Faculty Recruitment
A common approach to recruiting faculty is for search committees to post their advertisement and wait for candidates to apply. However, a new faculty hire is one of the most critical investments we make in our department and university’s future, and this approach often does not lead to a robust and inclusive pool of candidates. To ensure a representative pool of talented candidates, search committees must proactively recruit the best candidates to apply for the position.
Faculty Recruitment & Hiring Workshop
In order to improve the quality and representation of candidate pools, all members of each hiring committee must view a recruitment and hiring workshop offered by Faculty Affairs. The hiring workshop provides research-based strategies and best practices for identifying candidates who will help us advance our strategic priorities.
Register for the EDGE training HERE.
Guidance for Search Committees for Faculty Searches
These guidelines are designed to serve as an organizing tool for faculty search committees as they move through the process of faculty recruitment and hiring. This document is organized into sections for each stage of recruitment and hiring. Specific actions and responsibilities are identified for the following individuals: dean or department head, the search chair, and/or entire search committee. The guidelines have been constructed with resources from the Offices of Faculty Affairs and policy guidance from Human Resources. This tool has been created with a specific focus on improving inclusion, rigor, fairness and reducing bias in recruitment and hiring.
Access the Faculty Search Committee Guidelines.
Guidance for Search Committees for Selection and Review of Academic Administrators and Academic Vice Presidents
According to the Shared Governance Memorandum of Understanding, faculty and administration will collaborate in the recruitment, selection, and review of academic administrators. Search and review committees are responsible for ensuring a process of open faculty and appropriate elected faculty body input. The search and review committee composition must be as follows (see p.8 of MOU):
Search and review committees must be comprised of half or more faculty, of which at least half are recommended by their elected faculty peers. Selection of faculty to serve on these committees shall be determined through procedures decided by the faculty of the respective unit. Elected faculty (e.g., Faculty Senators and/or College Advisory Council members) should have a direct role in this process, either serving as members of the committee, or as nominators of their colleagues to the committee (either through direct election or via otherwise generating a short-list to be shared to the hiring administrator). The remaining 50% of the faculty on the committee may be appointed by the supervising administrator, as is the rest of the committee members.
Committee composition should reflect individuals from diverse backgrounds who represent the breadth of faculty within the unit (i.e., inclusive of tenure-track, career-track, and continuing status track, as well as assistant, associate, and full rank) as well as relevant disciplinary expertise.
For more support, contact Andrea Romero, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at romeroa@arizona.edu.
Strategies for Faculty Searches
1.) Complete Search Committee Training for all Committee Members Confirmed on Recruitment Plan form Submitted with Job Requisition
2.) Establish Proactive Recruitment for Robust, Inclusive Pool of Candidates
3.) Utilize Best Practices for Reviewing Candidates Includes Criteria Matrix and Review Matrix
4.) Increase Fair Review and Minimize Bias in Reviews and Discussion
5.) Utilize Consistent Questions for all Reference Checks
6.) Include Standard Interview Questions for Zoom/Phone Interviews
7.) Organize On Campus Interviews that Promote Inclusion and Prioritize Recruitment
8.) Utilize Standard Evaluation Tool for Feedback from Stakeholders to Committee
9.) Submit Strengths and Weaknesses of Finalists Provided to Hiring Authority
10.) Submit all Search Materials to Committee Chair