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Recruitment

A. General Information

Perhaps the most important activity that we, as academic administrators, pursue is the hiring and evaluation of the professionals who work here at Loyola University. Therefore, the process of conducting a search, of building a pool of applicants that reflects the diversity and richness of our profession, of bringing candidates to campus for interviews, of judging the appropriate match with Loyola, and of negotiating with the preferred candidate is a matter of utmost seriousness.

While the basic responsibility for conducting a search and recommending the appropriate persons to fill vacancies resides with the full-time faculty and staff of the department or area in which the vacancy exists, it is expected that Deans and Directors will provide significant leadership and judgment in this process. In addition, there exists an overriding University priority to conduct searches in conformity with the norms of equal opportunity employment practices and to make special efforts to hire women and minorities to enhance the diversity of views and experiences on our faculty and staff. Equally important is the Academic Division’s commitment to identify, recruit, and hire Jesuit candidates whenever possible.

The norm for all faculty searches is that every attempt will be made to build a pool of candidates from the national market in a discipline. Searches for administrative staff should also be conducted in as wide a geographic area as possible, although there may be times when a regional search is more appropriate. The choice of a regional market must be approved, in advance, by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

In order to conduct searches effectively, please note the following guidelines and procedures. The intention here is to conduct faculty searches in accord with the policy on appointment in the Faculty Handbook (Chapters 4 and 11) and in conformity with the governance documents of the colleges and the procedures of the other areas within the Academic division.

B. Authorization to Conduct Search

When a vacancy exists, the Chair/Area Coordinator, Director, or Dean initiates the search by submitting a Request to Hire/Affirmative Action in Faculty Hiring form (Download in MS Word or Adobe Acrobat). The following documents must be attached to the Request to Hire form:

  1. A position description. This should state the title or rank of the position, the duties to be performed, any experience or minimal qualifications required of all candidates, and the salary range for the position.
  2. A search plan. This should describe the composition of the Search Committee, a calendar of the expected progress of the search, including the closing date for applications and the expected date for completion of the search, a list of the places the search will be advertised or publicized, special efforts being made to bring Jesuits, minorities, and women into the pool of candidates, and, finally, plans for notifying candidates of receipt of application, progress of the search, and the final results of the search. If the recruitment efforts involve travel for Loyola University faculty to a recruitment site, you must complete and submit with your search plan a Travel Request Form (Adobe PDF or MS Word).
  3. The position announcement. This is a copy of all public statements about the position (newspaper advertisements, job register announcements, announcements sent to the graduate schools, etc.)

Upon return of an approved Request to Hire form to the dean, the search can begin. 

C. Search Process

All advertisements should be placed well in advance of the desired deadline dates.

All academic affairs search committees should contain at least one member from a department or area different from the locus of the search, in order to provide a wider perspective of judgment on the candidates. The search committee may be as large as the dean, director, or chair feels comfortable with, but it should never be so small that all the views and perspectives in the unit are not represented.

It is normally expected that the dean, director, or chair will head the search committee. When the search committee is organized, the head of the committee should invite a member of the Office of Human Resources to the first meeting in order that he/she can review for the members of the committee the requirements of, and the opportunities for, an affirmative search. At that time, the Human Resources Representative will discuss the nature and procedure necessary for compliance of the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Inquiry Form (Download in MS Word or Adobe Acrobat). The form will be sent out by the Office of Human Resources to all applicants applying for the position. In order for them to send out the form, it will be necessary for the Chair of the Search Committee to supply the Human Resources Representative with the names and addresses of all applicants.

All candidates for faculty positions should be informed that, in order to have a complete application file, they will need to provide the Search Committee by the application deadline with the following:

  1. a current vitae or resumé
  2. at least three letters of reference or the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three to five individuals who are willing to act as references
  3. an official transcript noting the completion of their highest degree or their current progress towards a degree.

These are minimal requirements; you may, of course, require additional materials as appropriate from your candidates. For many searches, and certainly for faculty searches, every opportunity should be taken to get as much information as possible about candidates before inviting a select few to campus for interviews. Professional meetings should be used, whenever possible, to meet and talk with candidates as well as to publicize available positions. However, because of the competitive market situation in many fields, it is important that searches be conducted as early in the year as possible even if this means not making use of professional meetings which occur in early spring.

When the search committee has selected the individuals they wish to invite to campus for interviews, the Faculty/Applicant Summary form (Download in MS Word or Adobe Acrobat) must be filed. This is to assure compliance with our affirmative action commitments and to satisfy ourselves that there are no qualified candidates in the pool who may have been overlooked. In order
to allow an accurate judgment to be made, the head of the search committee should submit, with the Faculty/Applicant Summary form, the application folders of any women or minority candidates who were not selected for a campus interview along with the folders of those candidates whom the search committee wishes to interview. This package of materials should be sent to the Office of Human Resources by the chair of the search committee.

