Before Recruitment: Effective Practices Regarding Search Committees Alicia J. Knoedler Executive Associate Vice President for Research Executive Director, Center for Research Program Development and Enrichment

Search Committee Composition Diversity: demographics, perspectives, responsibilities, positions at the University (not just the department) Size of the committee is an important consideration Consider search committee experience as well as the opportunity to train those with less experience Search committee overlap – opportunity vs service overload?

Elements of Productive Search Committee Meetings Meetings should be essential, organized and productive – create an agenda, means of sharing materials, determine administrative duties Devise a meeting schedule First meeting to discuss: Committee responsibilities Committee member perspectives, expectations and roles Decision making processes Position characteristics and criteria* Timeline

Elements of Productive Search Committee Meetings Second meeting to discuss: Screening criteria – 1st and 2nd Development of the position announcement AFTER the screening criteria are crafted Third meeting to discuss: Places to announce the position Active recruitment Opportunities to discuss the position internally Communication plan within the department

Developing Criteria for Faculty Positions – First Screening Minimal acceptable qualifications Balance between too many and too few “Candidates must…”; “required…”; Significant hurdle for the search committee: agreeing upon what is meant by undefined terminology: Equivalent experience Contribute Ability to develop Evidence of leadership Demonstrated success Demonstrated communication skills Demonstrated understanding Working knowledge This will have handouts

Developing Criteria for Faculty Positions – Second Screening Same issues with vague terminology – define these terms as a committee Given various requested materials, how do the criteria align with the evaluation of applicant materials? To weight or not weight criteria…prioritization Quantitative and/or qualitative measures What is the threshold for inviting candidates to advance to the next step in the process?

Position Announcements Use the screening criteria to write the position announcement Expect an iterative process of modifying the criteria and the announcement Introduce the position with broad appeal and enthusiasm – what’s the tag line? What materials will be requested from applicants? What will the committee learn from these materials? How will the materials be evaluated?

Position Announcements Include statements indicating the department’s/college’s/university’s commitment to diversity The school/department is interested in candidates who have demonstrated commitment to excellence by providing leadership in teaching, research or service toward building an equitable and diverse scholarly environment. Include information about the application process, required materials, and the timeline Include information about OU and Norman

Possible Challenges and Hurdles Committee members assume everyone is “on the same page” about the search The Search Committee chair is responsible for making sure every member has an equal opportunity to contribute and every member has the responsibility of making meaningful contributions Committee members not understanding the full process – ask questions! Not sticking to the timeline Search Committee chair needs to provide a safe environment for debate and discussion – no repercussions for disagreements

Take Aways – Getting an Effective Search Started… Composition of the search committee matters Be organized with search committee meetings – each meeting has a purpose Develop meaningful screening criteria and define them Write the position announcement AFTER the screening criteria are drafted All committee members should play an active role in promoting the position announcement