P-015 Affirmative Recruitment & Appointment of Probationary or FT Faculty Members

Code: P-015
Date: July 13, 1983
Approved: Robert L. Carothers
Revised: December 2002
Approved: David C. Danahar

Southwest Minnesota State University

Policy and Procedure

Affirmative Recruitment and Appointment of Probationary or Fixed-Term Faculty Members (IFO Bargaining Unit)

“Experience under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act indicates that the selection process—whether consciously and unconsciously—is probably responsible for more discrimination than any other area of employment practices. A careful review and evaluation of every step of this process is necessary to assure that job requirements, hiring standards, and methods of selection and placement do not discriminate, but instead contribute toward affirmative action goals.”

p. 35, Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Guidebook for Employers, vol. 1, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1974

Preparation of Position Description
1. The department chairperson shall meet with the appropriate dean to discuss the following:
  1. The writing of position descriptions to ensure that they are free of potential illegal discrimination and clearly reflect the affirmative action requirements of the university. Careful consideration should be given to the drafting of the position description. Once it has been approved by the Affirmative Action Officer and has been published, it becomes a legal and binding document.
  2. The goals of the department related to affirmative action.
  3. The procedures for an affirmative action recruitment process including special activities and advertising contemplated by the department in its search.
2. The department or department chairperson shall develop a proposed position description. The description should include the following:
  1. Qualifications: State both required (minimum) and preferred academic qualifications and experience. Affirmative action guidelines instruct recruitment committees to consider a wide variety of qualifications and experience as useful and valid, since tradition academic background has frequently been difficult for women and minorities to acquire. This will require careful phrasing and language. Any special qualifications or skills required should be stated, and should be based upon a rationale which clearly relates them to potential job performance.
  2. Job Description: The general responsibilities and duties to be assigned to the position (such as teaching specific classes, serving on committees, advising, etc.) should be as clear and complete as possible, yet concise. If options exist in duties to be assigned, be sure to clarify.
  3. Rank
  4. Beginning Application Review Date
  5. Appointment Date
3. The description shall be submitted to the Dean, who will review it and suggest changes, if necessary.
Plans for Advertising
1. The department or department chairperson shall develop a list of publications, professional organizations, college and university placement offices, graduate schools, and other appropriate sources to which the vacancy notice will be sent. Other sources might be selected from suggestions by the Dean and/or Affirmative Action Officer.
2. All advertising will be coordinated through the Human Resources Office.
3. Printing schedules of publications should be carefully checked to ensure that the notice will appear well before the deadline for application.
Selection of the Screening Committee

