Faculty Recruitment

In the College of Fine Arts, “Career-track” faculty positions are defined as all tenured/tenure-track faculty positions and all Practice series or Instruction series faculty positions. See the College of Fine Arts Professional Track Policy for more information.

College of Fine Arts Requirements

All recruitment efforts to fill career-track faculty positions require that:

• a search committee-led recruitment process occurs or a posting waiver.
• with oversight of the dean, the department chair/school director determines membership of all faculty search committees.
• the following approval steps are taken:
  • All searches for career-track faculty positions must be approved by the dean before any advertisement is posted or recruitment begins. Department chairs/school directors or their designate should submit a request to search form via Smartsheet, with the attachments required by the Smartsheet form, to get that approval.
  • Prior to the search committee making decisions about which applicants to advance, the dean must approve the applicant pool, which review will automatically occur just prior to the job posting’s published date for review of applications to begin.
  • Prior to scheduling in-person interviews, the dean must approve the short list of finalists.
    faculty positions must be advertised for a minimum of 30 days prior to reviewing applications, and advertising for 60 days or more before reviewing applications is preferred.
  • all faculty job postings must state when review of applications will begin.
  • the interview finalists only be asked to submit three letters of reference.
  • the dean or the dean’s designate meets with each final interview candidate.
     

All faculty search committee activity is advisory to the department chair/school director, and the department chair/school director determines who to recommend for hire as result of the search.

Step-by-step Procedure

These are the steps the department chair or school director should take to launch a faculty search for a career-track faculty position:

1. Discuss the hiring plan with the Dean and convince the Dean to approve the search to proceed.
2. Assemble a search committee. Meet with the committee, give them a charge, and set their first tasks as 1) writing a first draft of the job posting, 2) drafting a plan describing how the search committee will encourage a competitive applicant pool, including to whom the search committee will reach out and where it will advertise, and 3) discuss, decide, and write down what criteria or rubric the search committee members will use to evaluate applications.
3. With faculty affairs staff person, complete the request to search form and attachments via Smartsheet, which include the job posting, the advertising and outreach plan, search committee membership, the evaluation criteria the search committee will use, and brief letter of justification for the search. Submit that to the dean’s office via Smartsheet. The dean’s office reviews  before returning approval to you to post the position and begin recruiting.
4. Inform the search committee to launch the search. Typically department staff places the job postings in Interfolio and other identified posting venues. Refer to the next section on this page under "Faculty Search Process for Search Committees" for instructions for the search committee and the section labeled "Faculty Search Committee Guidelines & Resources" for resources for the search committee. The search committee should recruit applicants, share the advertisement widely, and allow the advertisement to run for at least 30 days, 60 or more days is preferred, before beginning review of applications.
5. Two or three business days prior to the advertised date to begin review of applications, the dean’s office will review the applicant pool and decide whether to authorize the search to proceed with making decisions about which applicants to advance. The search committee may not make decisions about any applicants until that approval of the applicant pool is granted.
6. When the search committee has identified a short list for final interview, the department chair or school director brings that list, with CVs, to the Dean directly for approval prior to any final interviews being scheduled. The Dean will review with his assistant and associate deans and respond with approval or not for the interviews to be scheduled.
7. When scheduling final interviews, staff or the search committee chair should also ask the interview finalists to submit three letters of reference.
8. The Dean or the Dean’s designate should be scheduled for one-on-one meetings with finalists.
9. After interviews, the department chair informs the Dean to whom the chair wants to offer the position. Once authorized by the dean, the department chair begins hiring negotiation.
10. When initial terms are reached, document preliminary agreement of terms either with an informal e-mail or with a provisional offer letter. Department/school faculty affairs staff should assist.
11. Department/school faculty affairs staff then prepare Prior Approval Request (PAR) for formal approval of new faculty appointment. Only after the PAR is approved can a formal, binding offer letter be sent and only after the candidate accepts the formal offer can public announcement of the hire go out.

• In most cases, it is not necessary to conduct formal recruitment for temporary positions, which are typically hired with the job title of Lecturer. Instead, departments and schools should have an ongoing general ad posted on UT Faculty Careers website for their temporary faculty hiring needs.
• While a search committee or posting waiver is not necessary, the decision-making process must comply with all college and university faculty hiring policies as well as state and federal law.
• Approval to hire and fund temporary faculty starts with the soft money budget request, usually done in late spring in conjunction with budget process for upcoming fiscal year.
• The department chair/school director requests approval to hire a temporary faculty member with the Prior Approval Request (PAR).

