Administrative Guidelines for Academic Department Chairs

Section Five - Hiring

Section 5:1 - Initiation of a Tenure-Track Search

Department chairs submit a Tenure-Track Faculty Position Request Form by March 15 for any tenure-track search to be conducted in the subsequent academic year. Positions are authorized by the Provost after consultation with the President and the Faculty Senate. After receiving authorization, the Department Chair will meet with the Dean of the Faculty who coordinates tenure-track searches in order to discuss the department’s plans for the search process.

Section 5:2 - Preparing For the Search Process

The Search Committee

The role of the search committee is to develop the position announcement, actively recruit candidates, and participate in each aspect of the decision-making process that leads to the final recommendation to the Provost's Office. In mid-size to large departments or in departments that receive a large numbers of applications (40+), the department may choose to form a Screening Committee that conducts some aspects of the search prior to consultation with the rest of the department.

Identifying Members of the Search Committee

In most respects, the department determines which members of the department will participate in the various stages of the search process. All members of the search committee need to be present for all committee deliberations.

  • Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Members
    All tenured and tenure-track faculty members should participate in all stages of the search except conference interviews, which are typically conducted by two department members. Exceptions include faculty members on sabbatical that may choose not to participate. In the case of a replacement position for a retiring faculty member, the department needs to make clear at the outset of the search process the role that person will play in the search process.
    Any tenured member of the department may serve as the search committee chair.
  • Diversity Representative
    The Diversity Representative is assigned by the Provost's Office after consultation with the Department Chair. The Diversity Representative is a full member of the search committee who must be present at all search committee meetings.
  • Students
    Students should be present for teaching demonstrations and, ideally, for research presentations. Student feedback ought to be sought out and shared with the search committee. If it is the practice of the department to invite a student to serve as a formal member of the search committee, the confidential nature of search processes must be explained to the student. In addition, departments may invite students to an informal meeting with each candidate, such as lunch on campus or a reception.
  • Faculty with Special Appointments
    If the department wants to include any faculty member with a special appointment (i.e. any appointment other than tenured or tenure-track), the Provost's Office needs to be notified in advance and a rationale provided.

The Role of the Diversity Representative

The diversity representative is a voting member of the search committee and one who must participate in all committee deliberations and all aspects of the on-campus candidate visits. Diversity representative assignments are not made on the basis of that person's knowledge of a discipline. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the search committee to answer questions a diversity representative may have about research and teaching in the discipline. Just as tenure and promotion processes require us to be able to communicate clearly about our field to well-educated, non-experts, the search process is also a time to share our discipline with our colleagues.

Diversity Representatives perform three essential functions. First, they assist departments in conducting a fair, open, and consistent search process. In this effort, they are asked to pay special attention to diversity issues by encouraging the consideration of candidates who are persons of color and/or those who will contribute to diversity initiatives on campus. The second function of the diversity representative is to be a constructive voice in the search committee deliberations. A tenure-track search is one of the most important and most challenging types of work in which faculty engage. It can be very helpful to have an outsider's perspective and to allow that person to encourage open dialogue within the search committee deliberations. The third function of the diversity representative is to provide candidates with insight into the larger campus community. While all members of a search committee contribute to a candidate's understanding of Gustavus, diversity representatives serve a unique and vital function.

Confidentiality

All of the material candidates send is confidential and should not be shared with anyone who does not have a direct role in the search. In addition, all search committee conversations are confidential and should not be shared with anyone who does not have a direct role in the search. If you are asked about the search process by a candidate, you should refer that person to the search committee chair who can update candidates about the process. All positions are posted on the Gustavus website so direct any inquiry you may receive about the position to that listing or to the search committee chair. The search committee chair should also discuss confidentiality with the department administrative assistant and any work study student who may be asked to open submissions or file candidate material.

