Building Column

Full-Time Faculty Appointment and Search Procedures

Full-time Faculty Appointment and Search Procedures

The Vice Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs, in consultation with the Dean and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, establishes a faculty committee for each search.

The Office of Academic Affairs provides administrative support for searches and works with the search committee to complete the following steps:

  1. Creation of a search announcement. The Vice Dean, in consultation with the Senior Associate Dean and other members of the Office of Academic Affairs, will draft an announcement for the search committee’s review and approval.
  2. Posting of the search announcement. The Office of Academic Affairs will post the approved announcement on the University’s Academic Search and Recruiting (ASR) system. ASR is integral to the University’s affirmative action review procedures and all applicants must apply via ASR. All search committee members are provided access to ASR as evaluator and must log in using their University UNI and password.
  3. Placement of advertisements for the search. Advertisements for all positions are placed on the SIPA website. In addition, all political science searches are advertised in American Political Science Association e-Jobs and all economics searches are advertised in JOE online in addition to other appropriate professional journals. Search committees should suggest additional venues for advertising if they wish. In addition, the Office of Academic Affairs will advertise in diversity venues identified in the University best practices for searches. The Office of Academic Affairs places adverts.  
  4. Short list of candidates. Search committees are responsible for identifying a short list of candidates to visit SIPA. Short lists typically include 3 – 6 candidates (or sometimes more than 6). In some circumstances, the short list may contain two candidates, but never only one candidate.  SIPA guidelines require that at least one person on the short list be from a group historically underrepresented at SIPA (women, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, and members of other underrepresented groups). If the search committee is unable to identify one qualified finalist from one of these groups, the committee must submit a brief memo to the Vice Dean explaining the steps it has taken to locate such a person.  The Vice Dean may decide either to allow the committee to proceed with the visits or require the committee to continue to search for a qualified candidate from an underrepresented group. 
  5. Campus visits. Candidate visits to SIPA always include meetings with the search committee, the Vice Dean and interested faculty and – in most circumstances -- students.  Senior candidates usually meet with the Dean. When the search committee is ready to invite short-listed candidates to campus, it informs the Vice Dean and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The Office of Academic Affairs coordinates arrangements for visits, including scheduling, travel and lodging, and reimbursement of expenses.
  6. Search Committee report. When the search committee has identified a selectee, it prepares a written report, describing the position, search process (including the candidates interviewed) and qualifications of the selectee (including the selectee’s CV). If the search committee cannot identify a qualified selectee, the committee chair informs the Vice Dean. 
  7. Faculty review of search committee’s recommendation. The search committee report is then reviewed, first by the Committee on Appointments and Promotions (CAP) and then by a meeting of the appropriate full-time SIPA faculty.
  8. Recruiting Senior faculty. Search Committees should note that in the case of senior external hires, which require the review by the faculty Tenure Review Advisory Committee, the deadline for submitting the tenure dossier to the Provost is February 1.

 SIPA’s Diversity Goals and Procedures

As an integral element of its recruitment efforts, SIPA is committed to strengthening the School’s efforts to identify and hire qualified women, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, and members of other underrepresented groups. The University’s best practices guide to recruiting and hiring diverse faculty is available here.

There are several steps that will help guide this search in accordance with these goals, which include:

  • Advertising in wide-ranging recruitment outlets that include groups with diverse faculty and audiences.
  • Encouraging the search committee to reach out to colleagues in institutions that have diverse faculty and ask them to identify potential candidates (or provide contact information for these colleagues to the Office of Academic Affairs, and we will contact them on your behalf).

As noted above, according to SIPA policy, the short list of finalists invited to SIPA for a visit must include at least one finalist from groups historically underrepresented at SIPA (women, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, and members of other underrepresented groups). If the search committee cannot locate such a candidate, it must provide a short memo to the Vice Dean, explaining the steps it took to locate such a finalist.  The Vice Dean may decide either to allow the committee to proceed with the visits or require the committee to continue to search for a qualified candidate from an underrepresented group.