The department shall establish a screening committee and select a committee chairperson. The screening committee membership should include representative members of the department, one faculty member from another department, and a student. Membership on committees shall include representatives of women and minorities whenever possible.
Approval Process for Position Description, Advertising List and Committee Membership
1. The department chairperson shall complete the Hiring Authorization and forward it to the appropriate Dean for approval.
2. The Dean shall review and approve the Faculty/Unclassified Hiring Authorization Form to and forward it to the Provost who shall approve and forward it to the Vice President for Finance and Administration who shall approve and forward it to the President who shall approve and forward it the Affirmative Action Officer (or designee). The Affirmative Action Officer shall prepare the advertisement and vacancy notice and forward the vacancy notice the department chairperson.
3. If any of the above individuals have questions or suggested changes, they will discuss them with the department chairperson before giving approval.
4. The Dean shall help expedite the approval process.
Advertising
1. The Human Resources Office is responsible for preparing the standard faculty vacancy notice form and for distributing the vacancy notice to the list of publications, professional organizations, college and university placement offices, graduate schools and other sources chosen by the department. Postage costs will be paid by the Human Resource Office.
2. For paid advertisements, the Human Resources office shall prepare the necessary IRF for each ad and will place the ads.
3. The Human Resources Office is responsible for sending the vacancy notice throughout the MnSCU System, for posting the vacancy notice locally, and for sending it to CAMPUS NEWS.
4. Other types of advertising that may be utilized include the following:
  1. Personal contacts to potential qualified candidates from under-represented groups
  2. Personal professional contacts
  3. Posting of notices at local, regional, and national conventions
5. Records must be kept of all personal contacts for affirmative action records
Screening Committee Procedures
1. Immediately after the composition of the screening committee has been approved, the committee chairperson shall call a meeting of the committee.
2. The committee chairperson will notify the Affirmative Action Officer (or designee) of the first meeting, giving adequate notice, preferably at least a week.
3. At the first meeting the Affirmative Action Officer (or designee) will do the following:
  1. Review the philosophy of affirmative action
  2. Review the guidelines for the search and interview process
  3. Discuss the writing of an evaluation/screening form and interview questions
  4. Discuss the role and responsibilities of screening committee members
4. After the meeting with the Affirmative Action Officer (or designee), the committee shall develop the following:
  1. An evaluation/screening form that will be used in identifying semi-finalists and ranking in general. This form must be based on the qualifications specified in the position description. Copies of the completed rating sheets must be kept for affirmative action records.
  2. A list of interview topics that will be used as a guide during interviews in order to ensure uniform and fair treatment of all interviewees. The topics must relate closely to the position description. They must be job-related, not personal. The sheet on the Objective Interview provided by the Affirmative Action Officer at the first committee meeting is a useful guide to the content and structure of interviews.
5. Copies of the evaluation/screening form and interview questions are to be submitted to the Affirmative Action Officer (or designee) for approval before the application deadline for the vacancy and before being used to evaluate applicants.
Handling of Application Papers and Interviews
1. When initial letters of inquiry and/or resumes are received, the Human Resources Office will acknowledge receipt of the letter of inquiry or application and will send the applicant a copy of the Southwest State University “Professional Application Form” and the “Supplemental Personnel Data for Affirmative Action Recruitment” form. The applicant will be requested to supply the following:
  1. The completed SMSU Professional Application Form
  2. The SMSU Supplemental Personnel Data Form (voluntary)
  3. Official Transcripts
  4. Name, address and phone number of three references
2. Copies or records of all communications with the candidates and/or references should be kept by the Human Resources Office.
3. The screening committee shall evaluate candidates using the approved evaluation/screening form developed by the committee.
  1. An initial screening may be done by the committee to identify and eliminate applications that clearly do not meet the minimum qualifications.
  2. After all the members of the committee have reviewed the applications and completed their evaluation/screening forms, the committee must meet and develop a mutually agreeable list of semi-finalists.
  3. Prior to the search committee conducting telephone interviews and reference checks of the semi-finalists, committee recommendations with supporting documentation are reviewed and approved by the Affirmative Action Officer.
  4. After completion of the telephone interviews and reference checks, all members of the committee must meet and develop a mutually agreeable list of finalists to be invited for a campus interview.
  5. All eliminated candidates should be notified that they are no longer under consideration.
  6. The committee will recommend to the appropriate Dean up to three candidates for campus interviews. The recommendations must be accompanied by written summaries of the committee’s evaluation of each recommended candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. A copy of this shall be sent to the Affirmative Action Officer.
  7. Copies of the completed evaluation/screening forms must be kept for affirmative action records.
4. After the appropriate Dean has accepted the committee’s recommendation, the committee chairperson shall arrange the interviews.
  1. Telephone charges will be paid by the Human Resources Office.
  2. The schedule for each interview shall be developed by the committee chairperson and then approved by the Affirmative Action Officer. Once the schedules are approved, they should be distributed on campus as appropriate.
5. The screening committee shall interview candidates as a committee. It is important that all committee members hear the candidate’s responses and comments at the same time to ensure fair handling of the process, and to ensure that ensuing committee discussions and decisions are based on shared sessions.
Final Recommendations and Hiring
1. When the interviews are completed, the screening committee shall prepare a written statement which summarizes the committee’s evaluation of each candidate interviewed and recommends the candidates in priority order. This shall be submitted to the appropriate Dean.
2. If the Dean or the Provost disagrees with the recommendation of the committee, they shall meet with the committee, giving the reasons for their disagreement.
3. The committee chairperson must also provide an oral summary of the interview and screening processes to the Affirmative Action Officer.
4. If the Affirmative Action Officer in consultation with the Provost determines that the process has been inadequate, the Provost may then determine the appropriate remedial course of action.
5. Following the oral report from the chairperson, the appropriate Dean will offer the position to the preferred candidate. No offers may be made by the committee.
6. Once the offer has been made and accepted, the screening committee chairperson or the department chairperson should do the following:
  1. Request completion of a roster for the new faculty member by the Dean’s Office.
  2. Arrange for an office, computer, and telephone for the new faculty member.
  3. Inform Human Resources to notify all unsuccessful candidates not previously notified.
Final Report

A final report on the recruitment, evaluation, and selection process shall be prepared by the screening committee chairperson and submitted to the Affirmative Action Officer within 30 days of the acceptance of the position by the appointee, or immediately after a decision to cancel the search. This affirmative action report will include the following:
1. Cover memo listing documents being submitted, a chronological listing of committee decisions (or minutes from committee meetings) and description of method used to reach decisions with results of decisions.
2. Summary of recruitment activities with copy of paid and unpaid advertising, letters, mailing lists, etc.
3. Copy of evaluations materials – application review evaluation forms, reference check questions, telephone interview questions, campus interview questions, interview evaluation forms, etc. These forms are to be reviewed at points during the process. If they are already on file, no need to resubmit, but please make sure they are on file with Human Resources.
4. Committee Membership
5. Vacancy Notice – Should be on file with Human Resources
6. Telephone logs of any calls made to or in-regard-to candidates
7. All documents, notes, files and evaluations of search committee members. Any general campus evaluations should also be submitted as a part of this report
8. Interview schedules of finalists
9. Copies of all final recommendations made by individual or group committee members to Dean, Vice President or President on finalists selection
10. Any other documents related to the search.