Authorization of Faculty Positions

All full-time position requests will be made through the College as a part of the budget-building process.  Currently positions are authorized before the start of fall term.

Recruitment

Advertising and recruitment efforts begin after a position request has been approved by the Dean and the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs and has been reviewed by the Director of Affirmative Action. This process is completed when an EOC number has been assigned and noted on the Faculty Position Authorization. Detailed information concerning required recruitment procedures can be found in the Provost's Faculty Recruitment Information Packet which precedes this.  In addition, the College adheres to the CCAS document on The Ethics of Recruitment and Faculty Appointment also attached. Failure to observe the required procedures can force delays or invalidate search efforts. As part of our minority recruitment efforts, all position advertisements are to carry the following statement: "BGSU is an AA/EOC employer and encourages applications from women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities."

Every unit conducting a search must meet with the Director of AA (or designee) as soon as a search committee is formed and BEFORE any searches are launched. If a unit is conducting several searches during an academic year, one meeting with the full unit is advised.

Invitations to interview are extended only after the procedures described in the following sections have been fully observed. Qualified candidates must be given consideration as part of the applicant pool as long as they submit their credentials on or before the "closing date" identified on the Faculty Position Authorization. Interviews may not be scheduled prior to the closing date since the full pool of applicants would not be known until that time. No candidate whose terminal degree is from BGSU may be interviewed without permission from the Dean. Such approval will be given only in cases where it has been established that the applicant has an established national reputation.

In general, 'by invitation' appointments for tenure-track lines will not be permitted. Requests to hire without benefit of a search must have the signed consent of both the Dean and Provost. Any request for a by invitation hire must be accompanied by a full set of credentials and a memo establishing the "critical need" for the selected individual.

Interviews/Credentials

The Charter provides for the Dean to "examine the credentials of candidates that the academic unit, through its chair or director, has proposed to bring to campus for interviews in order to authorize arrangements for official visits to the campus for the purpose of interview." In order to conduct the best-informed review possible, the following materials are to be submitted to the Dean whenever a unit seeks authorization to proceed with interviews:

	a.	Credential files of the three to five top-ranked candidates. (If no women or minorities were selected as finalists, units are to include the files of the top two applicants in each group along with an explanation as to why these individuals are no longer under consideration.) A minimum of two candidates are expected to make campus visits.

Complete credential files include the following documents:

• Current vita
• 3 current original letters of reference, including at least one from the candidate's current employer if s/he is employed. (Letters are considered current if they are dated within one calendar year of the date they are received by the Search Committee.) Electronic references are not acceptable unless they have also been received as a signed "hard copy."
• OFFICIAL transcript(s) showing the highest degree earned and any subsequent coursework. (Undergraduate degree transcripts aren't required for faculty credentials.) TO AVOID DELAYS, recruitment materials should state that an official copy of the transcript will be required to complete an applicant's file. While it is acceptable to interview a candidate for whom no transcript has been received, lack of such does delay the hiring process.

	b.	Report from search committee assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the top-ranked candidates (3-5) and identifying, if possible, their rank-order position.

	c.	Applicant Tracking Summary reporting the aggregate distribution of applicants according to race and gender as well as highest degree earned. This information is to be obtained from AA/EOC. The form used to collect such data is included in the Hiring Manual. It is department/school responsibility to duplicate it and send to ALL applicants for each position. he information received is to be secured from the search committee/chair or director.

	d.	Applicant Data/Request to Interview form is to be completed for each candidate for whom authorization for an interview is sought.

The Dean will review all materials submitted and discuss any concerns with the respective chair/director. This material will also be shared with the Director of Office of Equity, Diversity, and Immigration Services, assuring equal opportunity compliance. The chair/director will be notified when proposed interviews have been authorized. Every effort will be made to provide this notification quickly.

All candidates for tenure-track positions must be scheduled to interview with the Dean of Arts and Sciences.  Written comments will be provided following the interview. Candidates for tenured positions must meet with the Provost/VPAA, as well.

Both graduate and undergraduate students are to be invited to assess the quality of the candidates. Interview schedules should allow for their participation through formal teaching and informal contacts. Due to the need to involve students and faculty, all searches will end when the spring term concludes.

