EIU Office of Internal Auditing

#14 - Employment and Recruitment Procedures for Faculty and Academic Support Professional Positions, Continuing and Temporary

Approved: October 12, 2023

Monitor: President

TERMINOLOGY

Form A = Personnel Authorization Request (PAR)

Form B = Recruitment Plan and Vacancy Announcement

Form C = Candidate Selection Form

Form D = Request to Offer Appointment

EEO Survey = Applicant information survey (electronic) provided by the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity

Applicant = A person who submits materials for a specific position

Candidate = A person listed on Form C

Search Waiver Request Form = Used when requesting to fill a position outside of the external recruiting process due to special circumstances

AUTHORIZATION

Before a vacant position can be advertised or filled, Form A must be completed by the Hiring Manager and submitted via the online PAR system and approved by the Dean, the Vice President and the President. Form B is completed by the Hiring Manager (Department Chair/Unit Head) and approved by the Dean/Director and the Civil Rights Director. Advertising for a position should not occur until both Forms A and B have been approved.

Guidelines for employing Academic Department Chairpersons are described in a separate policy.

RECRUITMENT

In most instances, positions shall be filled through an external recruiting process to ensure an inclusive and competitive process. Filling vacancies through this process ensures that the University maintains compliance with federal and state AA/EEO requirements. The Chair/Unit Head and the Civil Rights Director shall discuss the composition of the department's faculty members and the department's recruitment and retention efforts for persons from underrepresented groups. The Chair/Unit Head is responsible for developing a recruitment plan that encourages the formation of a large, diverse, highly qualified applicant pool. Before the advertising and screening process can begin, the Dean/Director, and the Civil Rights Director must approve Form B including both the Recruitment Plan and Vacancy Announcement.

The Recruitment Plan shall address, at a minimum, the following items:

• Duties/Responsibilities of the Position
• Description of the Recruitment and Advertising Process
• Composition of the Screening Committee
• For Unit B faculty member/ASP positions only, whether virtual interviews will be utilized. (All other positions are required to have on-campus interviews.)

Specific guidelines pertaining to the Recruitment Plan shall be established by the Office of Civil Rights. These guidelines shall be available on the OCR website and such other vehicles as deemed appropriate. The Civil Rights Director or designee may serve as an ex-officio member of all screening committees.

If, after the Recruitment Plan has been approved, the Chair/Unit Head or the Dean/Director wish to deviate from the approved plan, the Civil Rights Director must approve the changes.

Screening Committee

Screening Committees play an integral role in identifying, recruiting and evaluating candidates. The Chairperson of a screening committee shall not be the one who directly reports to the position being filled nor should it be the Chair/Unit Head or Hiring Manager.

1. The Hiring Manager shall list the unit or group composition of the screening committee, and designate the chairperson of the screening committee in the recruitment plan. If, after the plan is approved, any change occurs in the committee composition, the Hiring Manager shall notify the Civil Rights Office at the time of the change.
2. The Hiring Manager shall describe in the Recruitment Plan the scope and function of the screening committee in reviewing applications, recommending potential candidates, interviewing, and providing commentary on the final candidates to the Hiring Manager.
3. The plan shall include a tentative timetable of important dates in the screening process.
4. Unless approved otherwise, screening committees should have at least 4 members, including the chairperson and one member from outside of the hiring unit. Particular attention must be paid to achieving a diverse composition including gender and race/ethnicity. Student participation is encouraged when appropriate.
5. All screening committee members and hiring managers must complete training on equitable and inclusive hiring practices. The training is effective for a period of 2 years.

EMPLOYMENT PROCESS

After approval of Form A and Form B, the Screening Committee shall carry out the Recruitment Plan.

The Chair/Unit Head and Dean/Director are responsible for recommending employment. The Chair/Unit Head is responsible for providing guidance and administrative support to the designated Screening Committee Chairperson regarding the entire employment process. At the beginning of the screening process, the Chairperson/Unit Head shall explain to the screening committee its duties as outlined in the Recruitment Plan. Early in the recruitment process the staff from the Office of Civil Rights should be invited to review the process for ensuring a proper search, applying the principles of nondiscrimination, and suggesting "best employment practices."

The Chairperson/Unit Head is responsible for ensuring that all application materials are secured. Unless otherwise authorized by the President, only persons serving on the screening committee, the Chair/Unit Head, the Dean/Director, the Civil Rights Director, and the division Vice President shall have access to applicants' letters of reference or transcripts. All screening committee deliberations are confidential and may only be shared with those directly involved in the employment decision. Other members of the department may view applicants' letter of applications, resumes, and scholarly/creative samples.

Application Process

1. All letters of interest and credentials shall be directed to either the Chairperson/Unit Head or designated screening committee chairperson as indicated in the Recruitment Plan. The Chairperson, or designee, shall acknowledge all letters of interest.
2. The Chairperson/Unit Head shall be responsible for obtaining a complete applicant file as described in the vacancy announcement.
3. The Chairperson/Unit Head shall be responsible for ensuring that all applicants are sent an EEO survey (unless using an electronic system), and directed to information about the department, the University, and the community.