The Search Process

The following is a list of the typical tasks of a search process:

  • Writing the position announcement that appears on the Gustavus website and electronic job search websites.
  • Writing the position announcement that appears in discipline-specific publications and websites.
  • Reviewing files and participating in a discussion that results in the first set of candidates being eliminated from consideration.
  • Reviewing files (and any subsequent material requested from candidates) and participating in the discussion that leads to the identification of candidates for telephone or conference interviews.
  • Conducting telephone or conference interviews.
  • Reporting on telephone or conference interviews to the larger search committee.
    Participating in the discussion that leads to the identification of the top five candidates. These are the candidates whose files are sent forward to the to the Provost's Office.
    Participating in the campus interviews.
  • Conducting telephone conversations with references of the campus interview candidates.
    Participating in the final review of candidates and the recommendation that is sent to the Provost's Office.

Section 5:3 - Recruiting For the Position

Writing the Job Announcement

Departments provide most of the information that will be contained in a job announcement when the Tenure-Track Faculty Position Request Form is submitted to the Provost's Office. Once the search has been authorized, the department then writes the formal job announcement and submits that announcement to the Provost's Office for approval. This is the announcement that appears on the Gustavus website and the electronic job listing services used by the Office of Human Resources.

The letter from the Provost's Office authorizing a search will include an example of the template that is used for all faculty position announcements as they appear on the Gustavus website.

Diversity Language in the Job Announcement

Search committees should create position descriptions that are aligned with department, college, and institutional visions of the future in mind. Search committees must guard against writing a position description that will automatically —define out' candidates of color. Instead, the goal is to write a position description that attracts a diverse group of applicants. Examples of wording used in position descriptions to signal interest in diverse perspectives include the following:

  • Conducts scholarship in areas related to diversity
  • Experience with a variety of teaching methods and/or curricular perspectives
  • Previous experience interacting with communities of color
  • Experience in cultures other than their own
  • Academic experiences and interests in culturally diverse groups
  • Interest in developing and implementing curricula that address multicultural issues
  • Demonstrated success in working with diverse populations of students

In finalizing your ad language, please supplement your description of your ideal candidate by including one or more of the above descriptors. While the language goes beyond a discipline-based description it is more successful in communicating our shared commitment to diversity than the standard language of "Equal Opportunity Employer."

Additional Considerations of the Job Announcement

  1. Will the department seek a candidate at the Associate Professor level? This question should be addressed in the Position Request.
  2. Will the department consider candidates who are ABD?
  3. A department may choose to ask for transcripts and letters of recommendation after the initial review of files. However, transcripts and letters of recommendation must be in the files of the top five candidates who are sent to the Provost's Office prior to the authorization of on-campus interviews.
  4. What will the department request as evidence of teaching effectiveness?
  5. What will the department request as evidence of scholarship?
  6. Will the department request a statement of teaching philosophy and/or a research statement?

Advertising the Position

Each fall the College places a block ad that lists all tenure-track searches in the Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse Issues in Higher Education. In addition, the full position announcement appears on the Gustavus Human Resources website, the ELCA website, LatinosInHigherEd.com, and the National Minority Faculty I.D. Program. The Human Resources Office submits all job announcements HigherEdJobs.com.

After a search has been authorized, the department chair will be asked to identify any discipline-based publication or website where the position ought to be announced. Often the paid advertisement in the disciplinary journal is shorter than what appears in the electronic listings. The shorter version of the announcement must also be approved by the Provost's Office before placement. Increasingly, job candidates focus on electronic resources that provide job listings and it is not always necessary to place a print ad for all tenure-track positions. Approval of a paid print or electronic ad must come from the Provost's Office who will pay for the ad.

In addition, department chairs ought to send a copy of the approved announcement to appropriate graduate programs, especially those identified as the "top" program in the area of specialization and those with a strong record of graduating people of color. In addition, the announcement ought to be sent to minority serving discipline-based newsletters and any other website that is relevant.

Recruiting at a National Conference

Most disciplines have a traditional "search season" that may or may not include a national conference at which large numbers of job seekers participate in formal interviews. For some disciplines, participation at the national conference is seen as essential and it allows a department to conduct formal interviews with a large number of candidates (10+). A formal interview can only be conducted when candidates have submitted materials that have been screened by the search committee. For other departments, the national conference only provides the opportunity for informal recruiting. The Provost's Office will provide $1500 to be divided among the two department members conducting formal conference interviews. Typically, no more than $500 will be available for conference attendance with informal recruiting opportunities.

When the department chair and Dean of the Faculty meet to discuss the department's search process, the need for conference attendance will be determined.

