Search Committee Initial Set-up by Department Chair

Committee should have 3 to 7 members
An effort should be made to provide a gender/racial balance to the committee perhaps by using faculty from other departments or colleges in the discipline.
Designate one member the Affirmative Action Compliance Officer and one member the Committee Chair. Both roles may not be served by a single committee member and neither by the department chair
Request approval for search committee from Dean.

Committee Responsibilities

Ensure equal employment opportunity
Must be aware of job-related criteria relevant to the position
Must adhere to the evaluation criteria stated in the position description
Develop a means to evaluate candidates according to job related criteria and standards, without regard to stereotypes or presumptions regarding ability or disability

Affirmative Action Compliance Officer Responsibilities

Ensure that files are complete before being opened to the search committee for review, if at all possible, and definitely before voting on a short list
Enable members of under-represented groups to learn of and apply for the position
Contact the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action and the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Equity and Diversity for resource assistance
Contact appropriate organizations for under-represented groups that should be notified of vacancies in the field
Notify all individuals who may be able to refer members of under-represented groups for the position
Once the short list has been defined, follow the sample file Affirmative Action Compliance Report Sample and submit it and the Faculty Recruitment Program Assessment Form to the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action

Position Announcements

Adhere to approved Recruitment Plan
Adhere to Requirements on language for the job announcement and advertisement
Recruitment period must last at least 8 weeks in length (from the date the announcement was mailed until the deadline for receipt of applications). The recruitment period must include at least a 4 week period following the first appearance of the advertisement in a professional journal or society newsletter.

Advertising

Review of Applications

All applicants are provided with an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Survey Form
All applicants must be notified that they are entitled to request and receive a copy of the campus Annual Security Report, in accordance with the Clery Act, a federal regulation requiring the University of California to notify students, employees, and applicants for admission and employment about specific crime statistics, policies, and prevention programs.
Ideally the committee waits to review applications until the start of the advertised review period and files are complete but files may be available for review as received.
Committee reviews the complete files (according to the advertisement) and ranks the applications by uniformly applying job-related criteria
Documentation of the review process and results, including notes, are maintained
All members of the Committee should review all applications and materials
The pool of qualified applicants is narrowed to a list of perhaps 4-20, depending upon the number of candidates in the pool.

References & Extramural Evaluations

Department solicits letters from the names provided by the candidates for candidates on the short list if the search is for associate and full professor ranks. For assistant professor level searches, typically 3-5 letters are requested at time of application. UC confidentiality policy statement is sent to the extramural letter writers.

Sample solicitation letters—Each reviewer should be explicitly advised of the rank being recommended and of the University’s criteria and expectations for the proposed level.
UC Confidentiality Policy must be communicated in writing to letter writers

Deadline for receipt of solicited references should be set for associate/full professor searches

Interviews

The short list (typically 3-5 identified for interview) must be approved by the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action and by the Dean before candidates are invited to campus for an interview.

Once the search committee has determined their short list, then the member designated as the Affirmative Action Compliance Officer requests that the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action prepare:

- A listing of all women and minority applicants who returned EEO Survey Forms
- An Affirmative Action Summary of Recruitment Statistics

Department completes an Affirmative Action Compliance Report, which:

- identifies a short list of candidates to be invited for campus interview
- provides written reasons that are specific to the published qualifications for rejecting an applicant as required by the UCR Affirmative Action Guidelines

Department requests an appointment with the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action for review of the applicant files.
Department completes the Faculty Recruitment Program Assessment Form and forwards it to the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action.
Department faculty vote to approve the short list. Departments may elect to have this faculty review of the short list prior to review by the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action and the Dean. However, if there are any changes to the short list, the department faculty must vote to approve the revised short list.
Department obtains approval from the dean’s office of candidates invited for a campus visit/interview. This may happen concurrently with approval consideration by the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action. If there are additions to the short list, the Office of Faculty and Staff Affirmative Action must review and approve the list again.

Off-campus interviews, such as those at a convention, should only be used to screen candidates and not as a substitute for on-campus interviewing.
The interview is an opportunity to sell UCR by conveying positive and accurate information about the job, the department, the University, its administration and the community.
Provide candidates with an information packet about the hiring unit, the college or school, UCR, and the Riverside region. This should be provided in advance of the visit.
Information on UC’s Family Friendly Policies should be shared with the candidate.
Develop and consistently use a set of job-related core questions addressed to every interviewee.
Candidates must present a seminar or colloquium, to which the department is invited and those in related disciplines outside the department.
Provide an opportunity for the faculty to meet with the candidate one-on-one or in groups.
Provide an opportunity to meet with the Dean or Associate Dean
Answer all of the candidate’s questions, even if they raise prohibited subjects, such as availability of childcare facilities or location of a church of a particular denomination.
Enhance the formal interview process by including a campus tour or social events.
The candidate can also meet with other units outside the department, including:

Vice Chancellor for Research
Benefits Office
International Services Center
Directors of Centers/Institutes

Information on UC’s Faculty Home Loan program should be shared with the candidates

Decision Making

The final selection process begins only after the last candidate’s visit is completed
Procedures should be established to receive input from those with whom the candidates have met during the visit
There must be a yes/no majority vote by the department faculty on the candidate selected to be offered the job.
The department may instead present to the dean a list of acceptable candidates. There should be a yes/no majority vote on each candidate on the list.
The Dean is contacted by the Chair who seeks approval to contact the top candidate for the position.