All Search Committee Chairs and members must obtain training on the search processes (provided by Human Resources and Affirmative Action Office) prior to initiating the work of the Search Committee.
Search Committees should include at least one member of an underrepresented group. If it is not possible to appoint a committee member from within the academic or administrative unit who can fulfill this representational requirement, a person from an underrepresented group from outside the unit experienced in evaluating faculty or administrator qualifications could be asked to join the committee.
All Search Committees must receive Affirmative Action training provided by the Affirmative Action Office.
Student representation on a Search Committee is encouraged. If students are not represented on a Search Committee, they should have an opportunity to meet a candidate in either an interview setting or to attend a presentation made by a candidate.
Search Committees established for vacant or new positions in the MSUAASF bargaining unit must have at least one MSUAASF representative selected by the Campus Association President. The number of MSUAASF members on the Search Committee cannot be exceeded by the membership from any other bargaining unit (MSUAASF Article 20, section E).
No one with a conflict of interest or an obvious bias which may jeopardize the fairness of the Committee's work should serve on a Search Committee. (Refer to the MnSCU Board Policy on Nepotism and Consensual Relationships.)
Members of a Search Committee should be from diverse backgrounds in order to provide a variety of perspectives.
The role of Search Committee members includes: assisting in recruiting applicants to the pool, participating in screening of all applicants, developing lists of questions to ask references by telephone, making phone calls to references and reporting back to the entire committee, participating in observing demonstration class and formal interview, completing evaluation forms for candidate's interview, participating in final evaluation and formulation of report to hiring official, and attending all meetings and maintaining appropriate confidentiality.
At the beginning of each search, the Committee should establish an exacting meeting schedule so its task can be completed in a timely manner. Searches that drag on are frustrating to Committee members and have a negative effect on applicants. It is easier to cancel meetings that become unnecessary than it is to add extra sessions after Committee members have established their schedules for the semester.
