Faculty Search Guidelines

Faculty Hiring Process:

1. Faculty search committee composition:
   1. 1. The committee shall be comprised of a total of five individuals.
      2. Three to four faculty members or professional staff from the school/program area and one to two faculty or professional staff from outside of the school/program area.
      3. Chair and Vice Chair will be identified. These two leadership positions will be elected from among the committee members as described below. The Vice Chair position was created to support the Chair as a training and mentoring opportunity for junior faculty who would like to serve as a committee Chair on future searches.
   2. Selection of committee members:
      1. The dean will send out an initial call to the school/program area.
         1. Faculty within the school/program will be selected on a volunteer basis. If no faculty member within the school/program volunteers, HR will send out a call for volunteers.
         2. If there are more than four faculty members from the school/program who offer to serve, an anonymous vote will be conducted. The following considerations shall be taken into account when voting:
            1. If possible, it is recommended that program area faculty be given preference.
            2. It is recommended that the search committee tries to find a balance between experienced and junior faculty members.
            3. It is recommended that the search committee be comprised of diverse representatives.
         3. If a member needs to be replaced, then the committee will follow the process above to elect a replacement as time allows.
      2. To make the selection of the one or two outside faculty or professional staff members that will serve on the committee, the school or program search committee members will make recommendation/s to the Hiring Manager.
         1. The Hiring Manager will contact the potential committee member, and if necessary, the person’s supervisor.
   3. Selection of the Chair and Vice Chair:
      1. The chair will be selected by the committee at the initial meeting convened by the Hiring Manager.
         1. The Chair and Vice Chair positions will be selected through self-nomination and majority vote of the search committee.
         2. If a volunteer does not come forward for either the Chair or Vice Chair position, or the committee does not agree on a Chair or Vice Chair, the Hiring Manager will appoint the Chair and/or Vice Chair.
   4. Requirements for serving as a committee member:
      1. Committee members must have at least one year of employment at SUNY Delhi when possible.
      2. Committee members must complete the HR Search Committee Training prior to commencing with any activities related to the search (other than the initial charge).
   5. Requirements for serving as a committee Chair or Vice Chair:
      1. Committee members who serve as a Chair or Vice Chair of the faculty search committee must first complete the HR Search Committee Training and Search Committee Chair Training.
      2. Vice Chair of the faculty search committee must have served on a previous faculty search when possible.
      3. Chair must have served as a Chair or Vice Chair in a previous faculty search when possible.

   Roles and Duties for the Hiring Manager, Committee Chair, and Committee Members:

   1. Roles and duties for the Hiring Manager:
      1. Be available to support and answer questions related to the search from the search committee and/or HR.
      2. Submit the Interview Exchange requisition and any additional documentation that may be required.
      3. Create the job description, which will be reviewed by the program faculty and the search committee.
      4. Put out the call for committee members, following the guidelines for determining how committee members are selected.
      5. Coordinate the charge meeting where the following topics will be discussed:
         1. The job description
         2. The potential timeline and process for the search
         3. The qualifications and skills that the candidate should possess for the position.
      6. Meet with all candidates who have been invited to on campus interviews.
         1. Develop uniform questions or topics for their individual meetings with all final candidates.
         2. Distribute the benefits packet and disclose salary information to candidates who have been selected for an on-campus interview.
      7. Upon receiving documentation from the hiring committee outlining the strengths of each candidate, the Hiring Manager will:
         1. Determine the candidate that will be offered the position.
         2. Meet with the search Chair and provide a rationale for their decision.
         3. Contact references for the candidate selected for the position.
         4. Fill out the hire justification form and wait for approval from HR.
         5. Once a candidate has accepted the position or the search has failed, the Hiring Manager will notify the search Chair and HR.
   2. Roles and duties for the committee Chair:
      1. Act as the liaison between the search committee, hiring manager, HR, and Chief Diversity Officer.
      2. Submit the evaluation matrix and interview questions for review and approval to HR and the Chief Diversity Officer.
      3. Ensure that the committee recruits for diversity in collaboration with HR and the Chief Diversity Officer.
         1. Ensure that the committee has robust and consistent discussion with candidates and finalists throughout the search process.
         2. Ensure that confidentiality and affirmative action standards are adhered to.
      4. Submit the candidate interview schedule to HR.
      5. Coordinate the schedule for candidates who have been selected for an on-campus interview.
      6. Create surveys for campus input/feedback.
      7. After the on-campus interviews and final committee meeting, provide the list of strengths to the Hiring Manager based on their assessment via interviews as well as campus feedback. Candidates shall be listed alphabetically.
      8. Collect documentation (notes, reflections, etc.) from committee members and turn them into HR.
   3. Roles and duties for the Vice Chair:
      1. Assist the Chair with ensuring that the committee recruits for diversity in collaboration with HR and the Chief Diversity Officer.
      2. Schedule search committee meetings with the search committee, Hiring Manager, and Provost throughout the search process (e.g. checking availability of committee members and others, sending calendar invites, etc.). Every effort should be made to accommodate search committee members' schedules.
      3. Assist the Chair with coordinating the schedule for candidates who have been selected for an on-campus interview, reserve rooms and technology as needed for the search committee and interviews.
      4. Assist the Chair with synthesizing the matrix data from the committee members and share out the summarized data with the search committee.
      5. Move applicants in Interview Exchange to the properly designated folders throughout each phase of the interview process.
   4. Roles and Duties for committee members:
      1. Ensure that the committee recruits for diversity.
         1. Identify the most qualified candidates and ensures that the committee has robust and consistent discussion with candidates and finalists throughout the search process.
      2. Adhere to confidentiality and affirmative action standards. Identify potential listservs, websites, and professional associations for targeted outreach.
      3. Attend and participate in all meetings and other search related activities.
      4. Assist the Chair in developing the search timeline, documenting the search process along the way.
      5. Document findings throughout the process and submit those documents (notes, reflections, etc.) to the Chair at the end of the search.

   Process and Timeline for Searches:   

   1. Determine how decisions are made within the committee;
      1. Establish what decisions should be made by majority vote (who is selected for on-campus/final interview)
      2. Establish what decisions could be made by the Chair (decision made in the interest of time)
   2. Include guidelines on how diversity of pool will be established in collaboration with HR and the Chief Diversity Officer.
   3. Ensure diverse pool of applicants by forwarding a list of applicants chosen for Zoom interviews to the Chief Diversity Officer and HR. The Chief Diversity Officer and HR will look at the confidential information provided by the applicants to ensure that there is a diverse pool of applicants. The Chief Diversity Officer or HR may go back to the committee to ask questions or recommend additional individuals to be added to the initial interview pool.
   4. Procedure for a failed search:
      1. The Hiring Manager Informs HR if the search is deemed failed.
      2. If Zoom or in person interviews have been conducted the Hiring Manager informs the candidates that they were not selected.
      3. HR will notify candidates who are not selected for either a Zoom or in person interview.
      4. The Hiring Manager decides whether the posting will stay open, be edited, or closed out.
      5. If a posting stays open or is edited the committee will reconvene when there is an adequate pool. If a posting has been closed, the Hiring Manager will convene a new committee if the posting is open at a later date.
   5. Propose best practices:
      1. Establish timelines to guide the search process (e.g. search committee timeline and candidate timeline).
      2. Clarify SUNY Delhi’s geographical location for candidates.
      3. Remind the candidate to stop at University Police for a parking pass.
      4. Utilize spaces for meetings and interviews that support online video interviews and in-person interviews.
      5. Maintain confidentiality during and after the search process (candidate names and qualifications prior to being disclosed to the campus, committee deliberations, etc.).
      6. Reach out to HR and the Chief Diversity Officer with any questions or concerns about ensuring a diverse pool.
      7. Search committee members shall know their specific role and be able to prioritize the search process.
      8. Encourage junior faculty and staff to participate on search committees and take on leadership roles.
      9. Hire someone who is ready, can do the job, and is able to be mentored.

   Approved by College Senate 5/20/2024