Using the National Minority Faculty ID Program

Go to: www.southwestern.edu/natfacid

When you go to the website, select the "Institutions" link. Then enter the following information into the fields on this screen:

Institution Login: gustavu
Password: dqy1b8

This website offers the opportunity to search for candidates from underrepresented groups by discipline. If you identify a potential candidate, you should send that person the position announcement with a brief letter inviting an application. At this point, the website is imperfect but worth a look.

Section 5:4 - Review of Applications

Organizing Application Materials

Many departments construct a simple database for application materials in order to track the receipt of all required materials. A printed version can serve as a guide for search committee members reviewing the files. Typically, the database includes the applicant's name, degree status and location, courses taught, research area, and items deemed relevant to the particular position.

Acknowledgment of Application Materials

Letters acknowledging the applications should be sent as quickly as possible after the applications have been received. It is acceptable to send the acknowledgement by email. A sample of the acknowledgment letter is as follows:

Dear (name):

Thank you for your application for the position of (fill in) at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Your application will receive careful consideration by the department Search Committee. If further information will be needed, we will be in touch with you.

Sincerely,
(name)
Search Committee Chair

Reviewing Application Materials

It is essential for all search committees to devote a meeting, at the beginning of the process, to a discussion of what will differentiate a strong candidate, from an acceptable candidate, from an unacceptable candidate. Using the job announcement as the starting point, discuss key criteria and establish priorities.

Relevant Questions for Discussion:

  • Under what circumstances would an ABD candidate be preferable to someone with a completed terminal degree?
  • How closely does the degree field and graduate training need to match the position, to what extent, if any, are you hiring a generalist, to what extent are you seeking or avoiding overlap with current faculty?
  • How will you weigh preparation to teach vs. experience teaching?
  • What weight should be given to the colleges/universities from which an applicant earned her/his degrees?
  • What type of diversity experience is important?

Ranking Candidates

There are a number of "systems" departments employ to rank candidates. No matter how simple they appear on the surface, people usually find a way to make them more complicated. For instance, a system that asks committee members to provide a 1 (great candidate), 2 (acceptable candidate) or 3 (unacceptable candidate) is likely to become a system that include a 1+ or a 2-. The primary goal of any system is to quickly identify unacceptable candidates and remove them from consideration while simultaneously allowing any acceptable candidate to be given full and fair consideration. It is not unreasonable to discuss as many as 25 candidates.

Request for Additional Material (if relevant)

Departments that conduct formal conference interviews and those that receive a large number of applications (75+) do not always request all relevant material in the original position announcement. After a screening committee has narrowed the pool, the search committee chair will contact candidates still in contention and request additional materials. This might include writing samples, teaching evaluations, formal letters of reference, and/or transcripts.

The request for additional materials can be made by email to individual candidates.

Conducting Telephone Interviews

When telephone interviews are conducted all search committee members must be present. If that is impossible, then the search committee chair, the Diversity Representative and as many committee members as possible should be present. Telephone interviews are usually 20-30 minutes in length and include an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions.

Contact the Telecommunications Office to arrange to have a speaker phone for these interviews. Not all rooms can be used for long-distance calls so be sure to let them know the room in which the interviews will take place. The cost of telephone interviews is paid by the department. (See sample telephone interview questions in Section 5:10.)

Conducting Conference Interviews

In addition to the information provided in Section 3 (Recruiting at a National Conference), the following should be taken into consideration when arranging conference interviews. Ideally, two members of the search committee will participate in the interviews and provide a detailed report back to the search committee. All efforts should be taken to avoid using a hotel bedroom for the interviews. In order for a department to receive the maximum funding for conference interviews, the interviews have to be with candidates whose materials have already been screened by the search committee. Just as with a telephone interview, be sure to allow time for the candidate to ask questions.

Submitting Files to the Provost's Office

After the search committee has identified the top five candidates in the pool, the Search Committee Chair will submit the application materials of those candidates to the Provost's Office (please send copies of the files, not originals). The Provost and the Dean of the Faculty will review those files and the Dean of the Faculty will meet with the Search Committee Chair in order to discuss the two candidates who will be invited to an on campus interview. Search Committee Chairs should plan for turnaround of time of approximately 48 hours from the time files are received by the Provost's Office to the meeting with Dean of the Faculty.

