SEARCH AND SELECTION PROCEDURES
for
FACULTY
and
PROFESSIONAL EXEMPT POSITIONS
GENERAL GUIDELINES
FACULTY POSITIONS
For assistance please contact the HR Records Manager Juli Heintz
1. No search for a faculty position may be initiated without formal approval by the Provost/Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The document utilized for this purpose is the Faculty/Professional Exempt Position Authorization Form (see Appendix).
2. The position announcement should include a description of job responsibilities, areas of academic sub-specialization and minimum qualifications for the position. Since several offices are involved in the review and approval process, please allow several days for this. Every effort will be made to complete this review process in an expeditious manner.
3. Once all approvals have been made, a copy of the approved Faculty/Professional Exempt Position Authorization Form should be forwarded to the Human Resources Department so the announcement may be posted on the campus website. At this point, recruiting may begin. (See Search Procedures)
4. For any search which is announced at the assistant professor level, no candidate who will require an appointment at the associate or full professor level should be recruited or brought to campus without prior approval from the Provost/Vice Chancellor's office.
5. A waiver of the search process may be used to fill faculty positions in certain limited circumstances (see Waiver of the Search Process for Faculty and Professional Exempt Positions).
6. Searches (or waivers of the search process) are required for ALL faculty positions, including tenured, tenure-track positions, senior instructor or instructor positions, research faculty and professional research assistants.
PROFESSIONAL EXEMPT POSITIONS
For assistance please contact Associate Vice Chancellor Susan Szpyrka
1. A professional exempt position is one which is exempt from the State Personnel System in accordance with statutes adopted in 2004.
2. There are the five categories of positions which may be exempt from the State Personnel System:
A. Officers and their executive assistants;
B. Employees in professional positions, including:
1) Deans, directors, chairpersons, and professionals in academic and academic support positions;
2) Heads of administrative or academic departments or divisions and their principal professional subordinates; and
3) Professional employees of the Board of Regents.
D. Heads of functions supported primarily by student fees and charges, including heads of residence halls and their professional staff;
E. Heads and professional staff of departments of intercollegiate athletics;
F. Heads of and professional staff involved in research and grant projects; and for the duration of their initial appointment, individuals in grant-funded positions where funding is limited by a known expiration date of the research project or grant.
4. Permanent professional exempt positions which are University Officer positions (Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Deans, and any other position designated as an officer by the President) are to be filled according to Board of Regents’ guidelines and these procedures. (See Appendix)
5. All other professional exempt positions (unclassified administrator and professional exempt staff) must be filled according to these procedures.
6. A waiver of the search process may be used to fill officer and professional exempt positions in certain circumstances (see Waiver of the Search Process for Faculty and Professional Exempt positions).
7. A professional exempt position may be filled on a temporary or acting basis for up to one year. All acting or interim appointments to Administrative Positions must be approved in accordance with Regent Policy 2K.
A "temporary" appointment is used for an appointee who is not currently employed by the University.
An "acting" appointment is used for an appointee who is currently employed by the University.
8. An "interim" appointment may be made to fill a position on an emergency basis for an unspecified period of time. An interim appointment does not have a specific time period as the interim appointment concludes when the position is filled on a permanent basis.
9. At this time searches are not required for temporary, acting, or interim positions, but "good faith" efforts must be made to ensure a diverse pool of temporary appointments. However, an Exempt Professional/Faculty Position Authorization Form, a letter of offer checklist, and a letter of offer must be completed, accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation, and circulated for signatures.
10. University officers and professional exempt employees are generally regarded as "at will" employees who serve at the pleasure of the Chancellor, President, and Board of Regents.
CREATING A PROFESSIONAL EXEMPT POSITION
1. New Professional Exempt Position
A new professional exempt position or a change to an existing professional exempt position description must be approved by the Chancellor. To apply for such approval, the Exempt/PRA Job Description must be completed. The completed form along with a current organizational chart that shows the reporting structure for the position is then submitted electronically to Susan Szpyrka for review and approval. Please allow a minimum of two weeks for the review and approval process.
2. If the Human Resources Department finds that the proposed position meets the legal guidelines for exemption of the position, the job description will be submitted to the appropriate Vice Chancellor and the Chancellor. This review must occur before the position can be announced. Early submission of the materials is essential.
4. If the Chancellor approves the position, the Personnel Department notifies the appointing authority and any other appropriate administrator. If the Chancellor does not approve the position, the position is to be abolished or is to be filled as a classified staff position.
5. NOTE: The creation of a new professional exempt position does not permit filling the position until funding has been identified and approved by the Budget Office.
JUSTIFICATION FOR POSITION REPLACEMENT
(Faculty or professional exempt)
Whenever vacancies occur, department heads would be prudent to evaluate their overall operational activities and processes to see if changes or adjustments should be made, i.e. are the talents and abilities of the current staff being utilized effectively and efficiently? Even when funds are available, perhaps existing employees could be delegated new assignments or take on new roles which would provide opportunities to expand upon their skills or knowledge base in a particular capacity. The following are questions which should be answered by a supervisor before filling a vacancy:
1. How is this service/program/position related to our mission?
2. What would be the consequence to students or staff of a reduction or elimination of this service? (e.g. access, diversity, student success)
3. What would be the impact on student success and/or staff wellness, stress, morale, or other areas if this service/program/position were reduced or eliminated?
4. Is the local community dependent on this service/program/position?
5. What, if any, are the relationships with other services or programs?
6. Would we meet accreditation guidelines or compliance mandates if this service/program/position was reduced or eliminated?
7. Where does this service or program fit in state or national policy agendas?
8. Does this service/program/position have potential for positioning the college for the future (e.g. effective use of technology to deliver educational services to unreached audiences or to promote college support within the community)?
9. Is the service/program/position in a declining or growth mode (note: existing technology, national trends, other)?
10. How has the service/program/position become more efficient over the years? (Note: use FTE or other valuative units to justify)
11. What would be the consequences of redistributing the service/program/position workload among existing staff? What could be changed or eliminated?
12. Does this service/program/position generate revenue? Is there potential for revenue generation?
13. Is there a legitimate other source of funding (e.g. student fees or resources in the community) for a particular service?