Candidate Selection Process

No candidates may be invited for interviews until Form C is approved by the Civil Rights Director, and the Dean/Director. The Screening Committee shall function according to the charge outlined in the Recruitment Plan.

1. The Chairperson of the Screening Committee shall prepare the Form C and upload files for the Dean/Director approval.
2. The Dean/Director shall review the candidates' files and may request additional information from the chairperson when appropriate. Upon approval of the Form C by the Dean/Director, the Form C and applicant files will be reviewed by the Civil Rights Director for approval. No invitation shall be extended to a candidate until the required approvals have been obtained on Form C. Form C may be updated and/or amended by electronic communications as needed with the approval of the Dean and the Civil Rights Director via the online PAR system. Appropriate actions shall be taken by the Dean/Unit Head and the Civil Rights Director to ensure that the Recruitment Plan has been followed. If either of these individuals determines that the candidate pool is of insufficient quality, size, or diversity, they may direct that the screening process be reopened, that the position be filled temporarily, or that the search be cancelled. Until the Chairperson/Unit Head has made the recommendation for employment, additional qualified candidates may be considered for interviews with the approval of the chairperson, Dean, and the Civil Rights Director.
3. The Chair/Unit Head, or designee, shall invite candidates and make appropriate arrangements for interviews. The invitation shall include an explanation of the University's policy on reimbursement of interview expenses. The candidates may also be reminded of other specifics pertaining to the position and appointment. Salary and rank/title must be approved by the Dean and the Vice President.

Candidate Interview Process

1. The Chairperson/Unit Head shall establish the interview schedule. This schedule shall ordinarily include the Dean, faculty/staff and any others deemed appropriate. Candidates for teaching positions may be required to make presentations to the faculty or teach sample classes to which faculty and students are invited. The Chairperson/Unit Head shall establish the appropriate interview schedule for academic support professionals.
2. The Chairperson/Unit Head, or designated Screening Committee Chair, shall ensure that the candidates' evaluation forms are distributed at each interview session. Other signed memoranda or communications may also be considered by the committee.
3. The Chairperson/Unit Head, or the designated Screening Committee Chair, following the guidelines of the Recruitment Plan, shall prepare a composite summary of the evaluations of the interview sessions, summary comments from the screening committee, and reference information.
4. The Chair/Unit Head is responsible for ensuring that the final candidates' references have been appropriately checked, and that the credentials are appropriate for the advertised vacant position. The selected candidate will be required to submit official transcripts.

OFFER OF APPOINTMENT

No offer of employment may be made until the Dean/Director, the Civil Rights Director, and the division Vice President have approved the Form D.

1. After consultation with the department screening committee, the Chair/Unit Head shall submit the Form D, the candidates' complete applications, and other appropriate materials to the Dean for approval via the online PAR system.
2. If approved by the Dean/Director the accompanying materials will be routed via the online PAR system to the Office of Civil Rights for review.
3. After completing the review process, the Office of Civil Rights will approve the Form D and all accompanying materials will be routed to the division Vice President.

The Vice President, upon approval of the recommendation, shall send an offer of appointment with a return date specified. The Dean shall provide the Office of the Vice President with narrative about any special terms negotiated with the prospective faculty member for inclusion in the offer of appointment. The offer shall also state i) return date specified, ii) if applicable, requirement to submit official transcript, iii) if applicable, statement that employment is contingent upon favorable results of background check, and iv) explain that the new employee shall complete an Employment Eligibility Form (i-9) as required (Section 1 must be completed on the first day of employment and Sections 2 and 3 must be completed by the end of the third day of employment).

COMPLETING THE EMPLOYMENT PROCESS

1. All newly hired employees shall be required to complete the State of Illinois Ethics Training and the Preventing Harassment & Discrimination training within 30 days of employment.
2. The Chairperson/Unit Head, or designated Screening Committee Chairperson, shall notify all unsuccessful candidates and complete all remaining paperwork associated with the search and interviews.
3. The Chairperson/Unit Head shall ensure all applicant files (i.e., required documents for consideration), screening committee summary comments (i.e., strengths and weaknesses of candidates as sent to hiring supervisor) and Chairperson/Unit Head notes (i.e., reference notes) are in the search file and submitted to the Office of Civil Rights at the conclusion of the search process. Search files will be kept in a secured location for three years and in accordance with the Records Retention Policy.

TEMPORARY FACULTY

Before a temporary position may be filled or advertised, a Form A must be approved by the Chair/Unit Head, the Dean/Director, and the Vice President via the online PAR system.

In most situations, temporary positions shall be filled through a national or regional recruitment process. Situations where a national or regional search cannot reasonably be completed, the chairperson/unit head is required to complete a search waiver and provide formal justification for a direct hire and the request must be approved by the Dean, Civil Rights Director, and the Provost.

Advertising for temporary positions may be omitted under certain circumstances, such as when vacancies are to be filled by persons on the Re-employment Roster, when there is insufficient time to advertise for the position, or for other sound academic or business reasons that are approved by the chairperson, the Dean, and the Civil Rights Director.

When a national or regional screening process is approved for a temporary position, the procedures set forth in this policy for filling a continuing faculty position apply.

A Form D shall be completed for any new temporary appointment.