Search Committee Chairs should not contact the candidates whose files have been sent to the Provost's Office until after the meeting with the Dean of the Faculty. If the chair is contacted by one of those candidates, you can say that you will be contacting campus interviewees within the week.

While the Provost's Office is reviewing the files, the search committee chair can work with the department, the diversity representative, and the Provost's Office to identify dates for the visit and begin constructing the interview schedule.

Conducting Reference Calls

Prior to on-campus visits, references for each candidate should be contacted. Typically, search committee members distribute this task among its members so that more than one person participates in reference calls for each candidate. Each reference ought to be asked the same questions. For an example of a reference call protocol see Section 5:10.

Section 5:5 - Organizing the Campus Visit

After the Provost's Office has approved the candidates for an on-campus interview, the Search Committee Chair contacts each candidate to ascertain continued interest in the position and to identify dates for the campus visit. Follow-up contact to manage the details of the visit may be completed by the department's administrative assistant.

Even in the case of a "local" candidate, each candidate should be on campus for a minimum of 24 hours including an overnight stay.

At least 24 hours prior to the visit, candidates should receive a copy of the campus visit schedule. For samples of interview schedules see Section 5:10.

The Provost's Office sends a packet of information to each candidate for a tenure-track position. The packet contains information about the Kendall Center for Engaged Learning, a statement about the Liberal Arts Tradition at Gustavus and a statement describing church-relatedness. If your department publishes a newsletter, please send the Provost's Office copies to include in this packet.

Interview Schedule

The Interview Schedule must include the following meetings:

  • A meeting with the Department Chair to provide an overview of the department, the teaching assignment, and the search time line, etc. (30 minutes)
  • A meeting with the full search committee (at least 1 hour), for sample interview questions see Section 10
  • A meeting with the Provost (30 minutes)
  • A meeting with the Dean of the Faculty who coordinates searches to discuss faculty development, tenure criteria and process, salary and benefits, start-up package (45 minutes)
  • An opportunity to talk with department majors
  • A meeting with the Assistant Vice President for Corporate and Foundation Relations (30 minutes). Please send a copy of each candidate's CV and cover letter to this person prior to the campus interview.

*A few departments organize the campus interview around individual meetings with department colleagues. There are several problems with this strategy and it is highly discouraged. First, it exhausts candidates to be interviewed over and over again. Second, in medium to large departments this practice uses so much time that other important visit features such as the tour of the area are eliminated. Third, a series of individual interviews undermines the decision-making process because committee members do not have a shared experience of listening to a candidate's responses and questions. Fourth, individual meetings risk search committee members making inaccurate assertions that are not able to be addressed. Search committee members have multiple opportunities to talk with candidates if they make sure to participate in other activities such as meals, airport trips, and tours.

The Interview Schedule must include the following elements:

  • A classroom teaching demonstration
  • A campus tour
  • A voluntary opportunity to attend Chapel
  • A tour of the Saint Peter and Mankato area
  • A tour of the library, ideally with the librarian who is the liaison for the department
  • Meals with students or department members. Meals may be used to fulfill the required meeting opportunities from above such as the meeting with students or the department chair
  • At least one-half hour of free time prior to the teaching demonstration

Additional Ideas for the Campus Visit

  • A meeting with the Director of the Diversity Center which may include the search committee's Diversity Representative (30 minutes). Please send a copy of each candidate's CV and cover letter to this person prior to the campus interview.
  • Attendance at a campus event—concert, play, athletic event
  • A meeting over a meal or coffee with faculty from other departments with related interests
  • An informal meeting with first and second year tenure-track faculty from other departments
  • A research presentation: For some departments this is considered essential; for others the issue of the research agenda and the question of the candidate's ability to explain her/his research is handled during the search committee interview.
    A reception in the home of a department faculty member that includes several faculty members from other departments.

Teaching Demonstration

The purpose of a teaching demonstration is to provide search committee members the opportunity to assess a candidate's ability to explain discipline-specific material to an undergraduate audience. Obviously, students must be present for the teaching demonstration. Ideally, the demonstration will occur in a regularly scheduled course rather than with students recruited for the occasion. While that can be done if necessary, it can also work against a candidate who is trying to engage students who are unfamiliar with each other.

