University Policies

Employment Process Guidelines For Recruitment of Full-Time Non-Faculty Professionals

PURPOSE

These Employment Process Guidelines are designed to ensure academic and professional excellence, diversity, uniformity and equity in the process of filling all full-time non-faculty professional positions.

All units, departments and members of the University community have responsibility as outlined below for monitoring and adhering to the employment procedures set forth in these guidelines. All forms of unlawful employment discrimination based upon race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, religion, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical hereditary cellular blood trait, genetic information, liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, or disability are prohibited and will not be tolerated in the recruitment of non-faculty professionals at the University.

It is expected that all parties will cooperate in a proactive effort to recruit a diverse pool of qualified candidates for each position and to maintain the University’s commitment to academic excellence, diversity, and equity in the conduct of searches.

All materials and forms mentioned herein are available from the following offices:

• Human Resources
• Employment Equity and Diversity
• College Deans
• Administrative Departments
• Academic Departments
• Cheng Library
• Provost and Executive Vice President
• WPUNJ Web site

I. AUTHORIZATION TO FILL VACANCIES

Authorization to fill vacancies in professional positions is the responsibility of the Provost and Executive Vice President who, in consultation and cooperation with the appropriate staff and administrators, provides leadership in developing the academic and educational plans of the University and in determining the allocation of resources to support those plans, after review and approval by the President. Under the leadership of the Provost and Executive Vice President, the following units and unit heads have respective responsibilities:

Administrative Department

Under the leadership of the Director or other non-bargaining unit supervisor, the Administrative
Department is responsible for

1. Evaluating the need to create or fill a position vacancy;
   
   
2. Providing justification for filling a vacancy and request permission to search for candidates to the next-level supervisor; and
   
   
3. Providing a proposed job description concerning the vacancy to be filled (including specialization and required qualifications) to the next-level supervisor.

Next-Level Supervisor (Assistant and Associate Vice Presidents, etc.)

The next-level supervisor evaluates all requests to fill or create vacancies and recommends and requests permission to fill vacancies based on the priorities, needs, and resources of the administrative department, division and University. He/she is responsible for:

1. Providing the Division Vice President with a list of existing vacancies and proposed positions to be filled in each department including specific titles, job descriptions, salary and/or rank, starting date, source of funding, justification and proposed application deadline;
   
   
2. Reviewing and approving job descriptions from departments which specify, at a minimum, the following: (a.) title; (b.) duties; and (c.) required and preferred qualifications;
   
   
3. Notifying the department of approval/disapproval to fill vacant or proposed positions.

Division Vice President

The Vice President of the Division evaluates all requests to fill or create vacancies and also recommends
and requests permission to fill vacancies based on the priorities, needs and resources of the departments,
division and University. The Vice President is responsible for:

1. Providing the Provost and Executive Vice President with a list of existing vacancies and proposed
   positions to be filled in each department including specific titles, job descriptions, salary and/or rank,
   starting date, source of funding, justification and proposed application deadline.
   
   
2. Reviewing and approving job descriptions from departments which specify, at a minimum, the following: (a.) title; (b.) duties; and (c.) required and preferred qualifications;
   
   
3. Notifying Departments of approval/disapproval to fill vacant or proposed positions.

Provost and Executive Vice President

Working closely with the Vice Presidents, the Provost and Executive Vice President is responsible for:

1. Reviewing the lists of existing vacancies and proposed positions to be filled in the department;
   
   
2. Evaluating each request on the basis of programmatic need, and University resources and priorities;
   
   
3. Presenting requests and his/her analysis of proposals to fill vacancies to the President for review and approval;
   
   
4. Approving/disapproving all requests to fill or create a vacancy and providing notification of such approval/disapproval in light of total University priorities, needs, and resources.

II. THE SEARCH AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS

Final authority for appointment to full-time professional staff positions resides with the President and the public action of the Board of Trustees. The process leading to such appointment, with exceptions noted below, is a process of recommendation and approval in which responsibilities and duties are delegated as follows:

A. The Director or non-bargaining-unit supervisor is responsible for:

1. Preparing a proposed job description detailing the nature of the duties inherent in the position and submitting it and the proposed required academic and preferred qualifications to the next-level supervisor for approval prior to advertising; and to prepare the Position Control Form for final authorization to conduct a search;
   
   
2. Recommending appointment of members to a Search Committee, to the Division Vice President or next-level supervisor, in accord with University policies, and to ensure that the composition of the Search Committee is representative and diverse; and to designate a Chairperson of the Search Committee, subject to the review and approval of the next-level supervisor and the Director of Employment Equity and Diversity;
   
   
3. Charging and providing the Search Committee with relevant information, including but not limited to: (a) description of the position as advertised; (b) nature and extent of the advertising made for position; total number of candidates to be recommended by the committee, but not less than three (3) unranked; and (c) the time frame by which the final candidates should be recommended;
   
   
4. Inviting the Director of Employment Equity and Diversity or designee to the first meeting of the Search Committee to review the legal requirements of equal opportunity and Affirmative Action and William Paterson University’s Employment Process Guidelines, and to discuss possible strategies for recruitment;
   
   
5. Ensuring that members of the Search Committee faithfully follow these guidelines; and
   
   
6. Receiving the recommendations of the Search Committee and reviewing and forwarding them to the next level supervisor.

The Director or unit supervisor or manager may not serve on the Search Committee. The Director or unit supervisor may, but is not required to, interview candidates recommended by the Search Committee, but in doing so he or she should respect the integrity of the committee’s deliberations.

