320.3 Procedures for Teaching
Faculty Recruitment And Hiring

Created 2002-06-01

This outline clarifies procedures in hiring teaching faculty. Parallel procedures should be used for administrative positions in the academic area and in other areas of Goshen College.

Processing of Unsolicited Inquiries

When unsolicited general inquiries are received in the dean’s office that are not related to particular openings, they are processed as follows:

  1. The administrative assistant in the dean’s office will send a general form letter of acknowledgment unless the applicant has a relationship to GC or if there is reason to anticipate interest in the future. Then a personal response will be given by the dean or the related department chair.
  2. A copy of the file will be sent to the department chair for information. If the chair has interest, the chair may respond to the applicant. A copy of the response should be sent to the dean.
  3. Inquiries will be filed in the dean’s office for one year. If they are of special interest, they will be kept longer.
  4. Unsolicited inquiries received by department chairs should be sent to the dean’s office for response unless there is special interest or if the person is known by the department chair. In those cases, the department chair should respond and send a copy of the inquiry and the response to the dean’s office.

Part time (less than 3/4 time) positions

  1. Appointments for positions are made in consultation between the department chair and the dean. They are not processed with the president or the Board of Directors. Normal Personnel Forms are to be completed. Affirmative action goals apply but specific steps and approval procedures are waived.
  2. Hiring is usually done upon recommendation of a candidate by the department chair and after an interview by the dean.

Full Time (3/4 time or more) Positions for One Year or More

Note 1: Only two guidelines of section III will be followed when a faculty position changes from part-time to full-time status (.75 FTE or more) on a temporary basis for one year or more:

  • Section A, which deals with establishing the position, must be followed. It is the assumption that this will not be a permanent position with view to tenure. Section A, Establishing the Position, is simply verification that this position is needed on a temporary basis.
  • Section F, which would involve a recommendation to the Board of Directors and action by the Board of Directors, will also be followed.

Note 2: When a faculty position changes from temporary to permanent the guidelines in section III are followed.

  1. Establishing the Position

    The department chair will work with the dean in establishing that a position is open and in deciding together the procedures for recruitment and the person needed. When the department chair is leaving GC, the academic dean should carry the department chair’s responsibilities.

    The dean will be responsible to secure necessary approval for the position from the provost.

    The dean will notify the affirmative action officer of the open position and the intention to begin recruitment.

  2. Recruitment and Advertising

    The selection/search committee should make every effort possible to seek out candidates who are members of underrepresented groups and encourage them to apply.

    Advertisements are usually placed in the following places marked with an * and in the others, as appropriate:

    • *The Mennonite (biweekly, combined GC & Mennonite Church)
    • *Mennonite Weekly Review (weekly, broader Mennonite readership)
    • *Faculty Voice (African American clientele) (Hispanic American resource)
    • *The Chronicle of Higher Education (weekly, national academic market)
    • *MCC Women’s Concerns Report (quarterly)
    • *Christian College Coalition WWW Site
    • *Canadian Mennonite (biweekly, Canada)
    • Sojourners (used on a limited basis)
    • Professional journals or job listings    unique to the academic field
    • Goshen News
    • Elkhart Truth
    • South Bend Tribune

    A letter is to be sent to a list of Mennonite Church persons who could recommend members of underrepresented groups. The list is available from the Affirmative Action Officer.

    The department chair will prepare a copy of the documents listed below and obtain approval for the copy from the dean. Public Relations is available to consult in wording the material. Samples are attached.

    1. position description which meets ADA requirements.
    2. A notice for the Mennonite press. This needs to be brief.
    3. An advertisement that can be used for general places like the Chronicle, if appropriate.
    4. Specific announcements, if needed, for disciplinary journals or job listings.

    Before the ads are placed, the department chair will clear the ads and a list of where the ads will be placed with the Affirmative Action Officer and the dean. The Affirmative Action Officer gives written approval, with copies sent to the department chair and the dean.

    Announcements and ads should be written to allow flexibility. Examples follow:

    1. Desired degrees and qualifications should be listed as preferred. For example, “Ph.D. preferred.”
    2. Deadlines should be stated. To gain flexibility it is appropriate to say: “Interviews will begin on (date or immediately) and continue until the position is successfully filled.” Or an application deadline may be stated.
    3. The following statement is to be included in announcements and ads: “Women and people from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. Goshen College is an affirmative action employer.”
    4. Ads to the general public should include the statement: “Goshen College is committed to Christian beliefs and values, as interpreted by the Mennonite Church.”
    5. Responses should be directed to the dean. We generally let the applicant decide what they want to include.

    After these are cleared by the dean and the Affirmative Action Officer, the department chair will work with Dean/Executive Assistant to place advertisements, using the checklist to identify placements. Public Relations will place all general ads, usually by fax or as email attachments. The chair will provide addresses for ads that are placed in discipline-specific journals, bulletins boards, etc. Public Relations will place an announcement in the Faculty-Staff Bulletin and in the Goshen College Bulletin. The dean’s office will arrange for printing the position description.