Strategies for Organizing the Teaching Demonstration

  • A department may ask each candidate to teach a specific item from a course syllabus, in other words, to fit their demonstration into the midst of an on-going course. For instance, the Department of Physics asks candidates to prepare a demonstration that fits into a specific course syllabus and students are responsible for learning that material.
  • A department may ask each candidate to prepare the same lesson. For instance, the Department of Classics asks each candidate to prepare the same language lesson that is demonstrated in the same course by each candidate.
  • A department may ask candidates to prepare a course demonstration that is relevant to the topic of the course rather than try to fit the demonstration into the syllabus.
  • When scheduling disallows the above options, departments ask candidates to prepare a class demonstration that is typical for the type of courses included in the job description though it is unrelated to the course in which the demonstration takes place.

The Department Chair should have a very clear conversation with each candidate to ensure that candidates understand the search committee's expectations of the demonstration and the context (type of course, audience, etc.) for the demonstration. Each candidate should be given the same expectations, time frame, and type of demonstration.

Soliciting Student Feedback

Search committees find student feedback to be useful during the deliberation process. Ideally, students will receive a feedback form to fill out and return for each candidate. In addition, search committee chairs often contact any student who interacted with the candidate to solicit their impressions. Feedback forms can be distributed and collected at the teaching demonstration or sent by email at a later time to all students who had interactions with a candidate. For an example of a student feedback form see Section 5:10.

Travel Arrangements & Expenses Related to the Campus Visit

Travel arrangements are made by the Search Committee Chair or the Departmental Administrative Assistant. Once candidate files have been sent to the Provost's Office for review, the Chair should work with the search committee and the Provost's Office to identify dates when all participants are available for the campus interviews.

After the Provost's Office authorizes specific candidates for a campus visit, the Chair should contact each candidate to issue the invitation and begin making travel arrangements.

  • Air Travel
    Work through Hometown Travel (507-931-6174) or Travel Center (507-625-3153) to purchase airline tickets. Provide them with Shanon Nowell's name so they know which Gustavus account to bill. Candidates should be picked up from the airport or take the shuttle to Saint Peter rather than renting a car to drive to here.
  • Car Travel
    Candidates who drive to campus will be reimbursed for mileage at the standard rate. Please remember that even a candidate who drives from the Twin Cities will be reimbursed for milleage. While this cost is less than an airline ticket, it's important to note that there is no such thing as a "free" candidate.
  • Lodging
    Campus visits should include an overnight stay. Contact Marilyn Beyer (mbeyer@gustavus.edu or x7001) to make Guest House reservations or, if necessary, make reservations at a local motel using a department member's Wells Fargo card for payment.
  • Meals
    During the course of a campus visit, it is useful to use meals as an opportunity to introduce the candidate to a wider range of people on campus and to show our hospitality. Ideally, candidates will share all meals with a search committee member, department faculty or students, or other faculty with related interests. In order to have a comfortable, informal conversation with the candidate, meals should include no more thans three people in addition to the candidate. A department member's Wells Fargo card should be used for payment. A detailed receipt (not just the credit card receipt) needs to be obtained and the names of those in attendance at the meal should be written on the receipt before it is turned in to the Provost's Office.
  • Candidate Reimbursement
    When candidates come to the Provost's Office they will be asked to sign a form that provides the information we need in order to reimburse them for expenses. They will be directed to mail receipts for reimbursement for parking, mileage, tolls, etc. to the Provost's Office upon completion of the trip. Reimbursement will normally be made within two weeks of receiving receipts.
  • Other Expenses
    Meal tickets for the Marketplace and Campus Buffet are obtained from Judy Roberts (jroberts@gustavus.edu or x6223) in the Provost's Office. Should there be costs other than transportation, lodging (if off-campus) and meals, it is important to clear these in advance with the Dean of the Faculty.

Section 5:6 - Internal Candidates

Candidate pools often include one or more people known to members of the search committee, including faculty teaching at Gustavus in a temporary position. It is of paramount importance that internal candidates be treated fairly which means neither advantaging nor disadvantaging them in the process. The following list is intended to clarify how internal candidacies ought to be managed in order to insure fairness.