D. Campus Interviews

Under normal circumstances, the number of candidates invited for an interview will be limited to three people. As the budget to pay for campus interview visits is very limited, it must be shown that there is significant university benefit to be derived from inviting more than three candidates to interview for a position. Advance approval by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs must be obtained before more than three candidates are invited for campus interviews.

In contacting candidates to arrange an interview, the head of the search committee should ascertain that the person has a realistic picture of the rank and salary for the position. Also, candidates should be sent as much information about the position, the department, and the University as possible in advance of their visit.

Interviews for faculty positions should normally encompass about a day and a half. Besides a full and rigorous meeting with the search committee, candidates should be scheduled for interviews with department members who are not on the search committee, a group of student majors (if possible), perhaps faculty members from other departments who might work with the individual, and the dean.

Thirty minutes should be scheduled for the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs or the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs to interview faculty candidates. Candidates for endowed chair positions will be interviewed by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs instead of a vice provost.

Please be sure that each person scheduled to meet the candidate has a copy of the individual’s vitae at least a day in advance of the interview.

Given the diversity of housing in this area, some attempt should be made during their visit to acquaint candidates with the realities and possibilities of living accommodations here. Also, during the candidate’s interview with the dean, there should be a brief discussion of interest, availability, fringe benefits, and salary expectations to ensure once again that everyone has a mutual understanding about the position. Finally, candidates for faculty positions should be asked either to give a presentation of their research to a meeting of faculty and students or to conduct a scheduled class during their visit. It is not inappropriate to ask the candidate to do both. Candidates should be informed at least in outline, if not with a typed agenda, of their schedule before they arrive on campus.

Interviews for professional staff positions should normally encompass the better part of a day. Again, besides the search committee, the candidate should be interviewed by the range of people with whom he/she would be working, including faculty members and appropriate deans. A meeting with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs of about half an hour in length may also be scheduled, depending upon the position.

In arranging an interview trip, the person responsible for the search should explain to the candidate that reasonable travel, lodging, and meal expenses will be reimbursed to the candidate. Advances to candidates for interview trips are not recommended. Although entertaining of candidates is an important part of the interview process, the costs of entertaining must be limited to $300.00 per candidate.

E. Search Conclusion

When all the interviews have been conducted, the search committee should recommend, in writing, their preferred candidate, other acceptable candidates, and any unacceptable candidates, with a brief statement evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each. Chairs and coordinators should make their recommendations to the dean, and deans and directors should make their recommendations to the provost and vice President for academic affairs. If the dean does not agree with the department or area coordinator’s recommendation, or if the provost and vice president for academic affairs disagrees with the department, area, director or dean’s recommendation, the provost and vice president for academic affairs will call a meeting of all concerned to resolve the differences. If none of the candidates are acceptable to the search committee, the committee should discuss with the dean and/or the provost and vice president for academic affairs the options of canceling the search, re-advertising for additional candidates, or inviting other people from the current pool to be interviewed.

Once an agreement has been reached on the candidate to whom a job offer will be made, the basic responsibility for conducting the negotiations will rest with the dean/director. A dean may delegate this task to a department chair or coordinator, but retains overall responsibility for the effective conduct of this activity and for communicating with me regarding any problems that develop. Deans and directors are also responsible for insuring that, once a verbal agreement with the candidate has been reached and the offer letter signed, the new faculty or staff member contacts the Office of Human Resources to complete the necessary documentation for employment.

The above are general guidelines for the recruitment process. Variations to these guidelines by individual colleges, departments or areas may be necessary in order to enhance a particular search process. Such variations, as appropriate, will be made after discussion and agreement with the provost and vice president for academic affairs.

F. Faculty Search Expense Guidelines

The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs provides funds for reasonable and customary expenses associated with faculty searches including advertising, travel for campus visits by candidates (transportation, lodging, and meals), and entertaining candidates during their campus interviews.

G. Advertising

Funds will be provided only for advertising described in the search plan and approved by the college dean and the provost and vice president for academic affairs. A complete description of the proposed advertising plan must be included in the search plan and submitted with the Request to Hire (Faculty) Form.

The advertising plan must include the following information:

  1. Name of publication/s where position will be advertised and advertisement text
  2. Number of times advertisement will run
  3. Estimated total cost to advertise by publication if more than one

Purchase orders must be issued for all advertising. The department conducting the search is responsible for entering the purchase order requisition in the Financial Reporting System (FRS) and then contacting the academic affairs budget manager, x2434 for approval.

Upon receipt of an invoice for advertising, the department conducting the search is responsible for approving the invoice for payment and sending the original invoice to Financial Affairs.

 

Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Diane Dooley, Specialist for Faculty Employment Processes, at dwdooley@loyno.edu or x3036.

