1. Before the Search (Back to Toolkit home)

Planning/Adhering to Deadlines (Back to Toolkit home) (Back to Top)

Department Chairs should work with their Dean to establish academic hiring plans which meet the needs of the department, college/school, and campus.
Department Chairs then consult departmental faculty on developing position descriptions for potential hires. These are normally voted on by the faculty and forwarded to the dean.
Departments should establish realistic time lines for the process in order to adhere to recruitment and appointment deadlines.

In order to hire the best possible faculty members, it is important to begin recruitment early, to conduct the search and selection procedures efficiently, and to expedite the appointment process once the successful candidate has been identified.

Allocation of Academic Positions (Back to Toolkit home) (Back to Top)

Deans receive requests annually for faculty positions from the departments.
Deans approve positions based upon their academic plans. Deans request faculty positions from the Executive Vice Chancellor/Provost in the form of a college plan. At this time, new full-time equivalent (FTE) lines are negotiated with the EVC/P.
Deans then alert departments which faculty positions will be recruited for in the present year.

Recruitment Plan Preparation & Submission (Back to Toolkit home) (Back to Top)

A search committee is nominated by the department chair and sent to the Dean for approval.
The proposed recruitment plan for each faculty position should be prepared in accordance with the campus “Affirmative Action Recruitment Guidelines for Academic Positions” and submitted through the dean, through the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action, to the Vice Provost for Academic Personnel for review and approval.
The recruitment plan should document how the committee will actively recruit women and under-represented groups.
The Vice Provost for Academic Personnel notifies the department chair, through the dean, of the approval of the recruitment plan. No action may be initiated on faculty searches prior to approval of the recruitment plan.
Sample Recruitment Plan

Requirements on language for the job announcement and advertisement (Back to Toolkit home) (Back to Top)

The job description should be broad enough to cover foreseeable contingencies in the event there is flexibility regarding the sub-field.
Qualifications must be fully stated.
How to apply for the position is specified.
The rank is stated (Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor, or Open rank).

2. Faculty Search Process (Back to Toolkit home) (Back to Top)

Role of the Search Committee & the Department (Back to Toolkit home) (Back to Top)

The search committee is responsible for conducting the preliminary work of creating the pool

Short List: The search committee is responsible for reviewing all the files and developing a list of potential interviewees. Practice varies from one unit/department/school to another as to the specific role of the search committee in relation to the faculty as a whole. For example,

Some units have the search committee define the short list and this list is presented to the faculty as a whole for approval.
In other units the faculty as a whole selects the short list from a long list provided by the search committee.
In some cases the search committee remains intact throughout the search, providing a list of candidates to the department after interviews are over.
In other cases, the search committee is dissolved after the short list is developed.

In all cases, a yes/no majority faculty vote is needed to approve the short list of interviewees and this short list requires approval by the deans.

Regardless of unit variations, there are two “absolutes” that must be respected:

1. Each unit must maintain a consistent practice from one search to another.
2. Whatever role the search committee plays in the process, faculty voting rights on the appointment of a faculty member must be maintained, as defined in Bylaw 55

The Search Committee Checklist should be used as a guideline for the actions of each search committee. Careful note should be taken for those elements that are department or college/school specific. Actions include:

Search Committee Initial Set-up by Department Chair
Committee Responsibilities
Affirmative Action Compliance Officer Responsibilities
Position Announcements
Advertising
Review of Applications
References & Extramural Evaluations
Interviews
Decision Making

The candidate should be notified by the department chair that he/she has been selected as the candidate of choice and is being recommended for appointment. Nothing binding may be communicated to the candidate either verbally or in writing prior to the Chancellor’s approval.

Negotiations with the candidate can begin only after a positive vote from the faculty and approval of the Dean. This is not the formal vote on the complete appointment file, but only a vote of support from the faculty to enter into negotiations with the candidate.

3. Faculty Appointment Process (Back to Toolkit home) (Back to Top)

Processing the Appointment File (Back to Toolkit home) (Back to Top)

In order to remain competitive, the appointment file shall be made a priority item
at all levels of review. Files which aim to diversify our faculty will be routed in a green folder, in order to expedite the process.
The review agents for all appointment files are:

Department
College/School Dean
Committee on Academic Personnel (CAP)
Ad Hoc committee, upon request by CAP or subsequent review agents (for tenured appointments)
Vice Provost for Academic Personnel
Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
Chancellor (has final authority on all appointments)

Department Chair is responsible for preparing the faculty appointment file in accordance with campus Appointment File Requirements and system-wide policy in Academic Personnel Manual (APM) 210.
Department Chair’s responsibilities during departmental review are outlined in APM 220-80-e.
When the appointment file is complete, Department Chair convenes a meeting of departmental faculty, ensuring compliance with Bylaw 55.

All tenured faculty in a department have the right to vote on all new departmental appointments that confer membership in the Academic Senate.
All non-emeritae/i, departmental Academic Senate members must be afforded an opportunity to make their opinion known to the voters.

Department Chair forwards the following to the appropriate dean’s office:

Appointment File with Departmental Recommendation Letter and optional Chair’s Letter (provide original and 3 copies of the file)
Affirmative Action Compliance Report and Summary of Recruitment Cover Sheet

Dean of the appropriate college/school reviews the appointment file.

Dean provides Dean’s recommendation
Dean updates the Cover Sheet with the “Dates for Routing” and, as appropriate, by signing the section marked for “Dean’s Approval”.
Dean forwards his/her recommendation, along with two copies of the appointment file, and the other documents forwarded by the Department Chair (Affirmative Action Report, Affirmative Action Summary, and Cover Sheet) to the Academic Personnel Office.
Dean retains a copy of the appointment file, including the dean’s recommendation, in the dean’s office.

The Academic Personnel Office expedites review of the appointment file by CAP, the Vice Provost for Academic Personnel, the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost, and the Chancellor.

Finalizing the Appointment (Back to Toolkit home) (Back to Top)

Acting under authority delegated by the Regents and the President of the University of California, the Chancellor has the authority to approve all tenured and non-tenured faculty appointments.
Notification of appointment decision is provided to the deans’ offices immediately by the Academic Personnel Office in the form of an email.
Appointment letters are prepared by the Academic Personnel Office and mailed directly to the candidate with a copy provided to the appropriate dean(s), and department chair(s). Included in this letter are the professorial appointment (rank, step and off-scale, if applicable) and the offer from the dean and chair which constitutes the initial complement.
Candidates are requested to accept the appointment by signing a copy of the appointment letter and returning the signed copy to the Academic Personnel Office.
Upon receipt of the signed acceptance letter, the Academic Personnel Office provides the dean(s) and department chair(s) with a signed copy. This signed acceptance letter permits the departmental payroll officer to process the appointment in the Payroll Personnel System (PPS). Signed acceptance letters are also provided to the offices of the Academic Senate, Academic Planning & Budget, Affirmative Action, International Services, Scheduling and Benefits.
Department Chairs should communicate to all new faculty their date of hire and explain the relationship between their service period and pay period.
Department notifies unsuccessful applicants they are no longer under consideration.
Employment Documents are required for new appointments.

Unsuccessful applicants may have access to their files.