  • It is acceptable to invite an internal candidate to apply for a tenure-track opening just as it is acceptable to invite someone from off-campus to apply. In both cases, the invitation should not imply a promise of the job or even a campus interview.
  • If you believe that someone in a temporary faculty position is not qualified for the position, it is the individual who must make that determination. If you are asked a direct question about it, it is reasonable to point out what you perceive as the gap between that person's background and the requirements of the position.
  • The internal candidate must make a formal submission of materials as requested in the job announcement. The department should not recycle the materials submitted for the temporary position.
  • Internal candidates may choose to request letters of reference from other members of the Gustavus community. This is their decision. However, faculty in the department conducting the search should not agree to provide a reference letter for the Gustavus search even if that person is not a member of the search committee.
  • Telephone interviews are extremely awkward when there is an internal candidate and yet, out of fairness, need to be conducted with internal candidates who have advanced to that stage of the process.
  • If the department conducts formal conference interviews and an internal candidate is on the list of conference interviewees, the interview needs to be conducted at the conference. If the department offers to accommodate external candidates who are not attending the conference, the same offer can be made to the internal candidate.
  • Internal candidates must conduct a teaching demonstration under the same circumstances as the external candidate. Specifically, the demonstration cannot be held in a current section of the course taught by the candidate. Nor should the external candidate be asked to conduct a teaching demonstration in the class of the internal candidate.
  • Student opinions about the internal candidate should not be solicited in any manner beyond those available to external candidates. Students who view the teaching demonstration should be asked for feedback, all candidates may be invited to provide evidence of teaching effectiveness, and all candidates may ask students to write letters of recommendation (although this is rarely a choice made by external candidates).
  • If the internal candidate is one of the two candidates invited for an on-campus interview, each element of the interview schedule should be the same for both candidates, with the exception of the overnight stay at the Guest House.
  • When an external candidate comes for the campus visit it is reasonable to let the internal candidate know the date of the visit and expect her/him to keep limited hours in the department during the visit.
  • Information provided to the candidates about the search process should, within reason, be the same for all candidates. Nothing about the search process should be communicated to the internal candidate that is not also communicated to external candidates. Department colleagues often find it very difficult to refrain talking with internal candidates about the search. The chair of the search committee and the chair of the department have the responsibility of making it clear to all members of the department that this is inappropriate and unfair behavior that threatens the integrity of the search process.
  • Internal candidates should receive notification of their place in the search pool within the same timeframe as external candidates. For instance, if an internal candidate does not advance beyond the first screening, the chair of the search committee can communicate that information in person at about the same time that external candidates receive a letter with that information. The internal candidate should also receive formal notification.

Section 5:7 - After the Campus Visit

Once the final candidate has left campus, the search committee should convene as soon as possible. It is their responsibility to identify the top candidate, make a recommendation with a rationale to the Provost's Office, and determine whether or not the second ranked person is a viable candidate for the position.

The Provost's Office receives the recommendation and either makes the offer to the top candidate or seeks additional information from the search committee chair.

The offer of employment is made by the Dean of the Faculty. At that time, issues of salary, start-up funds (if relevant), and moving expenses are addressed. Typically, candidates are allowed to take 7-10 days to respond to the offer. Once the initial offer has been made, the Dean of the Faculty will notify the Department Chair/Search Committee Chair and, unless the offer has already been rejected (which is rare), then the Department Chair/Search Committee Chair is free to contact the candidate to answer questions, provide information, and convey the department's enthusiasm for the candidate.

Candidates, who accept our offer of employment, receive a "Letter of Intent" from the Provost's Office. This letter includes the following information specific to their offer: salary, tenure timeline, moving expenses, library allocation, computer request information, and start-up package (if relevant). Candidates must sign and return the letter within 10 days of receipt.

When Gustavus hires a candidate who has not completed the terminal degree, that person receives a contract that indicates the salary and rank if the dissertation is successfully defended by October 1 of their first year and the lower salary and rank if there has not been a successful defense by that date. The contract and the degree deadline are explained to ABD candidates at the time the offer is made by the Dean of the Faculty.