B. The Office of Employment Equity and Diversity works with the administrative departments and next level supervisors and are responsible for

1. Determining the adequacy of the applicant pool by reviewing Form I and collecting data on race, sex, and ethnic identity of applicants through the voluntary and anonymous use of the pre-employment identification card or other Equal Employment Opportunity Questionnaire returned to the OEE&D;
   
   
2. Conducting the Affirmative Action Mid-search Check to review Form II, to ensure that the applicant pool is adequate and that a minimum percentage of applicants have the required qualifications and to recommend to the next level supervisor the cancellation or extension of the search in the event of a lack of qualified candidates;
   
   
3. Reviewing the advertisement and position announcement;
   
   
4. Reviewing and providing feedback on sample interview questions developed by the search committee with respect to appropriateness;
   
   
5. Assisting in outreach to attract diverse candidates through professional contacts, Internet postings, conferences and other recruitment sources;
   
   
6. Conducting a briefing meeting with the Search Committee regarding equal opportunity and affirmative action, and established search procedures;
   
   
7. Certifying for the University that a bona fide equal opportunity/affirmative action search has been conducted.

C. Search Committees: Members, Committee Chairpersons, and Their Responsibilities

Nature and Composition of Search Committees

Search Committees are required in all searches to fill full-time non-faculty professional position vacancies (with exceptions noted below). Search Committees may be used, but are not required, to appoint candidates to part-time positions; graduate assistant positions; or vacancies to be filled from a Civil Service Certification List. Only full-time professionals can serve on departmental search committees for professional non-faculty staff, and committee membership may include staff from both the department and other departments of the University.

Exceptions to the use of Search Committees, with approval of the Provost and Executive Vice President or designee and the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity, may occur in emergency situations such as sudden resignation, illness, retirement, death or other unforeseen circumstances resulting in a temporary appointment. In addition, the President of the University has and may delegate the right and responsibility to fill vacancies temporarily or permanently without a search in light of institutional need or exigency.

Unit Directors are responsible, in accord with University policies, for recommending members of search committees for approval by the Director of Employment Equity and Diversity and Division Vice Presidents or next-level supervisor. (The Provost and Executive Vice President shall have final approval in cases where composition of a committee is
disputed and where a resolution is not reached in a timely manner.)

The composition of the Search Committee should reflect sensitivity to the various constituencies within the University community that may be affected by the position and should include representation of women and minorities. The following shall not serve on a Search Committee: person(s) recommending the final applicant to the President; an incumbent who is vacating the position to be filled; the Director of Employment Equity and Diversity (who may serve as a resource person to the Search Committee); family members or others with significant relation to the applicants amounting to a conflict of interest.

A Member of a Search Committee works closely with other members and is responsible, at a minimum, for

1. Adhering strictly to the confidentiality of the deliberations and processes followed by the Search Committee (such as not revealing evaluations and rankings of candidates and, in general, protecting the privacy of applicants);
   
   
2. Evaluating thoroughly the applications, resumes or vitae of all applicants, and identifying applicants to be invited for an interview;
   
   
3. Participating fully in all scheduled interviews with candidates (except in the case of illness) and to recuse himself or herself from the committee if he or she is unable to do so;
   
   
4. Participating in determining the number of applicants in order to be able to recommend the number requested;
   
   
5. Recommending, in cooperation with other members of the committee, at least three (3) qualified applicants unranked to fill the position with a detailed description of the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. The submission of less than three (3) qualified candidates requires special approval by the President or his/her designee.
   
   
6. Recusing himself or herself from the committee when one or more of the candidates for the position
   is someone with whom the member has a familial or other close relationship to or feels a particular advocacy for or against, or will be perceived by others in that way
   
   
7. Participating in additional recruiting to broaden the candidate pool, if necessary.

(N.B. Members of a search committee shall not negotiate, under any circumstances, or discuss specifically matters of salary or terms and conditions of employment except where these are stated in the advertisement.)