• All applications for faculty positions must be submitted via Interfolio.
• All faculty job advertisements must include the university’s Equal Employment Opportunity statement.
• Hiring committees may not evaluate candidates on the basis of any class or identity protected by the university’s non-discrimination policy, which is based on federal and state laws.
• All records of faculty searches must be maintained by the hiring department/school for at least three years after the start of the successful candidate in compliance with the university’s records retention policy.
   

See also:

• Hiring Faculty with Tenure Process
• HOP 2-2010: Academic Titles and Tenure
• HOP 2-2160: Recommendations Regarding Faculty Compensation, Faculty Promotion, Tenure, Renewal of Appointment, or Nonrenewal of Appointment
• Provost’s Office: Recruitment & Retention

When do I need to fill out a “Request to Search” Document?

Whenever you want to conduct a national search for a new career-track faculty member

Am I required to use the “Request to Search” document to hire T/TT faculty members?

Yes, with the exception of cases where you have an approved posting waiver or will be getting an approved posting waiver.

Am I required to use the “Request to Search” document to hire Prof-T faculty members?

• If the professional-track faculty member is being hired into a full time, career-track position, then yes, a Request to Search document is required, except in the case of an approved posting waiver. Career-track faculty positions in the College of Fine Arts use the tenured/tenure-track, practice series, or instruction series job titles.
• If the professional-track faculty member is being hired into an adjunct/temporary/contingent faculty position, then no, a Request to Search document is not required.

What are some examples of cases when I do not use the “Request to Search” document?

• Lecturer or Specialist hires.
• Hires in the Visiting title series.
• Hires made using a posting waiver, like dual career hires.
• Courtesy appointments.

What are some examples of cases when I should conduct a national search, even though I am not required to?

• When it is critical for the success of the eventual hire to have gone through a rigorous national search vetting process.
• When the hire is going to be an important, permanent part of your faculty for many years, it is often important for that faculty member to prove to their faculty colleagues that they are deserving of their new faculty position, so that when they arrive on campus they are valued, respected, and welcomed by their new faculty colleagues.
• For this reason, career-track, professional-track faculty members should be hired via a national search.
• When it is important for the faculty member to prove that they are the best candidate possible for the position in question, such as when hiring an existing faculty member for a different faculty positions (e.g. hiring an existing professional-track faculty member to fill a T/TT faculty position).
• When it is a professional-track hire, even a lecturer hire, and you do not have any idea who to hire into the position or how to find someone with the appropriate expertise.
   

What funding does the dean’s office provide for faculty searches?

For most faculty searches approved via the Request to Search document, the dean’s office contributes:

• search costs (advertising, travel expenses for interviewees)
• relocation costs/moving expenses of the faculty member who is hired.

These funds are not intended to cover all costs associated with recruiting a faculty member. The department/school is expected to contribute additional funding.

Search costs provided by the dean’s office do not cover entertainment expenses. The department/school should use its own funds for any entertainment expenses associated with a faculty search.

Relocation funds are taxable income to the prospective employee.

Whenever a tenure-track/tenured faculty member separates from the university, the dean’s office sweeps their salary line from the department/school’s recurring budget. These swept tenure-track/tenured salary lines fund tenure-track/tenured hiring each year in the college.

When a department/school has a temporary need for a short-term replacement for one of these separated tenure-track/tenured faculty members, the department chair/school director, or their delegate, can request “separation bridge funding” from the dean’s office for one-time funding to cover teaching replacement cost for that separated faculty member for a short-term period. In general, the dean’s office uses the separated faculty member’s salary as the budget for the separation bridge funding request and usually approves separation bridge funding at cost of replacement. Separation bridge funding can only pay for instructional needs (e.g. faculty positions, TA/AI positions).

The department chair/school director, or their delegate, can submit a request for separation bridge funding here. This is a rolling deadline. Requests may be submitted at any time.

In the College of Fine Arts, hiring of career-track faculty positions requires a search committee-led recruitment process. “Career-track” faculty positions are defined as all tenured/tenure-track faculty positions and all Practice series or Instruction series faculty positions. Hiring temporary faculty hiring (e.g. lecturers) do not require a search committee process. See the College of Fine Arts Professional Track Policy in the above section for more information.

All faculty search committee activity is advisory to the department chair/school director, and the department chair/school director determines who to recommend for hire as result of the search.

