Procedure for Selection of New Faculty

Selection of Committees:

After the Board or Superintendent has approved a faculty position, the appropriate Center Dean or Area Administrator will rely on the advice of faculty members in the subject matter area or related areas to form staff selection committees. Whenever possible the majority of the members of each Staff Selection Committee shall consist of faculty members with expertise in the subject matter area or related areas. Faculty members in the subject matter area or Center will approve committee representatives by majority vote. 

The Human Resources Officer will review the composition of committees and train first-time committee members before any of the committees assume their functions.

The following committees may have members in common or be disjoint, depending on the decision of the Center/Area faculty members.

Definition of Staff Selection Committees:

Job Announcement Committee: The Job Announcement Committee shall include the Center Dean/Area Administrator as Chair and as many faculty members with expertise in the subject matter area as practical.

Equivalency Committee:  The Equivalency Committee shall include the Center Dean/Area Administrator as chair and a minimum of two full-time faculty members with sufficient expertise to evaluate equivalence.

Screening Committee:  The Screening Committee shall include the Center Dean/Area Administrator as Chair and shall consist of a minimum of five (5) and maximum of seven (7) voting members including the chair. The Human Resources Officer shall assign an Equal Employment Opportunity representative who will serve as an advisory member unless the committee determines the representative shall be voting. Typically, the representative will not be a member of the Center where a vacancy occurs.

Interview Committee:  The Interview Committee shall include the Center Dean/Area Administrator as Chair and shall consist of a minimum of five (5) and maximum of seven (7) voting members including the chair.  The Human Resources Officer shall assign an Equal Employment Opportunity representative who will serve as an advisory member unless the committee determines the representative shall be voting. Typically, the representative will not be a member of the Center where a vacancy occurs.

 

Faculty Hiring Procedure:

1:  Job Announcements Prepared

a.       A draft job announcement shall be prepared by the Human Resources Office setting forth those skills necessary for successful job performance and listing the required education, training and experience.  This draft will be sent to the Center Dean/Area Administrator who is responsible for providing the information to the Job Announcement Committee.

b.       The Job Announcement Committee shall develop a final version of the job announcement including job specifications and desired characteristics.  The job announcement will be forwarded to the Human Resources Office for distribution. 

2: Advertising the Position

a.               The position will be advertised as described in the Faculty & Staff Diversity Plan. The length of the advertising period shall be long enough to allow for nationwide distribution. The position shall be broadly advertised to obtain a large, balanced pool of candidates.

b.               The Human Resources Officer will process applications for review by the Screening Committee. If it appears that the pool of applicants may be inadequate, the Human Resources Officer shall meet with the Center Dean/Area Administrator to determine how to proceed.

 

3:  Equivalency Established

The Equivalency Committee may establish equivalency either before or after the applications are screened.  In either case, equivalency will be established before a candidate is interviewed.

a.       The Equivalency Committee will consider only those applicants who formally request equivalency consideration. It is the responsibility of the candidate to provide evidence for possession of equivalent qualifications prior to the closing date stated on the job announcement. The committee will review all documents sent by the candidate and shall approve or disapprove the equivalency based on a majority vote of the committee following the guidelines in the Procedure for Establishing Equivalency.  

b.      The Equivalency Committee will pass all approved applications to the Screening Committee for further consideration. If the Screening Committee also serves as the Equivalency Committee, all members will review the applications.

 

4: Interview questions

The Interview Committee shall formulate interview questions and evaluative procedures to ensure a thorough assessment of the candidate’s qualifications. The interview questions will reflect the criteria listed in the job announcement, the job description, the working characteristics of the position, the technical and behavioral qualifications required, and the work environment. The committee shall outline expected answers to the proposed questions as a means to evaluate candidates in the interview process.

          The committee shall also provide for appropriate teaching demonstrations, and/or writing samples, and/or other performance indicators related to the subject area.

5:  Applications Screened

The Screening Committee will review the application screening criteria.  The criteria may include, but need not be limited to:

a.       Professional qualifications including educational background and occupational experience.

b.       Subject area knowledge, teaching experience, communication skills, commitment to professional growth and community involvement, and potential for overall college effectiveness.

c.       Sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability and ethnic backgrounds of the district’s students.