The Chair of a Search Committee oversees and facilitates the work of the Committee and, while he or she may delegate specific tasks in the work of the committee, he or she has final responsibility for:

1. Receiving applications and sending acknowledgments, including the pre-employment identification card, to all applicants;
   
   
2. Extending a verbal invitation to applicants identified for interview, and issuing a formal letter of confirmation to those verbally accepting the invitation, along with Reference Release Form;
   
   
3. Facilitating the committee meetings and candidate interviews including travel arrangements
   
   
4. Scheduling a meeting between the Committee and the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity to review with the committee all relevant federal, state and institutional regulations and guidelines
   
   
5. Scheduling candidate interviews with the Committee, Director and/or next-level supervisor;
   
   
6. Completing all required forms;
   
   
7. Informing the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity and appropriate next-level supervisor of names of applicants who will invited to campus for an interview;
   
   
8. Writing the recommendations of the committee and include any dissenting opinions if necessary;
   
   
9. Submitting the completed search file to the next-level supervisor, and the completed forms to the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity;
   
   
10. Sending a non-appointment letter to all applicants who were not hired after the person to be hired is approved by the Board of Trustees.

(N.B. The chairperson of a search committee may not negotiate, under any circumstances, or discuss specifically matters of salary or terms and conditions of employment such as teaching except where these are stated in the advertisement.)

D. Senior University Official, Provost and Executive Vice President, President and Their Responsibilities

The Division Vice President/designee or other senior University official has responsibility for review, approval, communication, and negotiation with final candidates on matters of rank, range, and salary. Specifically, he or she is responsible for:

1. Interviewing all applicants forwarded by the Search Committee and/or may elect to review applicants not selected for an interview and identify other applicants for interview;
   
   
2. Receiving and reviewing at least three recommendations unranked (letters or written summaries of reference calls) and confirm receipt and date of all degrees/credentials of all candidates to whom an offer of employment is proposed;
   
   
3. Consulting with the search committee chair and, and recommending final candidate(s) for appointment to the Provost and Executive Vice President, for approval;
   
   
4. Negotiating, in consultation with the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, salary, rank, and range to be offered to final candidate(s);
   
   
5. Writing a formal letter of intent to any candidate(s) to whom an offer of employment is made and to certify the bona fides of such candidates.

E. The Provost and Executive Vice President is the Chief Academic and Operating Officer of the University and has oversight for all faculty and administrative vacancies and appointments. As such, he or she is responsible for receiving, reviewing, and approving or disapproving of the recommendations and to take such action as necessary to complete the appointment process and ensure its integrity through recommendation to the President of the University.

F. The President of the University is vested with final authority for all appointments publicly approved by the Board of Trustees.

G. As the Chief Executive Officer of the University, the President has the authority, after consultation with appropriate constituencies, to fill staff and administrative positions temporarily or permanently without a search in view of institutional need or exigency.

H. Searches for senior administrative officers, including Assistant Vice Presidents, Associate Vice Presidents, Assistant and Associate Deans, Deans, Vice Presidents, and Provost and Executive Vice President will follow these guidelines, and supervisors of these positions will have appropriate responsibility to ensure adherence to the processes as outlined in these guidelines. For presidential searches, the responsibility lies with the Board of Trustees as outlined in their By-laws.

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Appendix A: Advertisement and Recruitment

To promote diversity, equity, and academic excellence it is essential to conduct processes of recruitment and advertisement that will attract the greatest number of qualified and interested applicants for each position that is authorized and for which a search is conducted.

The Director or unit supervisor

1. prepares the Position Announcement and Advertisement containing the following information:

a. specific and related duties
b. job related qualifications
c. degrees required and those preferred if applicable
d. number of years of experience required or preferred, or other criteria
e. rank
f. starting date
g. name of the Search Committee Chairperson or other person as the contact for receipt of cover
letter and resume
h. closing date for applications or if applications will be considered until position is filled.

2. submits this information to the next-level supervisor and Division Vice President for review, revision, approval, and submission to the Provost and Executive Vice President, Office of Human Resources, and Office of Employment Equity and Diversity; and

3. places approved advertisements in appropriate media outlets, list-serve, and other venues that are of minimal or no cost to the University.

The Senior Unit Supervisor

1. reviews all submissions to ensure accuracy of intent;
2. submits original or revised copy to the Provost and Executive Vice President’s Office for review and approval

The Office of Human Resources

1. coordinates distribution of Position Announcements for posting on campus bulletin boards and on web page;
2. arranges for advertising in cooperation with the Department Director and next-level supervisor.

Appendix B: Disposition of Application Materials

To ensure and document equity and fairness in the employment process, it is essential that all applications be received and accounted for in the process. As stated above, it is the responsibility of all members of search committees to evaluate thoroughly all applications for each advertised position.

Further, the Search Committee Chair is responsible for

1. receiving and logging all applications, resumes and vitae for the search he or she is conducting;
2. sending a letter acknowledging receipt of the application and pre-employment identification card
to each applicant upon receipt;
3. sending a letter to all non-appointees at the close of the search indicating that the search has been
successfully completed or closed without appointment; and
4. maintaining copies of the letter of acknowledgment, of non-appointment, and other relevant documentation
including Affirmative Action Forms I and II in department files where they become the responsibility
of the department chairperson.

Before disposing of search materials, the department should contact the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity to receive permission to do so.