Hiring Selected Senior and Other High-Level Leaders

Authorizations and Approvals

Each administrative unit establishes its own authorization process to fill a vacancy or create a new position. Check with the supervising administrative unit for instructions on how to gain approval to begin the search process.

Hiring senior and other high-level leaders generally follows the same process outlined in Step-by-step Hiring Instructions with some distinct requirements that are outlined below.

Prior Consultations

Hiring managers should consult with both the Director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and the Vice President of the Office of Human Resources about the search process as well as on the decision of whom they wish to hire. Such consultation does not require approval by either office before continuing.

Governance Committee Involvement

The appropriate governance committees (PDF) will be consulted prior to the selection of search committee members and chairs by the appointing authority for senior leaders as set forth in Board of Regents Policy:  Reservation and Delegation of Authority (PDF). The selection of the University President is the legal responsibility of the Board of Regents.

Appointing a Search Committee

A search committee with a well-defined charge will be assembled by the appointing authority, in consultation with the department's regular faculty or appropriate leader(s), the dean or appropriate unit senior leader, and the unit EOAA Liaison or Director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.

Non-administration members of search committees for the specified positions will be chosen by the appointing authority after consultation with the chair of the Senate Consultative Committee (SCC) or appropriate governance committee.

1. The appointing authority will ask the chairs to submit, by a specified date, nominations of faculty, P&A, civil service staff members, or students, as appropriate, to serve on the search committee. The appointing authority will identify the number of individuals in each category expected to serve on the search committee. The number of individuals nominated should be greater than the number expected to serve on the search committee (perhaps twice as many), in order to provide the appointing authority flexibility in the choices. The appointing authority will select the members of the search committee from among those nominated or will consult with the SCC chair or appropriate governance committee about alternative choices.
2. The SCC chair or appropriate governance committee will ordinarily be given at least two weeks’ notice of the need for nominees to the search committee.
3. If the SCC chair or appropriate governance committee is unable to provide nominations by the date specified, the hiring manager may appoint the search committee without senate committee consultation.

Conducting Interviews and Forwarding Recommendations

Based on a thorough screening and review of the application materials, a pool of applicants is identified for interview by members of the search committee. The appropriate governance committees will be engaged in interviewing the finalists for select senior and other high-level leader positions.

Representatives of the appropriate governance committees and the members of the designated additional committees will be given an opportunity to attend an interview with each finalist. Interviews will be scheduled irrespective of the scope of the search (full, limited, or non-competitive appointment); in the case of non-competitive appointments, there will be an opportunity to interview the finalist before the position is offered to the finalist.

Interviews may be arranged for governance participants alone or in conjunction with others, but will be separate from any public presentation by the finalist.

The SCC or appropriate governance committee chair will be supplied, in advance of the interview, copies of the position description and the curriculum vita of each finalist, for distribution to governance participants. Governance participants will provide comments as quickly as possible to the appointing authority. Their views will be submitted as a summary of opinions or as a collection of individual comments.

The hiring process should not be slowed or hindered by the governance interview process, regardless of time of year or attendance. If the SCC chair determines that other senate committees should be represented in interviews with finalists, they may delegate responsibility for identifying individuals to such other committees. When a senate committee is identified, it may invite other committee members, including past members, to participate in the interview process.

The search committee interviews applicants, makes assessment, and compiles recommendations to be forwarded to the President or designee. 

Reviewing Recommendations

The President (or designee) reviews the search committee's evaluation of all candidates who were interviewed, the list of candidates who were not recommended for selection, and the reasons candidates interviewed by the search committee were not referred for selection. The President (or designee) and EOAA and HR should review the goals for the department at this point.

The President may now:

• initiate the interview process for the finalists following University procedures; or
• determine the pool of finalists is not adequate and ask the committee to reevaluate the pool and examine files of any/all applicants in the pool at any point; or
• determine the pool of finalists is not adequate and personally reevaluate the candidates and examine files of any/all applicants in the pool at any point; or
• reopen the search process to expand the pool of applicants (see the Reopening a Search section in Appendix: Recruiting a Diverse, Qualified Applicant Pool); or
• close the search and possibly reopen at a later time.

Approvals before Hire

When senior and other high-level leader positions carry a concurrent tenured faculty position, the Executive Vice President and Provost must review credentials of the proposed candidate and provide approval to the President before the hire can be made.

The President or Chancellor makes the offer to the prospective senior or other high-level leader, which must be approved by the Board of Regents.