The dean’s office level approval steps for a faculty search are:

• All searches for career-track faculty positions must be approved by the dean before any advertisement is posted or recruitment begins. Department chairs/school directors or their designate should submit a request to search form via Smartsheet to get that approval.
• Prior to the search committee making decisions about which applicants to advance, the dean must approve the applicant pool.
• Prior to scheduling in-person interviews, the dean must approve the short list of finalists.
   

See the College of Fine Arts Faculty Search Policy in the above section on this page for more details.

1. The department chair or school director will assemble and charge the search committee.
2. The search committee will help the department chair/school director secure dean’s office approval for the search, which for the search committee usually includes 1) writing a first draft of the job posting, 2) drafting a recruitment plan describing how the search committee will develop a competitive applicant pool, including to whom the search committee will reach out and where it will advertise, and 3) discussing, deciding, and writing down the criteria the search committee will use to evaluate applications, paying close attention to ensure that the criteria do not discriminate on the basis of any protected class or identity. Resources to help with drafting a job posting and advertising the position in the next section below titled "Faculty Search Committee Guidelines & Resources." See the university’s non-discrimination policy for more information. Resources for evaluation criteria are here.
3. Once approved by the dean’s office, department/school faculty affairs staff post the job on Interfolio and assist the search committee with posting the advertisement in other venues. The search committee members then begins its efforts to recruit a strong applicant pool, and that can include contacting individuals using their own networks to seek nominations for the position and spread the word, directly contacting potential candidates to invite their application, and sharing with list serves and other appropriate organizations. The search committee should activate other faculty in the department for names of individuals to reach out to (for nominations and to solicit direct application). The position must be posted for at least 30 days before review of applications begins and posting for 60 days or longer is preferred. The job posting should state the date on which review of applications will begin.
4. Two to three business days before the published date for beginning review of applications, the dean’s office will review the applicant pool for approval. The dean’s office e-mail the department/school faculty affairs staff with approval, or not, and that staff person should inform the search committee chair. The search committee should not make any decisions about which candidates to advance until you hear back from the dean’s office about the applicant pool.
5. Then, the search committee evaluates applications, decides on a long list for phone interviews/first round interviews, and conducts those first round interviews, usually via zoom or phone. Resources for interviews are in the section on this page labeled "Faculty Search Committee Guidelines & Resources."
6. After all initial interviews, the search committee should meet and decide on a short list to recommend for final interviews. It is common for the search committee to contact references via phone to help inform the decision at this point. When the short list is identified, the search committee should send it to the department chair or school director who will bring it to the dean’s office for approval, prior to any final interviews being scheduled. Simultaneously, the search committee should decide whether to release some of the candidates (by telling them that their candidacy is not advancing for this position). Seek advice of the department/school faculty affairs staff person on when to do this communication.
7. The department/school faculty affairs staff person should request letters of reference from all short list finalists.
8. After the dean approves the short list, the search committee should schedule and conduct final interviews. Final interviews are often 2-3 days and  include many of the following: meetings with the search committee, the chair/director, the dean, faculty in the area of specialization, students in the area of specialization, a presentation of their research, a demonstration of teaching, faculty outside of the area of specialization, the EC/BC, at least one opportunity open to any interested faculty member or student, and meals. Consider pacing, sequencing of meetings, and who needs to be included. A general principle is to give all applicants equal opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications and potential for the position.
9. After interviews, the search committee should meet to decide who to recommend that the department chair or school director hire for the position. The department chair or school director handles negotiation and next steps.
10. After the search process concludes, the search committee should 1) gather all records from the search (recordings, notes, any directly received application materials) and send to the department/school faculty affairs staff person for records retention requirements, 2) verify that all applicants have been told the final status of their application (e.g. telling those whose candidacy will not advance), 3) in some cases, the department/school faculty affairs staff person will contact you to ask for you help with certain with hiring paperwork, such as asking the search committee chair to prepare a written teaching assessment and assist with writing a description of the process the search committee used.
     

Resources

Comprehensive Guides:

• Powerpoint Presentation on Faculty Search Processes in the College of Fine Arts 

Creating and posting the job:

• Interfolio Faculty Recruitment New User Guide

Non-discriminatory evaluation criteria:

• UT’s HR guidance on creating and using a Selection Matrix.

Interviewing:

• UT’s HR guidance on interviewing
• Best Practices for Conducting Online Interviews