COAS Hiring Process Guide

This is a condensed and COAS-specific version of the Quick Guide for Filling Vacant Faculty Positions and the UNF Policy on Faculty Employment. In case of conflict, UNF policy supersedes this document.

This document covers searching for continuing (tenure-track and non-tenure-track) faculty. It does not apply to searching for visiting positions, staff, graduate students, or adjuncts.

1. The Dean approves the search by emailing an approved search request form to the department chair. Please email COAS HR for most recent form.  
2. The department chair nominates the faculty to the search committee. (In some departments, the composition of search committee may be guided by departmental bylaws.)
3. The department chair assures that the committee is approved by EOI and that the committee members have undergone the appropriate EOI training. If desired, the EOI can provide a whole departments training. If that is a desirable option, the department chair needs to get in touch with EOI to organize such training.
4. Committee reviews the Legal Reminders and Recommendations. Florida Sunshine law requires that all the committee meetings and candidate interviews are announced at least five business days or seven calendar days in advance. At UNF, these announcements must be put on the UNF calendar and announced through Osprey Update. The Osprey Update electronic form has a box that, when checked, will forward the announcement to the University Calendar.
5. The department chair sends electronic copies of the COAS Faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan, UNF's Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence, and Searching for Excellence and Diversity (Available from Lev Gasparov). All members of the search committee review these documents. 
6. The department chair gives the committee its charge. This charge should include reminders regarding the importance of teaching, research (for tenure-track faculty), and diversity. Other important components should also be discussed including matters specific to the department and the search as well as the role of the entire department faculty to use their networks to recruit.
7. The committee writes the job ad. The ad should
   1. follow the EOI requirements,
   2. include the following statement (required by the Provost's Office): "UNF faculty are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic excellence in all phases of instruction, research/scholarship/creative activity, and service," (The "research/scholarship/creative activity" phrase should be removed for NTT hires.)
   3. include a statement indicating the UNF is a Carnegie Community Engaged institution,
   4. Include a statement of the importance of contributing to diversity.
    
8. There are many good ways of wording the statements about community engagement and diversity. With thanks to the Department of Physics, here is one example: "UNF is a Carnegie Community Engaged institution. This designation celebrates the University's collaboration with community partners from the local to the global level. It reflects UNF's mission to contribute to the public good and prepare educated, engaged citizens. We are especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching and service. The successful candidate will be able to excel at teaching courses throughout the curriculum, conduct externally funded research involving undergraduate and graduate students, and be committed to increasing the participation of the members of underrepresented groups."
9. With the guidance of the department chair, the office manager puts the information about the search in OASys. This includes the search plan and the ad. To do this, a line number is required. This number is usually on the approved search request form. (Contact the COAS HR Coordinator if you do not know the line number.)
10. The ad is approved by the Dean and the Associate Dean for Faculty Advancement.
11. EOI reviews the ad. Upon EOI approval, the Position Vacancy Announcement will be posted online on UNF's current job openings web page.
12. After EOI approval, the ad is submitted to appropriate journals/websites including the venues that are focused on the faculty underrepresented in the department's disciplines. Only EOI-approved advertisements are allowed.
13. The applications are collected. Applicants must submit applications via OASys. If another method of application submission is requested as a reasonable accommodation for persons with certain disabilities, contact EOI.
14. The committee reviews the applications, and develops a phone/Skype interview list.
15. The phone/Skype interview list is sent to EOI.
16. The phone/Skype interview list is approved by EOI. (This is called "approval of pool.")
17. Committee reviews the Guidelines for Interviewing.
18. The committee conducts the phone/Skype interviews. The information about the interviews needs to be posted in Osprey Updates.
19. The committee meets to recommend the candidates for on-campus interviews.
20. The the list of candidates recommended for on-campus interview is forwarded to EOI for approval.
21. The on-campus interview list is approved by EOI.
22. The entire department (including staff) reviews the Guidelines for Interviewing.
23. The department contacts Chellie Jones-Harris to schedule times for candidates to meet with the Dean (tenure-track) or an Associate Dean (non-tenure-track).
24. The candidates are invited for on campus interviews. The information about the interviews is posted in Osprey Update.
25. At least three business days before the first candidate comes to campus, the department emails the Dean (tenure-track) or an Associate Dean (non-tenure-track) the text of the ad and the CVs of the candidates coming to campus.
26. Because hiring memo must speak to the teaching ability of the recommended candidate, departments are strongly encouraged to facilitate teaching opportunities for the candidates and all department faculty should be encouraged to attend the teaching session.
27. The candidates come to campus for the on-campus interviews.
28. If it wishes to do so, the committee completes additional reference checks on the finalists. These should be the listed references for the applicant. If the committee wants to go "off list," they should seek prior approval from candidate.
29. The committee sends a hiring recommendation memo to the department chair. This memo addresses teaching, research (for tenure-track faculty), and diversity.
30. The department chair sends a hiring recommendation memo to the Dean. This memo addresses teaching, research (for tenure-track faculty), and diversity. The department chair includes a copy of the search committee's hiring recommendation memo. The Dean's Office will be attentive to see that the candidate's dossier contains concrete evidence that the recommended candidate is an excellent teacher and that the department has carefully evaluated the teaching ability of the candidate. The Dean's Office will also be attentive to see that departments have made sustained and effective efforts to advance UNF's Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence and the COAS Faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan.

     

    In addition to above mentioned information the requests have to include the following:

    1. Position number
    2. Candidate name
    3. Requested Salary
    4. Anticipated Start -Up Costs (if any)
    5. Any additional information you think is relevant
     
31. The Dean gives permission (via email) to make a verbal contingent offer. (All offers are contingent on background checks, verification of right to work in the US, etc.) The hiring proposal in OASys must be submitted at this time. Please refer to HR's hiring proposal guides for documents needed within the hiring proposal.
32. Chair to make the verbal offer to the candidate
33. If the candidate accepts, please send the candidate a follow up email, using the attached template wording (created by AA/immigration lawyers). Change the items that are bolded to match your terms agreed upon.
34. Once you receive the confirmation response from your candidate, the department needs to complete the hiring proposal with the below information uploaded directly into the hiring proposal.
    1. PDF print of the email confirmation of the verbal contingent offer from the candidate
    2. Official offer letter, signed by the chair
    3. Scanned Copy or Official PDF of transcripts. If you have paper copies of transcripts, after scanning and uploading them, you will need to send the paper copies to AA. 
    4. Completed Fac Doc Check List, signed by the chair (there will be an updated check list sent out next week).
    5. Three letters of recommendation
    6. Candidate CV
     
35. Once all of these documents are in the hiring proposal, the department will send the proposal to the DDD queue where the dean’s office will be able to review the faculty credentials, download, sign and re-upload the fac doc check list and offer letter. Once that is complete we will send the proposal to AA.
36. The proposal will then route through AA, both on the budget side and faculty credentialing side. Departments will be able to track where each packet is, in real time!
    
    
37. Once the proposal is fully reviewed, the offer letter will be signed by the provost and then it will be sent directly to the office staff to capture the signature of the candidate.
38. Once the signature of the candidate is received, the department will email the offer letter back to AA (currently to Brittany Duffy) and AA will attach the final letter to the hiring proposal and send the full packet to HR to begin the background screening process.
39. The University completes background checks, verification of right to work in the US, etc. Department chairs and office managers assist with this process.
40. Upon successful completion of all the verifications, the candidate arrives in Jacksonville and starts a successful career at UNF!