1. 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

2. 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?

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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?

7. 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?

8. 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

10. 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

11. 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