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The following guidelines are used when recruiting faculty for tenure-track positions:
A. Together the department chair or program director , in consultation with the respective dean, identify a faculty position and request to initiate recruitment. All The program director submits a Faculty Job Requisition Form (new faculty or replacement tenure-track position requests are sent full-time or part-time requests) by May 31. The form will be routed to the respective dean by May 31 and provost’s council 's office for a signature. Provost’s Council grants recruitment approval by June 30. Recruitment includes advertising in disciplinary venues, the Chronicle and Inside Higher Ed, Mennonite periodicals, and other outlets as appropriate. Applicants are asked to submit a cover letter, vita, and transcripts (unofficial acceptable).
B. The The dean and the department chair or program director appoint a search committee which identifies potential candidates (considering academic credentials, experience, fit with the institution, etc.). Inclusion appoints and chairs a (school wide) search committee in consultation with the program director. Inclusion of students and a faculty member from outside the department on the search committee are is at the discretion of the department. As applications are submitted, the dean sends a letter program. The committee and HR reviews Interview Dos and Don’ts together.
C. The respective dean’s office receives all applications. Those that are incomplete will be asked to submit the required documents in order to be considered. Candidates with complete applications will receive an email from the dean acknowledging receipt and indicating the planned timeline.C. The department chair or program director identifies a anticipated timeline. The search committee reviews the pool of candidates and identifies those of interest by considering academic credentials, experience, fit with the institution, etc.
D. A select number of applicants for the respective dean’s office to contact for further information. Documents sent to this select group of applicants include the from among the applicant pool are chosen to participate in a phone or Zoom interview with the search committee. Prior to the phone interview, the dean emails these documents to the candidates who will receive a phone interview: EMU Mission, Vision and Values statements; the Life Together: Commitments for a Community of Learning statement; a link to the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (Mennonite Church USA); a link to the Shared Convictions of Global Anabaptists (Mennonite World Conference); and the Personal Statement of Faith and Life form (MS Word format; PDF format). At this time, applicants are also asked to submit three letters of reference. Initial screening of prospective candidates occurs by conducting a phone or Zoom interview between the search committee and the candidate; the dean may choose to participate in these interviews. Prior to the phone or Zoom interview, the candidate is advised to be prepared to converse generally about any of the materials sent.D. One or more candidates are invited to campus for an interview when the respective dean and the search chair agree on a short list of finalists. Normally, two to three finalists are invited for campus visits. . The candidate is advised to be prepared to converse generally about any of these materials during the phone interview. The candidate is asked to return their response to the Personal Statement of Faith and Life to the dean’s office no later than two weeks after the interview. Best practices indicate that each phone interview be as similar as possible to the others by following the same interview format and asking the same questions. A discussion should take place immediately after each interview. After the phone interviews, the applicants who participated in a phone interview are asked to submit the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of three or four references and are told their references will be contacted soon.
E. Based on the search committee’s formal ranking and rationale of the phone interview and applications, the dean will invite two candidates to campus for an interview. Occasionally, a third candidate is invited if the candidate is local and the visit won’t incur much expense. Written candidate responses to the Personal Statement of Faith and Life should be on file prior to arranging the interview. Candidates are hosted by the department or program. Opportunity is provided for Details regarding the candidate’s visit to campus are handled by the respective dean’s administrative assistant.
While on campus, each candidate will participate in both formal and informal interviews with faculty, students, the respective deansearch committee, the provost, and the president. Provision of Each candidate’s CV and faith statement should be shared with the president, provost, and search committee members, if not done so already. The candidate’s CV (but not the faith statement) may be shared upon request with interested EMU community members. Providing opportunity for input from faculty outside the department is encouraged.
Candidates should do a classroom teaching presentation and teach a class period and conduct a scholarly presentation, both of which are open to anyone on campus. Candidates are evaluated not only on potential teaching and academic strength , but also on their commitment to the mission and philosophy of the institution. The materials sent earlier (see D) are reviewed with the candidate at the interviewinterviews. At the time of the campus interview, candidates are required
to fill out the “Authorization for Release of Information” form. The department is responsible to return the completed form to the human resources office, which handles the request and will respond back to the department. Candidates must be reviewed in this manner before the offer of employment is madeWhile on campus, the candidate should complete and sign the Faculty Application (see myEMU > Employee tab > New Hire Forms; minus the references’ information) in anticipation of the background check HR will conduct if an offer is made. The candidate will not meet with HR; instead, the current year’s benefit summary will be provided. Each candidate will meet with the respective dean who will share the salary range for the position.
E. After After the campus visit, the search committee evaluates the relative strengths and weaknesses of the candidate(s)candidates. Information gained by speaking to candidate references by phone from the references (either by letter or phone) should be included in the evaluation. The committee conveys a ranked order of the candidates, with rationale, to the respective dean. Final salary and academic rank are determined by the respective dean in consultation with the provost according to the Faculty Compensation and Contract policy published in the Employee Handbook and are conveyed by the dean to the candidate. The program director or seminary dean defines the load. If If a candidate is recommended for hiring, the respective dean consults with the provost for agreement to hire. The provost may consult with the president if needed. The respective dean extends the invitation in writing to the candidate.F
G. Salary and academic rank are determined by the respective dean in consultation with the provost according to policy published in the Faculty/Staff Handbook and are conveyed by the dean to the candidate. The department chair, program director, or seminary dean defines loads.G. Upon acceptance of an offer, the hiring recommendation is Upon acceptance of an offer:
- HR conducts a background check as soon as the offer is accepted. HR will communicate the results to the dean.
- The hiring recommendation of tenure track only positions are taken to the Board of Trustees for final approval, and the candidate is informed in writing of the trustee action. The provost approves non-tenure track employment offers, and Board of Trustee action is not necessary.
Other applicants in the pool are notified by the dean’s office that the position has been filled.
Approved by Academic Cabinet, January 12, 2005
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