FAC 403. Selection and Employment of New Faculty

As chief administrative officer of the college, the President is authorized to make the final decision on all personnel issues, including the selection and employment of new faculty.

When a faculty vacancy occurs, the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) makes a recommendation to the President as to whether the vacant faculty position should be filled. No faculty position is automatically filled; rather, that position must be justified regarding its continued appropriateness within a liberal arts framework, the continued needs of the college, and the institution’s statement of mission.

To ensure the college’s success in attaining a deep pool of candidates and making the strongest hire possible, this process should be followed:

  1. After the department chair submits an assessment of the institutional need for a new position or a replacement for an existing position, and the administration approves, the President authorizes the CAO to proceed with the search process.
  2. The CAO and the chair of the involved department prepare a position description.
  3. The approved position description is publicized as widely as resources allow.
  4. The CAO calls a search committee called together. The committee selects its chair and establishes a timeline for its work. The search committee generally involves the following constituencies:
  • A representative from the department in which the vacancy occurs—the department chair whenever possible. Departments with three or more members may appoint an additional department member as part of the committee
  • The division chair of the pertinent department or his/her designee
  • An at-large faculty representative from outside the department with the vacancy
  • The CAO or his/her designee
  • Upper-division student representative from department in which the vacancy occurs
  1. The committee may conduct preliminary telephone or video interviews.
  2. In consultation with the CAO, the search committee recommends the candidate(s) to be invited to campus for formal interviews.
  3. An on-campus experience—including a teaching demonstration, an in-depth interview with the search committee, and meetings with the department members and students—is arranged.
  4. The search committee recommends a candidate to the CAO, who carries the recommendation to the President.