Council on Faculty Diversity and Inclusion

Faculty Search Manual

SEARCHING FOR EXCELLENCE & DIVERSITY

A GUIDE FOR FACULTY SEARCHES AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Boston University is committed to fostering a diverse University community within a supportive and respectful environment. We believe that faculty diversity is essential to our success as a leading research university with a global reach, and that diversity is an integral component of faculty excellence. Diversity is multidimensional and may encompass life experience, gender, sexual orientation, race, national origin, ethnicity, physical ability, spiritual beliefs, and intellectual approach. As students and faculty engage and are challenged by one another, diverse perspectives will enhance the quality of intellectual exchange and the creation of knowledge.

A university that develops and sustains a diverse community must support the diverse needs of community members so that they can participate in university life to their fullest capacities and with wholehearted commitment. Faculty, staff, and students need to feel respected and valued for who they are and the talents they bring to their work. Respect for a diverse faculty includes respect for all aspects of faculty identities including their community, family, and religious roles, as well as faculty roles and identities as scholars and teachers.

A university that fosters diversity must support the quality of life of its faculty in order to maximize their productivity and the caliber of their scholarship and intellectual contributions.

This guidebook provides advice from experienced and successful search committee chairs and from research and advice literature on academic search strategies.

It is expected that you will modify, adjust, and/or adapt these recommendations in accordance with such factors as the size of your search committee and pool of candidates, the breadth of areas encompassed in the position description, and the standards of your discipline.

Printable Version

Compiled by Sheryl Grace, Gloria Waters, Julie Sandell, Neta Crawford; Edited by Lisa Tornatore

This document is based on Searching for Excellence & Diversity: A Guide for Search Committee Chairs, a guide developed by the Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI) at the University of Wisconsin Madison as part of the ADVANCE grant. Permission for use of that guide was given to Boston University on January 26, 2007.

WISELI version written and compiled by Eve Fine and Jo Handelsman, with contributions and suggestions from Molly Carnes, Bernice Durand, Randy Durand, Rosa Garner, Linda Greene, Steve Lund, Luis Piñero, Christine Pribbenow, Dean Pribbenow, and Jennifer Sheridan; Edited by Hilary Handelsman.

Table of Contents

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL SEARCH

  1. FORMING THE SEARCH COMMITTEE
  2. RUNNING AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT SEARCH COMMITTEE
    1. Preparation: Before you meet with your search committee
    2. Tips and guidelines: Running an effective and efficient search committee
      1. Building rapport among committee members
      2. Tasks to accomplish in your initial meetings
      3. Anticipating problems
      4. Concluding your meetings
  3. ADVERTISING FOR AND ACTIVELY RECRUITING AN EXCELLENT AND DIVERSE POOL OF CANDIDATES
    1. Advertising
      1. Language for the advertisement
      2. Places to advertise position openings
      3. Public relations for the University
    2. Discussing Diversity
      1. Statement on diversity in searches
      2. Common views on diversity in hiring
    3. Tips and Guidelines for building a diverse pool of candidates
      1. How to build a diverse pool of candidates
      2. Dispense with assumptions that may limit your pool
  4. RAISING AWARENESS OF UNCONSCIOUS ASSUMPTIONS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON EVALUATION OF CANDIDATES
    1. Influence of unconscious assumptions and biases
      1. Examples of common social assumptions
      2. Examples of assumptions or biases in academic contexts
    2. Potential influence of unconscious assumptions and biases on your search
    3. Overcoming the influence of unconscious assumptions and biases
    4. Resources
  5. ENSURING A FAIR AND THOROUGH REVIEW OF CANDIDATES
    1. Discuss and develop criteria for evaluation
    2. Conduct the review in stages
      1. STAGE 1: Creating the “long short list”
      2. STAGE 2: Selecting a “short list” of candidates to interview
    3. Resources
      1. Sample forms
  6. DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING AN EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW PROCESS
    1. Key aims of the interview
    2. BEFORE: Planning for an effective interview process
    3. DURING: Guidelines for interviewing
    4. AFTER: Follow-up and selection
    5. Additional Tips
  7. RESOURCES
    1. Appropriate and Inappropriate Questions
    2. Reviewing Applicants: Research On Bias And Assumptions