candidates in the top ~10). 

Scheduling visits: Before offering dates to any candidate, confirm your SrAD’s availability for a 30-minute meeting. 

Costs of Search: 

Recruitment Costs are discussed in the “CALS Search Committee Process” document on the SrAD website (Appointment Procedures/Academic Hiring page). CALS will pay for three candidates. Please work with your search administrator.

• CALS Alcohol Policy and Food Expenditure Guidelines

Securing the best candidate:

• Best practice: Use the Candidate Evaluation Tool
• Be aware of dos and don’ts for interview questions.  
• For other suggestions, review OFDD website.
• Be aware of university policy and procedure for dual career support

Making an offer:  

The search committee may make a recommendation to the faculty following interviews, but the final discussion on the interviewees and the decision of who to hire is the purview of the full faculty. Thus, the faculty need to be fully engaged in the interview of candidates and review of their application materials.  

The unit chair/director, with input from the search chair, requests permission to make an offer from the relevant SrAD. Negotiation of the offer details is the purview of the unit chair/director and the SrAD.

• Search Process Procedures