  3. Response and Screening of Applicants

    Inquiries should be addressed to the dean’s office. The administrative assistant will respond to all inquiries with a letter acknowledging receipt and asking for an application to be completed via the Goshen College web site, if possible. Specific questions will be routed either to the dean or department chair. The letter will ask for a complete resume (if not already given) and for the return of the Goshen College Personnel Form containing questions about faith and practice.

    Enclosed with the letter will be a position description, the GC Personnel Form, a “standards” statement, a GC mission statement and the affirmative action survey.

    A list of all inquiries and applications will be kept in the dean’s office.

    When returned, original applications will be kept in the dean’s office and a copy immediately sent to the department chair.

    Three letters of reference are currently required with the application materials.

  4. Selection and Interview Process

    The dean will work with the department chair to determine a “selection committee” composed of department members and others added by the dean, in consultation with the department chair. The department chair will lead the committee. This group selects a short list to invite for interviews. This list must be approved in writing by the Affirmative Action Officer to the department chair and dean before interviews are conducted. Informal conversations may occur with potential candidates prior to this approval, but formal interviews may not be conducted until approval is granted.

    When interviewees are selected, the candidates will normally be divided into three groups, with the following actions taken:

    1. Those contacted and scheduled for interviews.
    2. Those considered “almost as strong as those interviewed’ and still considered possible for GC employment. These should be contacted by email or telephone to be informed about the start of interviews and of their status as still potential (Usually contact is made by the department chair.)
    3. Those considered not potential for GC employment. These should immediately receive from the dean’s office a “form letter” informing them that interviews have started and that they are not being considered.

    Scheduling of interviews is planned mutually between the department chair and the dean’s administrative assistant. The dean’s assistant reserves local accommodations and also works with the department chair to plan the exact schedule. Candidates make their own travel arrangements and are reimbursed by approval from the dean’s office.

    The on-campus interview process will include:

    1. An interview with the president which includes discussions of faith issues.
    2. An interview with the dean and provost which includes discussions of institutional policies, professional qualifications, faith issues, contract procedures and schedules, institutional fit, etc.
    3. Interviews with the department chair and all department members.
    4. An extended meeting with the entire selection committee.
    5. Seminar or class presentation.
    6. Meeting and discussion with students.
    7. Other activities which will help us know the candidate, and the candidate to know us. Often the process begins with a get-acquainted dinner for the candidate, the dean and the department.
  5. Final Recommendation Process

    The department chair, working with the selection group and with information from the dean and president, will recommend the preferred candidate. This is forwarded to the dean who then makes a recommendation to the president.

    The dean, after approval by the president, will issue an invitation to the chosen candidate stating clearly that the appointment is not complete until approved by the Board of Directors. The purpose of this invitation is to determine whether or not the candidate will accept, if approved by the Board. The dean and president may consult with the chair of the Academic and Faculty Affairs Committee of the Board of Directors or the entire committee, if needed, before the invitation is made.

    This invitation will indicate specific expectations or agreements.

  6. Recommendation to the Board and Board Action

    When the candidate indicates availability to accept an appointment, the appointment will be processed by the Board of Directors at a regular meeting or according to the policy for taking action between meetings. The Board will be given a copy of the application, including the answers to the faith questions and a resume. Currently this requires approval by all members of the Faculty and Academic Affairs Committee and by the Chair of the Board, with a chance for other Board members to raise questions.

    No public announcement may be made until formal approval is given by the Faculty and Academic Affairs Committee and the Board of Directors.

    The dean’s office will notify the candidate of Board approval.

  7. Follow up and Announcement

    All those interviewed and not selected should receive a telephone contact promptly after the decision is reached, as well as a personal letter. Usually these contacts are made by the department chair. Those considered “almost as strong as those interviewed’ should be contacted by e-mail or telephone (with a follow-up letter) to inform them that the position has been filled This is also done by either the department chair or the dean.

    The dean’s office will work with Public Relations to announce the appointment in the FSB as soon as approved by the Board, and in the media, as appropriate.

  8. Orientation and Other Assistance

    The department chair should work with the appointed person for determining beginning time, loads, assistance with moving, introductions to Goshen College and other faculty and other things related to getting a good start. The dean’s office will provide an orientation at the beginning of the year. There is a mentoring program for new faculty.

Other related procedures

  1. General Procedures
    1. All costs will be covered by the dean’s office (ie. advertisements, printing, travel and hosting expenses for interviewees, etc.) The dean’s assistant coordinates all such plans and approves expenditures.
    2. Notes should be kept relating to contacts and interviews. Both the department chair and the dean should receive copes of correspondence with the Affirmative Action Officer and with candidates.
    3. The process should be a collaborative one with maximum sharing of information, counsel and judgment.
  2. Affirmative Action

    Goshen College is committed to increasing the number of faculty, staff and students from underrepresented groups. Efforts should be made to find applicants from these groups. The Affirmative Action Officer (AAO) is involved at the following points, indicated in the document but repeated for emphasis below:

    1. The AAO is informed by the dean when a position is open and recruitment begins.
    2. The AAO approves in writing the advertising process. The department chair provides a written outline of the process including copies of the ads and a list of placements.
    3. The AAO approves the list of candidates selected for interview before interviews begin.