Academic Hiring Manual

3.1 Hiring Procedures for Academic Administrators

Hiring Procedures: Deans, Assistant and Associate Deans, Chairpersons or Directors of Academic Units, or Other Similar Line Administrative Appointments

The hiring procedure for academic administrators follows, in general, the Academic Hiring Procedure. There are special circumstances associated with hiring administrators which are noted below.

  1. The procedures which are followed in selecting academic administrators must be in accordance with Department, College and University Bylaws, and University policy.
  2. When searching for a chairperson, the Dean plays the affirmative action role normally assigned to the Chairperson; when searching for a Dean, the Provost plays the affirmative action role normally assigned to the Dean in the academic hiring procedure.
  3. Position Request and Search Plan
    • At a minimum, the search committee must have a tenure system or tenured (where possible) minority or woman on the search committee, whether by election or by appointment. It is the line administrator's responsibility to ensure that there is adequate representation on the search committee.
    • As part of the CHR Approved Academic Position Request approval, the Dean(s) and the Provost approve either an external search or an internal search.
    • For internal searches, on the Academic Hiring Availability Data & Recruitment Activities form the unit simply types in "internal search". The "Search Committee Composition" section on the CHR Approved Academic Position Request form is filled in, or if there are too many names to list (for example, when all tenure system faculty in the unit constitute the search committee) a description of the membership (for example, "all tenure system faculty in the department, with Professor Joseph College acting as AA Advocate") will suffice.
    • A member of the staff of I3 may be asked to conduct the affirmative action review session with the search committee. To arrange such a session, call the Director/Senior Advisor for Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, at 353-3922.
  4. Advertising, Recruiting and Screening 
    • For external searches, positions may be advertised in institutional references such as the "Chronicle for Higher Education" as well as in other disciplinary/professional publications.
    • For internal searches the unit fulfills all posting requirements by sending a notice to all unit faculty, including those jointly appointed with another unit, with qualifications as determined by the Chairperson clearly stated, and requesting that applications and nominations be submitted in writing along with vitae and any other documents the unit requires. Human Resources will post the vacancy on the Careers@MSU websites. 
      For internal searches the requirements for adequate representation in the applicant pool are limited to recruiting from within the unit. Unit bylaws may have specific procedures for identifying candidates. Such procedures must not conflict with the affirmative action, equal opportunity and diversity commitments of the University.
    • Curriculum vitae for each final candidate may be forwarded to the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives in addition to the applicant list provided in PageUp.
  5. Final Selection 
    • Final candidates for department chairperson/school director may be interviewed by the Provost or designee as part of the regular interview process. Final candidates for Dean are interviewed by the President and the Provost as part of the regular interview process, in addition to other individuals designated in the approved search plan.


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