School of Visual and Performing Arts
Position Search Process
Office of the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts
Memorandum No. 98-1, June 2, 1998


This document outlines the process for position searches in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. It is integrated into the University's formal search process document (Office of Academic Affairs Memorandum No. 94-2, November 8, 1994, supersedes 93-2 - in italics); the VPA expectations are in regular type face. The numbering system matches the university document.

This document is intended to assist those individuals responsible for recruitment. The document is designed for personnel record keeping and should be retained until the recruitment process is completed. Item numbers indicate the order in which the following procedures should be accomplished.

Proposed Position:______________________________________________________________

Rank Department School/Division

Area of Specialization:___________________________________________________________



___1. Request to Recruit EEOR-1 (available from the Affirmative Action Office) completed by the department and submitted for approval via the dean/director of the academic unity through the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who will assign a position number to the request, to the Chancellor.

___2. Copies of approved Request to Recruit EEOR-1 distributed by the Affirmative Action Office to the signatories.

___3. Wording for the advertisement(s) prepared by the department chair and faculty and forwarded via the dean/director to the Affirmative Action Officer for approval, who will forward to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Advertisements for position placed in at least one national journal, listed with women's and minority organizations within the discipline's national organization, and listed with graduate schools with large minority enrollments. The advertisement must request three original letters of recommendation specific to this position, one of which is from the current place of employment.

For paid advertisements, purchasing requisition Form 12 (available from stores), including the dates for the appearance of the ad and the total cost, completed by the department and submitted for approval along with the wording for the advertisement.

Approved paid advertisements forwarded to the publisher by Purchasing; approved free advertisements forwarded to the publisher by the department.

___4a. The Search Committee is appointed by the chair after consultation with the faculty, according to departmental procedure, and is approved by the dean. The search committee comprises at least three department faculty and is encouraged to include students, with responsibilities defined by the committee, and members from outside the department, as appropriate.

___4b. Head of search body reviews EEO/AA procedures with Affirmative Action Officer.

___5. Acknowledgment letter sent by the department to each applicant with Equal Opportunity Information Request Form and return envelope (forms and envelopes available from the Affirmative Action Office). The Search Committee Chair responds to applicants with an acknowledgment letter containing a checklist of received documents, an indication of those yet to be received, and an enclosure of the form and envelope described above. Checklist includes letter of application, curriculum vita, and three original letters of recommendation, one of which is from the current institution of employment.

___6a. Compilation of candidate's dossier by department to include (1) letter of application, (2) curriculum vitae, (3) at least three professional letters of reference no more than three years old, including at least one from the institution at which the candidate is currently located, and (4) a written summation of a telephone conversation with the dissertation director for those candidates who are in the process of completing a terminal degree.

Note: If hiring a faculty member with tenure, there must be a substantial body of external evidence, including letters of recommendation, addressing the candidate's teaching, research, and service.

All candidate files are to be maintained in a single office, and, to prevent loss/damage and possible legal ramifications, no files nor parts thereof may leave that office. The Search Committee is to review the files in that office or in a designated location on campus. Applications are confidential information. When the search committee has completed the initial screening of candidates, all tenure-track faculty will be invited to examine the files of those candidates and to convey their impressions and opinions to the search committee. Faculty are strictly forbidden to contact the candidate or any reference or to discuss a candidate with any individual beyond the faculty within the department. All materials submitted by applicants are to be maintained by the hiring department for three years for reference in case procedural questions arise.

___6b. The Search Committee Chair calls the candidate to ascertain continued interest in the position and to request permission to call listed references. As a matter of institutional courtesy, no references may be contacted until specific permission is granted by the candidate. All questions regarding terms of employment requiring information beyond that stated in the position description are referred to the department chair. Questions regarding the salary range and contract negotiation may be addressed by the chair, but final determination of the salary range and contract negotiation will be the responsibility of the dean. Official transcripts from undergraduate and graduate universities are requested from the candidates at this time.

___6c. The Search Committee designs a list of questions to be asked of all references, prepares a form containing these questions, and calls at least three references for each candidate, including those who wrote supporting letters. Recommended questions to be included are listed on the attached Phone Contact Sheet. References must be checked and a committee telephone/conference interview of the candidate must be accomplished before candidates can be invited for an interview.

___6d.     The Search Committee designs a list of questions to be asked of all candidates, prepares a form containing these questions, (Sample form attached) and conducts a committee telephone/conference interview of each candidate.  References must be checked and a committee telephone/conference interview of the candidate must be accomplished before candidates may be invited for an interview.

___7. After review of dossiers by department recruitment committee, preliminary selection of top candidates, and informal consultation with the department chair and dean/director, Search Committee Chair meets with Affirmative Action Officer to review applicant pool and complete the Request to Interview (EEOR-2). Add the name of the incumbent in parenthesis after the position title on the Request to Interview. The candidates' complete vitae are to be attached to the Request to Interview. A list of all applicants in alphabetical order is to be attached or sent to the Affirmative Action Officer via e-mail at the time the Request to Interview form is submitted.

___8a. The Department Chair calls all finalists to discuss the position with them, to confirm the candidates' continuing interest in the position, and to inform them that an interview may be scheduled.

___8b. Credentials of top three candidates for whom interviews are desired forwarded through the department chair to dean/director. A fourth candidate, if s/he is a member of a protected minority, may be included.
 

___8c. The Dean calls all finalists to discuss the position with them, to review the terms of employment, and to confirm the candidates' continuing interest in the position.

