Revised 7/27/15

Recruiting Handbook

This packet includes basic guidelines for conducting searches and hires for tenure track faculty and visiting faculty as well as material that may be useful to departments and programs during their recruitment process. Recruitment procedures are also described in Section IV. A. in theFaculty Handbook.

I.Securing Approval for a Tenure-Track Search

II.Starting the Search: Search Committee

III.Job Advertisements for Faculty Hires

IV.Diversity Goals

V.Candidate Interviews and Communication with the Dean's Office

a.Before Interviews Begin

b.Arranging and Conducting Interviews

c.For Tenure-Track Hires

d.For Year-Long Visitor Hires

VI.Choosing Final Candidates

VII.Suggestions Regarding Diversity Representatives and International Hires

a.Examples of Questions to Ask in On-Campus Interviews

b.For Diversity Representatives

c.Points of Consideration

d.What Can I Ask? How Do I Ask It?

e.Some of Our Favorite Questions

f.Evaluating the Search

VIII.Colorado College Guidelines for Employing International Faculty in a Tenure-Track Position

IX.Record Keeping for Tenure-Track Hires

Appendix I: Samples of Job Announcements

Appendix II: Websites for Improving Diversity

Appendix III: Comments from New Faculty

I. Securing Approval for a Tenure-Track Search

All departments and programs must seek approval for any tenure track search. Submit proposals to theDean of the College, who will discuss proposed searches with the chair or director and the FEC, and make a recommendation to the President. The President gives final approval for all searches.

Proposals for the reauthorization of a position vacated by retirement or resignation are due by theend of Week 3 in Block 7. Authorized searches will take place during the following academic year.

Proposals must include:

1) a brief description of the position

2) an explanation of the need to fill the position

3) a statement of how the position fits into the long-term goals of the department or program, how it contributes to general education requirements, and how the position might contribute to diversity in the curriculum and/or the community

4) an initial draft of a job announcement

The application form can be foundhere.

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II. Starting the Search: Search Committee

After securing final approval to conduct a search, the department or program will select a search committee. According to the Faculty Handbook, a search committee normally consists of members of the hiring department plus two non-departmental faculty members. If a departmental member is being replaced, he or she does not serve on the search committee. All committee members participate in every phase of the search and hiring process.

The hiring department or program will select the first outside member, and the Associate Dean of the Faculty will select the second outside member.

If a hiring department has fewer than four members, the requirement regarding two outside members may be altered. The hiring department must submit a proposal outlining the desired committee composition and the reasoning for this composition to the Diversity and Equity Advisory Board and the Dean for discussion and approval. If only one non-departmental representative serves on the hiring committee, the department will suggest someone for this service. If the Associate Dean of the Faculty does not accept the suggestion, the department will put forward another name. The Associate Dean of the Faculty makes the final decision.

This past year the faculty voted to replace the Women’s Concerns Committee (WCC) and Minority Concerns Committee (MCC) with a Diversity and Equity Advisory Board. The faculty also voted to change the way the College selects diversity representatives to serve on search committees.

In 2015-16 each search committee should have a minimum of two diversity representatives. At least one of the representatives must be tenured, and both representatives should have completed either two half-day sessions, or 1 full-day session on diversity in the recruiting process. An outside member can also serve as a diversity representative. The sessions are designed to enhance our knowledge of, and ability to explain, how issues of diversity affect searches for tenure-track faculty. These sessions should be completed as expeditiously as possible and in keeping with the timeline of the search.

The DEAB and the Associate Dean of the Faculty must approve the final version of the announcement before the Department Chair places it in appropriate publications and websites. If your department is willing to consider a split appointment, the job announcement should include that possibility.

In 2015-16 all hiring departments and programs must use PEOPLE ADMIN to collect applications and manage their search. After receiving the approved announcement from the department/program, HR will set it up in PEOPLE ADMIN and provide hands-on training to the department/program point person.

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III. Job Advertisements for Faculty Hires

The Dean’s Office places a single ad in major national venues including specific sites to recruit faculty who may contribute to diversity. This replaces the old practice of individual departments paying for their own ads in the same journals (i.e., in a year with seven searches, we previously paid for seven ads in The Chronicle of Higher Education, seven ads in Inside Higher Ed, seven ads in Latinos in Higher Ed, and so on). Now the office pays for one ad in each of these locations commonly used by all departments. The ads list the department and field being sought and refer people to the CC faculty employment website for details of the position. Be sure to send the final approved job description to the Associate Dean of the Faculty for posting on that site.