Notifying Candidates No Longer Under Consideration

There are three points at which such notification takes place.

1. After an initial screening. Departments that receive a large number of applications (+40) and/or conduct formal conference interviews, notify the candidates who are no longer being considered for the position after the initial screening. Below is a sample letter:

Dear (Name)

Thank you for your interest in the position of (fill in) here at Gustavus Adolphus College.

After careful consideration of all candidates, interviews have been scheduled for only those whose education and experience most closely relate to the requirements of the position. We regret that the Committee has not included your name in the list of final candidates.

Your interest in Gustavus Adolphus College is appreciated. We wish you much success in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,
(name)
Search Committee Chair

2. After the conference or telephone interview. Typically, candidates who are invited to participate in a formal conference interview or telephone interview do not receive notification that they will not be offered the position until after the position has been accepted by another candidate. Below is a sample letter:

Dear (Name)

It was a pleasure to speak with you recently to discuss the position of ______ here at Gustavus.

Several fine applicants for the position were interviewed and the background and qualifications of each applicant were carefully reviewed. The committee determined that another candidate’s experience and educational preparation more closely matched the duties of this position.

The opportunity to meet with you has been appreciated.

Sincerely,
(name)
Search Committee Chair

3. After the campus interview. The Search Committee Chair should contact the candidate who was invited to campus but not offered the position, by telephone to express thanks for her/his interest in Gustavus, explain that another candidate has accepted the position, and offer best wishes in the job search process. Please note that the Search Committee Chair should not offer additional information to the applicant.

Preparing for the New Faculty Member

During the year in which a new tenure-line faculty member is hired, departments need to be sure that the teaching schedule submitted for the incoming faculty member allows her/him to attend New Faculty Orientation organized by the Kendall Center for Engaged Learning. These sessions take place on Thursdays from 12:30-1:20 p.m.

Section 5:8 - Retention of Records

Federal regulations require that all applications be retained for one year. If storage space permits, the College may retain them for a longer period. This does not mean that we must revert to the files when positions become vacant, although they may be available. It simply means that the records must be retained in order to defend hiring decisions, if necessary. Records may also be needed to support a Permanent Work Authorization petition for a foreign born faculty member. At the beginning of a search, the Search Committee Chair will receive a Search Summary Form from the Provost's Office. The form should be filled out and sent with all materials to the Provost's Office at the conclusion of the search.

Section 5:9 - Special (Fixed-Term) Appointments

Procedures for making Special (fixed-term) appointments (e.g., sabbatical replacements, emergency situations) include the following differences from the tenure-track search:

  1. Search Committee
    The search committee can be a subset of department members. The decision to include a Diversity Representative is made by the Department Chair and the Dean of the Faculty.
  2. Advertising
    All position announcements will be posted on the Gustavus website and the two on-line services to which the College subscribes. A letter or email should be sent to key graduate programs. The decision to submit an announcement in discipline-specific journals is made by the Department Chair and the Dean of the Faculty.
  3. Position announcements should indicate a 7-course teaching load. Normally, this will mean a January Interim Experience teaching assignment.
  4. Sending Files to the Provost's Office
    The files of the top three candidates should be sent to the Dean of the Faculty before an invitation for a campus visit is extended. After reading the files, the Dean of the Faculty will consult with the Department Chair. Normally, only one candidate is brought in for a fixed-term appointment. A second candidate is brought in if the first candidate is not acceptable or does not accept our offer.
  5. Campus Visit
    The visit must include a meeting with the department search committee, a meeting with the department chair, a meeting with the Dean of the Faculty, and a teaching demonstration.

Section 5:10 - Samples

The following samples are available in PDF form:

  • Reference Call Protocol
  • Campus Interview Schedule (1 night visit w/ reception)
  • Campus Interview Schedule (2 night visit)
  • Campus Interview Schedule (small group meetings)
  • Campus Interview Schedule (fixed-term appointment)
  • Search Committee Interview Questions
  • Candidate Telephone Interview Questions
  • Interviewing Questions
  • Student Feedback Form

Copyright 2010, Gustavus Adolphus College. All Rights Reserved.

Last modified: August 6, 2010, by Shanon Nowell