After the campus visits by candidates, the Search Committee should solicit evaluations of each visitor from those who met him or her, including students, faculty, and administrative colleagues. Written responses, whether in the form of notes, memos, or questionnaires, should be gathered before final consideration by the Search Committee on the finalist.
After a candidate’s visit to campus, contacts with other individuals who may provide important information about him/her are permissible. The candidate should be informed that this will occur, and should be given the opportunity to name others who might be contacted.
It is preferred that recommendations by the Search Committee on the finalist for a position will be made by consensus reached in a meeting of the full Committee, not based on decisions made by polling members individually. If no consensus is possible, a vote should be taken to reach a decision. The Committee Chair should report the recommendation of the Committee to the Provost, indicating whether the recommendation was by consensus or vote.
When a recommendation for the finalist has been agreed upon by the Provost and the Search Committee, the Provost will discuss the action with the President.
The Provost conducts telephone negotiations with the finalist and draws up the written terms of employment. In some cases, the Provost may consult with the Search Committee Chair concerning certain aspects of the negotiations. No member of the Committee should initiate contact with the finalist without prior approval of the Provost. If a finalist requests to meet a departmental member who was recused from the search process because of a conflict of interest or personal relationship with an applicant before accepting an offer, the Provost will reach out to the departmental member to request such a conversation.
The letter of appointment will be signed by the Provost on behalf of the College. Should the finalist decline the offer, the Provost will discuss subsequent action with the Chair of the Search Committee. If needed, the Search Committee will reconvene to consider other applicants for further campus interviews. Depending upon the applicant pool, the best strategy may be to make an offer to another candidate, invite further candidates to campus, or renew the tenure-track search in the next year. This would be discussed by the Search Committee Chair and the Provost.
After receiving word from the Provost’s Office that confirmation of acceptance from the finalist has been received, an email message should be sent to all applicants informing them that the position has been filled and thanking them for their interest in the College. Email messages to candidates who have visited campus should be different than that for other applicants, reflecting both the additional effort made by candidates and our regard for having selected them as candidates. In many cases the Search Committee Chair might make a phone call rather than use an email message. Like previous contacts with applicants, the content and tone of these messages are important. See the Sample Messages to Unsuccessful Applicants and Candidates.
After the Search is complete, the Search Committee Chair must submit a Recruitment Report to the Provost. See the Sample Recruitment Report.