The journals/websites in which the College currently places the college ad are:

The Chronicle of Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed
Latinos in Higher Ed
Hispanic Outlook
Diversejobs.net
HigherEdJobs.com
SACNAS
Outlook in Higher Education
AcademicCareers.com
The Academic Network

If a significant venue is missing from this list that is national in nature (not just specific to one discipline) please contact the Dean’s Office. The ads are normally submitted for print by mid-August to assist the many departments that are searching early every year. Let the Associate Dean of the Faculty know if a department needs to place ads even earlier.

While departments will, of course, place their ads in venues appropriate to the discipline, it is important to include venues within and outside of the discipline that are likely to be seen by potential candidates who are not well represented in the discipline.

Remember that ads are expensive; please be concise, precise and judicious about the number of ads you place, and think strategically about where you place them.Before submitting ads to journals and websites, departments or programs should inform the Associate Dean of the Faculty of the cost and get approval. This is necessary in order to stay within the recruiting budget.

The Colorado College EEO statement now reads as follows:Colorado College is an equal opportunity employer committed to increasing the diversity of its community. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, disability, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression in our educational programs and activities or our employment practices.

See samples of ads in Appendix I

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IV. Diversity Goals

To strengthen our collective efforts to diversify the faculty and the curriculum we must make every effort to recruit highly qualified candidates who contribute to diversity and ensure that they are represented in the final round. In addition to the journals and sites where the Dean’s Office posts college ads, the Diversity and Equity Advisory Board has identified journals and sites that are especially valuable for diversity recruitment. While advertising is crucial, note that advertising is usually not enough to accomplish our goals; we encourage departments to use multiple approaches to enhance the diversity of the candidate pool. In addition to contacting universities and professional associations, many of which have web pages, search committees can access sources on Appendix II of this document. Please be aware that the President may cancel a search if a search committee has failed to make a strong effort to enhance the pool.

See Sites for Improving Diversity in Recruitment in Appendix II

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V.Candidate Interviews and Communication with the Dean's Office

If search committees have questions or concerns that are not addressed in the Dean’s Office guidelines, the Dean or Associate Dean of the Faculty can meet for a few minutes with the full search committee (including outside representatives) sometime between the placement of the job announcement and when the committee begins reading applications.

Before interviews begin the Dean’s Office should have:

  • names of diversity representatives and one cognate member of the search committee (sent to Associate Dean of the Faculty before Commencement of the preceding year); the second cognate member is chosen by the Associate Dean of the Faculty
  • a copy of the final job announcement (usually early in the summer), and information on where it has been posted or published

The current policy is to provide new tenure-track faculty with $6000 in start-up funds. With these funds the new colleague can purchase a computer system through the College ITS department. The balance constitutes a discretionary fund to support professional development. In disciplines and fields that are likely to require start-up funds for labs, it would be helpful to provide an estimate of start-up funds for a potential new hire. The estimate could be based on a median and range of funds provided to a sample of recent hires in the department.

Arranging and Conducting Interviews

  • Departments often interview a short list of candidates at professional meetings. We can use our recruiting budget to support expenses for one or two faculty members to interview candidates at professional meetings. Of course we can reduce expenses if faculty who plan to attend meetings for professional development can also participate in recruitment. Departments may choose to move from the short list to on campus interviews through telephone interviews as well.
  • When the department or program has selected the final candidates to interview, please send the Dean (care of Pam Leutz) the following for eachinterviewee, as well as the other two or three candidates on the short list:
  • Application Letter/ Cover Letter
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Letters of recommendation
  • PeopleAdmin applications
  • Alternatively a “Combined Document” created through PeopleAdmin can be sent to the Dean, which will include all necessary documents.

Additionally, indicate the total number of applicants and the numbers and percentages of identifiable women and minority candidates. Contact HR for assistance running the report.

  • Once the Dean approves the campus visits the department may arrange the on-campus interviews. A department or program may ultimately propose to hire a person who is neither a U.S. citizen nor permanent resident. In some cases, the College needs to support a candidate’s application for an employment visa or a permanent residency, a process that will require additional information and documentation about the search. Please follow the Guidelines for Employing International Faculty that is in this document.
  • For on-campus interviews, we try to maintain a practice of inviting three candidates, usually for three days and two or three nights. Please consider whether certain dates will result in lower airfares. Only in exceptional circumstances do departments receive authorization to interview a fourth candidate.
  • Departments and programs arrange agendas for campus visits. Candidates participate in a public presentation and/or discussion open to the College community. Please schedule a 30-minute interview for each candidate with the President and a 45-minute interview with the Dean of the College and Faculty. Provide both offices with a copy of each candidate's CV and application letter. Please include reference letters for the Dean as well. (The Dean’s Office should already have these materials; make sure to provide the President with the application letter and CV.) Candidates may find it useful to visit not only classes, but also the library, the Director of Faculty Research Support, the fitness center and other centers, downtown, and other areas and neighborhoods of Colorado Springs.

