Guide to Faculty Searches

Table of Contents

1. Message From The Vice Dean And Senior Associate Dean For Academic Affairs
2. Expanded Table of Contents
3. University Policy Statements
4. Current School Demographics
5. School and University Resources for Faculty Recruitment
6. Things to Know Before Initiating a Search
   1. Overview
   2. Conditions
   3. Special Circumstances
7. The Search Initiation Process
   1. Components of the Search Request
   2. Transmittal Memorandum
   3. Source of Salary and Resources
   4. Search Committee
   5. Advertising
   6. Outreach Efforts
8. Managing the Search
9. Reviewing Applications
10. Interviewing Candidates
11. Post-Interview Deliberations and Outcome

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IV. Current School Demographics

VIII. Managing the Search

A. Process Management

1. Staff Assistance

In order to conduct a well-run search, the department or institute needs to provide dedicated administrative assistance in support of the search committee's efforts. Under the direction of the committee chair, staff assistance might include such tasks as managing receipt and acknowledgement of applications and nominations, preparing communications to candidates, taking meeting notes, preparing information packets for candidates, and overseeing logistics for candidate visits.

Staff will be expected to become familiar with the policies and procedures outlined in this document, as well as instructions in the relevant appointment long form, and to consult with the Office of Academic Affairs should special issues arise during the course of the search. The Office of Academic Affairs is available to provide tutorials to staff who are new to the faculty search process.

2. Process Tracking

At the end of the search, a department will submit for review a narrative description of the history of the search process, which is normally authored by the chair of the search committee. This narrative report should provide a clear, full and complete explanation so that a reviewer with no prior knowledge of the search can easily understand what transpired. If the search and candidate of choice are approved, this narrative report will eventually be incorporated into the relevant appointment long form document. It is therefore important to keep careful records during the search process, including the dates of meetings, advertisements, solicitation letters, interviews and decisions. An ideal way to do this is to keep a running log of major events during the search process.

B. Application Management

1. Acknowledgment of Applications

Departments are expected to treat candidates with courtesy and respect by acknowledging receipt of applications via letter, postcard or email.

2. Applicant Information Form

The Applicant Information Form will provide the University with critical information of how well Stanford University is doing to reach out to diverse and talented applicants as well as to learn how applicants learned about our faculty positions.

The Provost's Office has requested that all applicants for faculty positions at Stanford be asked to complete an anonymous form on demographic information about them and how they learned about the position. In their communication acknowledging receipt of the application, departments should include a paragraph providing a link to the online Applicant Information Form and asking the applicants to complete the online form. Data will be collected by the Faculty Recruitment Office in the Provost's Office.

3. Applicant Pool Information Form

As applications come in, information on the gender and race/ethnicity of the applicant pool should be collected and recorded on the Applicant Pool Information Form, which is submitted as part of the appointment long form. The gender and ethnic background of an applicant is known when someone associated with the search has met the person, when the candidate volunteers this information as part of her/his application, or when this information is readily apparent from contextual information in the application. This information should not be solicited from applicants. Assumptions should not be made; rather the "unidentified" classification should be used on the form.

4. Recordkeeping beyond the Search

In accordance with University policy, departments must retain complete records of each search, including vitae of applicants, for at least three years. Such records should include copies of advertisements and solicitations for nominations; applicant and nominee correspondence; records of committee meetings; evaluations of candidates at each step of the process; information associated with the interview process; the committee's ranking of the definitive pool; and other information, as appropriate.

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