Appointment of New Full-Time Faculty

General Principles

New full-time faculty are appointed to fill either an existing vacancy or a newly created position. The distribution of full-time faculty positions among the departments is determined through the College’s planning and budgeting processes. The distribution is based on enrollments and curricular needs and may change over time.

All searches for full-time faculty are authorized by the President.

Full-time faculty positions can be filled through national and international searches. Candidates should exhibit distinguished records of achievement as teachers, scholars, and practitioners in their respective fields. Candidates should have the potential to contribute at the highest level of quality as teachers, mentors, colleagues, and active professionals. Except in unusual circumstances, candidates are expected to possess the appropriate terminal degree in their fields and provide official transcripts from their alma maters. Faculty who falsify academic records or misrepresent their qualifications or experience will be immediately dismissed.

Procedures

Once the President has authorized a search, the Department Chair develops a job description in consultation with the graduate or undergraduate Dean. The appropriate Dean works with the department Chair and the Director of Human Resources to appoint a search committee. In addition to the appropriate Dean, members of the search committee include, at a minimum, the following:

  • Department Chair
  • Full-time department faculty member
  • Student department representative (non-voting), as determined by Department Chair 

The search committee is responsible for the following:

  • Ensure that the DEI hiring statement is included in all job postings
  • Reviewing the job description for the position
  • Identifying effective vehicles for advertising the position
  • Identifying potential candidates
  • Evaluating applications
  • Agreeing upon a set of specific interview questions to be asked of each candidate
  • Conducting pre-interviews using telecommunications means to select finalists
  • Interviewing finalist candidates on campus
  • Attending a lesson or lecture delivered by the candidates before a group of faculty and students
  • Recommending to the President one or more candidates for the position

When an acceptable candidate is identified, the appropriate Dean recommends the appointment of the candidate, the length of the appointment, and the candidate’s rank and compensation to the President. The President may interview the candidate. When the President approves the candidate’s selection, the appropriate Dean discusses with the candidate the terms of employment. When all terms are agreed upon, the President sends the letter of appointment.

Designation of Rank

After considering input from the search committee, the Dean recommends to the President the rank of new full-time faculty. The ranks to which new full-time faculty may be appointed are as follows:

Assistant Professor – Entry level designation for faculty with appropriate educational credentials.

Associate Professor – Designation for faculty with appropriate educational credentials and at least eight years of distinguished teaching or professional practice.

Professor – The rank granted to those faculty with appropriate educational credentials, who have achieved a career of high distinction in teaching or professional practice of fifteen or more years.