Expenses

Treat visiting candidates well, but remember that with so many candidates on campus, costly meals can deplete the recruiting budget. In particular, eliminate or limit expenses for alcoholic beverages. Spouses/partners who do not perform a role in the interview process do not attend meals. For expenses, please call Pam Leutz at x6682 to receive spending guidelines. The search committee chair (or designee) and the candidates must keep all receipts for the charges made to the College for the search. The following guidelines apply:

For Tenure-Track Searches

  • Travel to conferences for recruiting
  • Up to two faculty supported from Dean’s Office
  • Each faculty person will be reimbursed up to $300/day for up to three days for food, lodging, ground transportation and baggage fees (with receipts), plus lowest-cost airfare, and registration for the conference if this is necessary
  • Please take advantage of free or low-cost spaces provided for interviewing. If it is essential to use a hotel suite, the Dean’s Office will cover the difference in cost between one hotel room and a suite for interviews.
  • Candidate’s on-campus visit
  • Use preferred hotels with CC rates found on the CC Finance and Administration Secure Information page:

You will need to log in to secure the information page that is found on this site.

  • The Dean’s Office will pay up to $2200 total for meals/food/entertainment during on-campus interviews for the normal three candidates. For departments with 8 or more tenured/tenure-track faculty the Dean’s Office provides up to $2400.Departments will be asked to cover expenses above these amounts.
  • For transporting a candidate in Colorado Springs, you may use a CC vehicle, in which case insurance is provided by the College. If a faculty member uses his or her own vehicle to transport the candidate during the visit, the faculty person’s personal insurance provides coverage.

For Year-Long Visitor or Riley Scholar-in-Residence Searches

The procedures for recruiting a year-long visitor or Riley Scholar-in-Residence differ from those for a tenure-track search. A department usually brings in only one candidate. (Special permission from the Associate Dean of the Faculty is needed to bring in a second year-long visitor candidate.) A department should be fairly confident that the candidate would be a good fit for the position before inviting him or her for an interview. This visit is shorter, about one and a half days. Typically the year-long visitor candidate’s itinerary includes a meeting with the Associate Dean of the Faculty, a class visit, a presentation, and a campus tour. The Riley Scholar-in-Residence candidate meets with the Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives.

  • Travel to conferences for recruiting does not apply.
  • Candidate’s on-campus visit
  • Use preferred hotels with CC rates found on the CC Finance and Administration Secure Information page:

You will need to log in to secure the information page that is found on this site.

  • The Dean’s Office will pay up to $500 total for meals/food/entertainment during on-campus interviews for the normal one candidate. For departments with 8 or more tenured/tenure-track faculty, the Dean’s Office provides up to $600.Departments will be asked to cover expenses above these amounts.
  • For transporting a candidate in Colorado Springs, you may use a CC vehicle, in which case insurance is provided by the College. If a faculty member uses his or her own vehicle to transport the candidate during the visit, the faculty person’s personal insurance provides coverage.

All recruitment expenses should be paid by the department’s operating budget, using account 773531 “recruiting/interviews” (instead of using accounts for meals, lodging, airfare, etc.) and recorded on the Recruitment Form available on the Dean’s Office website. At the conclusion of the search, please submit the Recruitment Form to the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will transfer funds into the department operating fund (account 773531) to cover the approved expenses. If departments have questions about this procedure, please contact the Dean’s Office to discuss alternative options.

See Comments About the Interview Process from New Faculty in Appendix III

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VI. Choosing Final Candidates

After candidates have been interviewed the search committee chair solicits comments from those who met with the candidates, and arranges and facilitates discussions among the search committee. Once the search committee has voted and decided on a candidate to recommend, the committee chair DOES NOT make an offer. The chairor program director contacts the Dean of the College and Facultytoprovide information on the committee’s choice, the diversity of the applicant pool and interviewees, and the level of support within the department for the recommended candidate. The Dean reports the department’s and his or her own recommendation to the President. Official offers cannot be made without the President’s approval. Once secured, the Dean will notify the search committee chair who may then contact the candidate to inform the candidate that the College is interested in making a job offer. If the candidate is interested in entertaining an offer, the Dean will contact the candidate and offer an appointment on behalf of the College. The Dean will discuss salaries, start-up funds, tenure clocks and moving expenses with candidates. If the terms of the appointment are accepted, the President or Dean sends the candidate a letter of appointment.