PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING FACULTY AND STAFF SEARCHES AT UMCP

Procedures And Guidelines For Conducting Faculty And Staff Searches At UMCP

CHAPTER 1

DEVELOPING A POSITION DESCRIPTION

MYTH:
CONDUCTING A SEARCH THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO AFFIRMATIVE ACTION CONCERNS IS COSTLY, TEDIOUS, AND TIME CONSUMING

REALITY:
If one employs proper management skills, conducting a search that is sensitive to affirmative action issues need not take significantly more time than conducting a search which is not sensitive to those issues. Enlarging the pool of candidates and tre ating all candidates equitably and fairly is in many instances more a function of will than of time. Ultimately, a proper search is both time and cost effective, for a search which attracts a diverse group of well- qualified candidates is likely to resul t in a lasting and productive relationship between the individual hired and the University. Furthermore, a search which fails to create a diverse pool of candidates may fail to gain appropriate higher-level approvals.

Position descriptions should generally include the following:

Name or title of the position.
Employment classification of the position, ie. faculty, associate, staff, etc.
Specific duties and qualifications for the position.
Affirmative Action Statement.
Duration of appointment and starting date.
Salary range or notation stating competiveness.
Deadline for receipt of applications.
Request for resume/vitae and references.
Contact person with name, address, and telephone number (usually the search committee chair).

Because most searches occur due to the departure of a current staff or faculty member, there is a natural tendency to think as a replacement for the incumbent; in other words, we tend to seek individuals with the same areas of expertise and qualifications as the departing person; at this point a commitment to diversity should begin.

Both the requirements and the responsibilities of the position can and should be reconsidered to be certain that they are not simply the result of traditional practices but are genuinely related to the current and future needs of the unit, including the n eed to enhance diversity among faculty or staff. A position description should be written to include the following considerations.

A manner that which attracts a diversified and broad range of candidates.
Qualifications should be defined broadly where possible. Given the historical exclusion of underrepresented groups from many graduate programs or other sources of preparation, too rigid or narrowly defined requirements may unnecessarily exclude poten tially successful candidates from serious consideration (e.g. numbers 1 and 2 of the following).
Utilize qualifiers or adjectives with care; they may cause potential applicants to self select themselves out of consideration (e.g. number 4 of the following).

Examples of flexible wording in the position description:

"Candidates should posses an advanced degree, preferably the doctorate", rather than "Ph.D. required".
"Candidates should have an advanced degree in counseling or a related discipline" rather than "degree in counseling required."
"Candidates should have a MA degree and three years work experience, or BA degree and five years experience" rather than "a MA and three years work experience required."
"Candidates should have a solid record of scholarship and research" rather than "candidates should have a distinguished or nationally recognized body of research and scholarships."

An emphasis in the interest for affirmative action candidates can be represented by strategic placement of the EEO/Affirmative Action statement. Placement within the body of the announcement, particularly as part of the listing of qualifications, indicat es a high level of interest (see sample position announcements in appendix C).

Prior to advertising the vacancy, the position announcement must be forwarded to the appropriate Equity Administrator for review.

With the exception of the President’s office and internal and reorganization appointments below the directors level, all reviews of requests to initiate searches and all subsequent reviews of activities and material related to the affirmative actio n components of searches should be conducted by Equity Administrators who are external to the hiring Unit.

Upon approval, the Equity Administrator will forward the announcement to the President’s assistant and the Office of Personnel Employment for campus posting of the vacant position. The Assistant to the President will forward a sample Equal Employment Off ice (EEO) Information Request Card to the search committee chair with instructions to forward a card to each applicant when the committee acknowledges receipt of credentials. Once the position has been announced, the search committee must adhere to speci fics of the announcement, i.e. candidates who lack the minimum qualifications for the position as stated in the announcement should not be considered, and applications received after the stipulated deadline should not be reviewed. Exceptions requir e the specific approval of the Major Unit Head acting with the advice of the Equity Administrator.

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