The following guidelines apply to search committee member/s and departmental faculty who want to attend conferences/professional meetings to recruit and interview faculty applicants:

  1. Plans to travel to a meeting/conference for the purposes of recruiting and interviewing applicants must be  stated in the search plan and include the names of no more than two faculty members whose travel expenses are requested.
  2. A Travel Request Form (Adobe PDF or MS Word) including the total estimated travel expenses (transportation, lodging, and meals), dates, location, conference name, and an explanation as to why the travel is necessary to the recruiting process must be submitted with the search plan.
  3. The college/library dean and the provost and vice president for academic affairs must approve the travel request and budget in advance of the trip.
  4. Travel expenses for faculty recruiting trips will be limited to reasonable transportation and $150.00 per diem maximum to cover lodging (a maximum of three (3) nights), meals, and miscellaneous expenses. In cities where $150.00 per diem is clearly insufficient, the dean and the provost must approve higher per diem before travel arrangements are made. Higher expenses will not be approved after they have been expended

Faculty candidate campus visits:

  1. The number of candidates invited for a campus visit is limited to a maximum of three, even if one or more of the candidates is a local candidate. Advance approval from the Provost is needed to bring in more than three candidates.
  2. The university will pay for a candidate’s transportation between home and the campus plus lodging and meals.
  3. Interviews for faculty should normally encompass about a day and a half.
  4. Lodging for candidates is limited to one night unless the transportation schedule necessitates two nights or if an additional day significantly reduces airfare. Advance approval by the Provost’s Office is required for more than one night’s lodging.
  5. The department conducting the search is responsible for making hotel reservations and entering the requisition in FRS if a purchase order is required.
  6. The department conducting the search is responsible for working with the candidates on their travel arrangements. Travel arrangements should be made to take advantage of advance ticket purchase/fare reductions.

Although the entertaining of candidates is an important part of the interview, entertainment expenses must adhere to the following guidelines:

  1. The Provost’s Office will reimburse colleges/library/departments for entertainment expenses up to $300.00 per candidate.
  2. Expenses for breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings with candidates as well as refreshments for student or faculty meetings with candidates are included in the $300.00 maximum total entertainment expense per candidate.
  3. Departmental funds may not be used for entertainment without approval by the dean.
  4. The entertainment guidelines apply even if a candidate lives in the local area and no travel expenses are involved.

Preparation of all check requests and expense forms (except for the account code and final approval) is the responsibility of the college/library/department conducting the search. Send completed check requests and expense reports via Concur for processing.

The university’s procedures require that advertising expenses for faculty recruitment be paid through the purchase order system. The department conducting a faculty search is responsible for entering the requisition into the FRS, initially using the department’s account code and then contacting the Provost’s Office with the requisition number to complete the processing. The Provost’s Office will change the account code from the departmental account code to the Provost’s account code and approve the purchase order. The purchase order will be available in FRS the next business day. If the purchase order number is needed on the same day, the department conducting the search is responsible for contacting the purchasing office and requesting same day processing of the requisition and obtaining the purchase order number.

Budget transfers may also be used for reimbursement of expenses. This method would be used if the college/library/department pays for expenses directly. In most cases an e-mail to the Provost’s Office with details of the expense and the account number to receive the transfer will be sufficient documentation.

The university will purchase transportation tickets for faculty candidate travel or reimburse candidates for transportation expenses. Candidates traveling by personal automobile will be reimbursed at the prevailing rate per mile. The university will also reimburse a candidate for a rental car to and from the candidate’s home city and the university if the candidate wants to drive but does not own a suitable vehicle or other means of public transportation are not available.

Airline tickets can be charged to a university credit card issued to the dean or department chair. The Provost’s Office will reimburse the appropriate college account for the cost of the ticket. The candidate will be reimbursed if he or she purchases the ticket.

Nearby hotels are preferred for faculty candidates. The availability and cost of hotel rooms varies significantly depending on other events taking place in New Orleans. The university will cover expenses for lodging and meals charged to the room.

Direct billing arrangements are available at the Hampton Inn Garden District Hotel and the Park View Guest House adjacent to Audubon Park.  The department conducting the search is responsble for making hotel reservations and ensuring the invoice is submitted for payment.

Some colleges/departments have established direct billing arrangements with other nearby hotels or prefer to use nearby bed/breakfast establishments.

The Provost’s Office will provide the funds for faculty candidate lodging expenses either by providing an account number for a check request or purchase order, or by a budget transfer to reimburse a college/department.

Faculty candidates will be reimbursed for miscellaneous travel expenses such as transportation to and from the airports both at home and in New Orleans, meals while traveling, tolls, parking, etc.

For reimbursement, a faculty candidate must submit the receipts along with a letter of explanation to the college/department for approval. The college/department should prepare a check request competing all appropriate fields except the account number and submit the check request, receipts, and letter of explanation to the Provost’s Office. The Provost’s Office will add the appropriate
account number and submit the check request to Financial Affairs.