All final candidates for tenure-track positions who have prior full-time teaching experience at the college/university level should be advised by the chair/director of the opportunity to shorten or lengthen the probationary period by receiving or waiving credit for prior experience.  The Charter outlines the procedures which are to be observed in the process. All faculty hires who waive all prior experience will be offered three-year contracts to aid retention. Those who come in at 2/7 will initially receive a two-year contract, followed by a three-year appointment; those coming in at 3/7 will either receive two two-year appointments or one four-year appointment.

Offers of Employment/Appointment

1.

As the university's contracting officer, the Dean is responsible for the final written terms of each contract offered. Chairs/Directors should, however, contact candidates and discuss the terms of an acceptable offer, including the salary, that will be recommended to the Dean. Terms of any offer should be discussed with the Dean before discussing them with the candidate. POSITIONS MUST BE FILLED AT THE RANK AND SALARY LEVEL AUTHORIZED.

2.	The following materials are needed to obtain Affirmative Action approval to HIRE a candidate.  They must be sent to the Dean before hiring can proceed:

	a.	Appointment Activity Record
	b.	Letter of Support from chair/director describing candidates strengths and weaknesses.
	c.	Completed Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9 form) and documentation
	d.	A & S Checklist: Request for Full-Time Contract

3.

Candidates for tenure-track positions who have not completed their doctorate at the time an offer of employment is made should be advised that they will receive a terminal appointment at the instructor rank (with a salary reduced by $1,300). Promotion to assistant professor and probationary status is automatic if and only if all requirements (including certification of completion of degree) have been completed before the effective date of the BGSU appointment. If the degree requirements are not completed by this date, the Dean will issue a contract addendum at the start of the semester following the completion of the degree work (see following paragraph) changing rank and salary. Candidates should be advised that if the Ph.D. is not received within the first year, their employment at BGSU is terminated. The tenure count commences with the year following receipt of the degree.

4.	Candidates for temporary/terminal positions should be hired as instructors. If the candidate holds the terminal degree, a case could be made to hire at the assistant professor level. Phone interviews or interviewing one by one are acceptable practices for temporary hires.

5.	Certification of completion of the doctorate (or other pending degree) must be provided by the degree-granting authority, usually the Graduate Dean. The document should state that all requirements for the degree have been satisfactorily completed. Certification by a dissertation director or faculty committee that a dissertation has been successfully defended is not sufficient.

6.	Commitment of college or university resources or special promises which might be made to the candidate by the chair/director orally or in writing as part of the recruitment and appointment process must be approved by the Dean in advance to avoid misunderstandings.

7.	All forms evaluating candidates for a position should be destroyed before the appointee begins employment. Such evaluations should not become part of the personnel file of the successful candidate.

8.	Files of unsuccessful applicants are to be retained for three years following the hire. They may be destroyed after that time.

Candidate Expense Reimbursement

The Provost will reimburse units for costs related to tenure track hiring at the rate of $2,000 per position. This includes advertising.

Moving Expenses

Reimbursement of moving expenses for probationary faculty is not collegiate practice. Units which want to contribute to moving costs must charge them against the department/school operating budget or foundation account.

Non-Faculty Appointments: Administrative Staff

Authorization and hiring procedures for non-faculty (administrative staff) positions (both full- and part time) are outlined in the Administrative Staff Hiring Procedures Manual. Please obtain a copy for your reference from Human Resources. Before any formal authorization request is submitted to the Dean, Chairs/Directors or designee must meet with HRS to develop a position description and review the planned recruitment process. Please note below several important points not contained within the Administrative Staff Hiring Procedures manual.

1.

Colleges within Academic Affairs require a candidate to submit credentials at the time a letter of application is filed. This includes a resume and three current, original letters of recommendation (dated within one calendar year of the current search), including at least one letter from the current employer if the candidate is employed. A transcript will be required only when the possession of a graduate or undergraduate degree (or other post-secondary training) is among the qualifications required as stated in the position description.

2.	Departments/Schools are responsible for completing an I-9 form and obtaining supporting documentation at the time of the interview. Please advise candidates of the requirement and what constitutes acceptable evidence of employment eligibility.

3.	Terms of employment will include a title rather than a faculty rank, and collegiate checklists should be adapted accordingly.  Qualified administrative staff may be assigned to teach courses on occasion, but only persons holding faculty contracts hold faculty rank.

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