___9a. Consultation by dean/director with Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for oral approval to invite preferred candidates. Official transcripts may be solicited at this time.

___10. Upon approval by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for invitations to be extended, Form 17C (available from Stores) prepared by the department and forwarded via the dean/director to reach the Vice Chancellor at least 10 days before a candidate is brought in for an interview (refer to Office of Academic Affairs Memorandum 93-3). Use Form 17 (available from Accounting Services) if the candidate is from within the Purdue University system.

___11. Copies of approved Request to Interview (EEOR-2) distributed by the Affirmative Action Office to the signatories.

___12. Instructions for Reimbursement (available in Kettler 173) sent to each candidate by department.

___13. Hospitality funds requested by department via dean/director in advance only if the request is outside the guidelines cited in Office of Academic Affairs Memorandum 93-3. Note: Hospitality funds are always very limited and never guaranteed centrally. Deans/directors may use their foundation discretionary accounts.

___14. Approved Form 17C or 17 is distributed by Accounting to the academic units. A copy of the candidate's vita is not needed with the Form 17C.

___15. Interviews scheduled by the department:
___Search Committee
___Department Faculty
___Demonstration of Research/Creative Endeavor
___Department Chair
___Dean/Director
___Vice Chancellor (for full and associate professors and administrative appointments at the level of chairperson)
___Demonstration of Teaching Students (observed by faculty)
___Meeting alone with Department Students
___Other activities with appropriate constituencies as needed

The Search Committee establishes an identical interview schedule for each candidate and asks the same questions of each candidate to permit a reasonable comparison of qualifications. All candidates are to meet with students and demonstrate teaching and research/creative endeavor during the interview. Internal candidates are to be treated the same as external candidates in every step of the process. Only the Chair of the Search Committee, the Department Chair or the Dean may discuss the status of the search process with any candidate. The process is confidential.

Candidate evaluation questionnaires are to be provided to everyone interviewing the candidates, including the students. Questions may include (1) I recommend hiring this candidate because; (2) I do not recommend hiring this candidate because; (3) Candidate's strengths and weaknesses; (4) Comments:.
 

Student input will be obtained through anonymous written evaluations, as described in the preceding paragraph. All evaluations will become part of the candidates' files. Input from other relevant university departments and community professionals will be sought, as appropriate to the position.

___16. Candidates' receipts for expenditures received.

___17. Reimbursements for candidates' expenses and hospitality expenditures submitted by department via the dean/director of the academic unit to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Refer to Office of Academic Affairs Memorandum 93-3.

___18. After interviews and following consultation with dean/director for authorization, Request to Extend Offer EEOR -3 (available from the Affirmative Action Office) completed by the department and submitted for approval via the dean/director of the academic unit through the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs to the Chancellor. Dean/director may extend tentative offer orally with permission of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Add the name of the incumbent in parenthesis after the position title on the Request to Extend Offer.

(1) The Search Committee reports to the department faculty, and the faculty recommend to the Department Chair all candidates who are acceptable, in writing with rationale (with names and results of references contacted) and without formal prioritization. (2) The Department Chair forwards the faculty's recommendation to the dean and appends the chair's recommendation. (3) The Dean receives these written recommendations of acceptable candidates and the rationales, the candidate evaluation questionnaires, and the finalists' credentials. (4) The Dean accepts the recommendations or meets with the Department Chair and the faculty to discuss any concerns. (5) The Department Chair and/or the Dean then contacts the candidate(s) to request permission to call additional references not on the list provided by the candidate. (6) The Dean, the Department Chair, and the Search Committee Chair make the final reference checks. (7) The Dean confers with the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the Dean then extends the tentative offer. The offer is final when approved by the Purdue Board of Trustees.

Note: In the event that no candidate is deemed acceptable by the search committee, the chair and/or the dean, the search may be canceled or extended by the dean at any point in the process.

___19. Copies of approved Request to Extend Offer EEOR-3 distributed by the Affirmative Action Office to the signatories.

___20. Upon receipt of the approved Request to Extend Offer EEOR-3, the Dean extends or confirms oral offer. Prior to oral acceptance, citizenship of the candidate should be established. If the candidate is not a United States citizen, be certain to clear the visa status with the Immigration Specialist in Payroll Services, Kettler G62.

___21. Following oral acceptance, a written offer letter prepared by the dean/director and sent along with the contract and payroll forms to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for signature and forwarding along with the appropriate hiring documents to the candidate. Signed copies of offer letter sent to chair and dean/director.

___22. Upon receipt of the signed contract from the candidate, appropriate payroll documents prepared by dean/director and entire dossier and forms sent to Payroll for processing and forwarding to Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. (Dossier: originals of reference letters and official transcripts. Note that the official transcripts are to be solicited prior to interview - please see No. 6b.)
 

___23. Hiring Report EEOR-4 (available from the Affirmative Action Office) completed by the department and sent via the dean/director through the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs to the Chancellor.
 

___24. Copies of approved Hiring Report EEOR-4 distributed by Affirmative Action Office to signatories.

___25. Search Committee Chair, after reviewing the content with the department chair, sends a letter to each candidate announcing the search is completed and thanking them for applying. All materials submitted by applicants are to be maintained by the hiring department for three years for reference in case procedural questions arise. Supporting materials may be returned to the candidate.

___26. Approval for non-recurring transfer to department account forwarded by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs to comptroller, dean/director and department.



Note: Application materials submitted by candidates who were not recommended for interviews should be kept in the department for two years.
 

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