Guidelines for Recruitment of Tenure-Track Faculty

> Printer friendly version of this document

Revised Fall Semester, 2005

1. The academic reputation of any University rests on the quality of teaching and research done by its faculty. Recruitment of new faculty is thus vital to the continuing development of the University of Georgia. Above all else, the search process must focus on the scholarly credentials of candidates for appointment, and it must identify and bring to the University only the most distinguished and qualified candidates available. The best way to do this is through a carefully conducted national or international search. Only under compelling circumstances should our own Ph.D.'s or M.F.A.'s be candidates for recruitment.

2. Faculty recruitment may be initiated only on written approval by the Dean. Departments should begin active recruitment in the summer or early fall one year in advance of making the appointment. Recruitment to fill positions for the following August is not usually authorized after mid-fall.

3. The College requires that all faculty search committees actively and aggressively pursue recruitment of individuals from underrepresented groups. The Department Head is responsible for ensuring that the search is conducted in compliance with the University's Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity guidelines. The AA/EEO Office must approve each job advertisement before it is published or circulated. In addition to the statement that the University is an AA/EEO institution, the ad should include a sentence such as, "The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty and strongly encourages applications from individuals in under-represented groups.” Before inviting candidates to campus, department heads must report to the Dean on steps taken to identify candidates from under-represented groups and to include them in the recruitment pool.

4. The Department Head asking to recruit must provide the following information to the Dean:

1. scholarly area in which recruitment is desired;
2. need for the position;
3. possibilities of hiring individuals from underrepresented groups based on the national pool;
4. courses to be taught by the new faculty member;
5. probable starting salary;
6. estimated start-up costs; and
7. space needs, including any renovation costs.

Only a sentence or two are needed for items B and C.

The estimate of start-up costs should be realistic and competitive, but not excessive. To avoid the escalations of start-up costs evident in some recent hires, the Dean's Office will have to hold departments to their estimates as closely as possible.

If the department wishes to fill an existing open position, and if that position was previously held in a scholarly area different from the one in which the department wishes to recruit, the department head must provide a statement explaining how the department will meet teaching needs in the original scholarly area.

5. Positions will generally be authorized for recruitment at the level of Assistant Professor. However, in exceptional circumstances a senior-level search may be authorized if the need is clearly evident.

6. The Department Head will appoint a search committee. The Head is strongly encouraged to include on the committee at least one member from outside the department; exceptions to this recommendation must be discussed with the Dean before the committee is named. Department Heads must see that minorities and women are fairly represented on search committees. When a search committee is appointed, the Head must notify the Dean in writing of the committee's membership.

7. The Dean's Office reimburses up to $2,500 (revised July 1, 2002) in expenses for each position recruited. The expenses include costs of publishing a job ad, as well as travel and living expenses for interviewees. No expenses for persons other than the interviewee can be reimbursed from these funds. With prior approval of the Dean, however, some expenses of the Head's travel (or the Head's designate) to a meeting for recruitment may be reimbursed. Any additional expenses (entertainment, etc.) must be borne by the department or the faculty.

8. At least two job candidates must be interviewed for each opening. When a candidate is brought to campus, the Department Head and Search Committee Chair must arrange meetings with personnel from the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences.

Candidates for appointment at the rank of Professor must interview with personnel from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Senior candidates for faculty appointments who require sizable start-up funds should interview with personnel from the Office of the Vice President for Research.

During the hiring process for faculty at the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, or full professor, a request may be made by the appropriate dean for Graduate Faculty status. A written request with the faculty votes, along with a c.v., for Graduate Faculty appointment must be forwarded to the dean of the Graduate School, and a duplicate package sent to the Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. The applicant's department head must notify the dean of the Graduate School when the applicant accepts employment. Upon approval by the graduate dean, Graduate Faculty status will begin with date of employment for a three-year period. New hire Graduate Faculty members will be eligible for regular Graduate Faculty appointment in three years and thereafter reappointment every seven years.

Candidates for appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor must interview with the Dean of the Graduate School or one of his associates, since they should be considered for Graduate Faculty status. For incoming faculty at senior ranks, nomination materials for appointment to the Graduate Faculty should be included with other appointment materials, so that new senior faculty will receive prompt appointment to the Graduate Faculty.

9. The Department Head must discuss the entire package of commitments involved in a job offer with the Dean before discussing these commitments with a job candidate. Commitments include:

1. level of position;
2. any recommendation of credit toward tenure;
3. academic-year salary;
4. any summer-school salary;
5. teaching load;
6. space, including any renovation costs;
7. start-up costs of research; and
8. any moving expenses.

Renovation costs have been a special problem during the past several years, and it is the Department Head's responsibility to obtain an estimate of these costs from the Physical Plant Division before beginning recruitment.

The Dean's Office has no funds for moving expenses because we are not permitted to use state funds for moving expenses. Expenditures for this purpose must be paid from the UGA Foundation, or the Research Foundation component of departmental overhead accounts. Departments may provide moving expenses from their Foundation accounts if the fund agreement allows such expenditures. For senior-level appointments only, the Dean's Office can request moving funds (from a Foundation account) through the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

10. When offering appointments to candidates who have held a tenured or tenure-track faculty rank at another institution, we may recommend that the Board of Regents credit a maximum of three years of prior service toward the five-year minimum probationary period required for tenure consideration at the University. If credit for prior service is to be requested, you must fill in this number of years in the space provided for this purpose on the appointment form at the time it is submitted. If you are offering appointment to a candidate who has been a faculty member at another university, it is important that you explain in your job letter the University's policy on tenure, and that you clearly state any probationary credit toward tenure that you will recommend.

The Board of Regents will now consider requests for immediate tenure for very senior candidates for appointment. In each case, a request must be made to the Board before tenure can be granted. This process usually takes some time, so it is not possible to guarantee immediate tenure in a letter of offer. Rather, the letter can state, "We will request the Board of Regents to grant you immediate tenure." Requests for immediate tenure are not routine, and this issue must be discussed with the Dean before it is raised with a job candidate. Guidelines for recommending tenure on appointment can be found at http://www.uga.edu/provost/fap605.pdf.

11. The Department Head and Dean must obtain agreement from the appropriate campus office (e.g., OVPAA or OVPR) that is responsible for each commitment before a job offer is sent.

Note that renovation expenses must be requested early in the year if they are to be included in the College's plans.

12. The job offer must state that the position involves both instructional and research responsibilities, and it must clearly explain these responsibilities. Advising undergraduate majors is a basic faculty responsibility. Each job letter must include the statement, "Your instructional responsibilities will include the advising of undergraduate majors." Departments may offer a reduced teaching load during the first year of employment, but not thereafter. No job offer can include a permanent reduction in the usual teaching load without explicit written permission from the dean.

13. All commitments in job offers must be stated in a single letter offering a faculty position. There can be no verbal or implied commitments. All job offers must include the following statement: "All commitments associated with our offer of a faculty position are stated in this letter."

14. All job offers must include the statement, "Like all offers of faculty positions at The University of Georgia, this offer is subject to approval by the Board of Regents."

15. All job offers must contain a clear statement of a deadline for response, such as "Let us know whether you accept our offer by ______________. After that date we will proceed to consider other candidates." Deadlines may be extended only with approval of the Dean. We recommend a response period of not more than two weeks, unless special circumstances require a longer period.

16. All job offers must be signed by both the Department Head and the Dean.

17. The Department Head is responsible for promptly forwarding a copy of the acceptance or refusal letter and a start-up funds request form to the Dean.

18. The Department Head is responsible for providing information on job searches to the AA/EEO office.