The Screening Committee will use a screening document prepared by the Human Resources Office to determine which applicants will be recommended for interview. The applicants who best meet the established screening criteria, in the opinion of the Screening Committee, will be invited for personal interviews. 

 

6:  The Interview:

All documents and procedures used by this committee, shall first be reviewed by the Human Resources Officer.

a.       The Interview Committee shall review the applications of all candidates selected for interviews.

b.       The Interview Committee shall conduct interviews and use the committee’s questions and rating form prepared by the Human Resources Office to evaluate responses. Individual committee members must be present for each interview in order to participate in the evaluation of candidates. In case the list of candidates to be interviewed is large, the committee may utilize a two-stage interview process. Teaching demonstrations or other performance tasks may be deferred to the second stage.

c.       After interviews have been completed, the Chair shall lead the committee discussion regarding strengths and weaknesses of the candidates and summarize final committee rankings and written comments for each candidate as a further means of communicating its recommendation.

d.       Typically reference checks will be conducted by the Chair. If necessary, the Chair may request other members from the Staff Selection Committees to assist.

e.       In most cases, the Interview Committee will recommend a minimum of two candidates for final consideration.  The committee may rank the candidates for submission to the appropriate Vice-President or President.  If the committee cannot recommend any of the candidates, the hiring process shall return to the most appropriate stage.

In the event that the committee feels there is only one candidate that it can recommend for the position, the committee may forward the name of that candidate with documentation to justify such recommendation. If that candidate is not deemed acceptable at a later point in the hiring process, or if that candidate does not accept a job offer, the understanding shall be that there were no other acceptable candidates in the interview pool, and that, therefore, the hiring process will then return to the most appropriate stage.

 

7:  Review by the President/Vice-President

a.       The appropriate Vice-President and/or President shall review the Interview Committee’s evaluation of strengths and weaknesses and the qualifications and reference checks on the recommended candidates. The appropriate Vice-President and/or President shall interview the finalists and may conduct additional reference checks.  If the appropriate Vice-President and/or President cannot agree to appoint one of the finalists, a recommendation will be made to return to the most appropriate stage of the hiring process.  In this case, the President shall meet with the committee to discuss the issues.

b.       The President in joint consultation with the appropriate Vice-President and the Academic Senate President shall select one finalist to recommend to the Board of Trustees. The Academic Senate, through the Academic Senate President, may present its views to the Governing Board before the Board makes a final determination. The written record of the decision, including the views of the Academic Senate, shall be available for review pursuant to Ed Code Section 87359.

 

Review and Revision

This Procedure for Selection of New Faculty is subject to review and revision at the request of either the Academic Senate or the District.  Such revised policy or procedures shall be mutually agreed upon by both parties before it replaces the previously agreed-upon hiring policy or procedures.

Procedure for Establishing Equivalency 

An Equivalency Committee shall include the Center Dean/Area Administrator as chair and a minimum of two full-time faculty members with sufficient expertise to evaluate equivalence. The committee will review all documents sent by the applicant and shall approve or disapprove the equivalency based on a majority vote of the committee. Only infrequently will applicants meet the minimum qualifications through the equivalency process. This will occur, however, when an obviously highly qualified applicant lacks one or more of the components required to meet minimum qualifications but is able to demonstrate he or she has at least the achievements required for the position.

Applicants needing to establish equivalency to the minimum qualifications shall provide conclusive evidence. Conclusive evidence shall be one or more of the following:

a.       An official transcript showing that appropriate courses were successfully completed at an appropriate foreign or accredited institution.

b.       Publications that show a command of the discipline in question, the general education of the applicant, and his or her writing skill.

c.       Other work products, documented work experience, or eminence in the field that shows a command of the discipline in question.

d.       Possession of a credential in an appropriate discipline on or before June 30, 1990 and evidence of service under that credential.

I.        For establishing the equivalence of a required degree, the applicant must be able to document at least the equivalent level of achievement for each of the following as separate and distinct criteria:

A1.      The General Education required for the needed degree, AND

B1.       the major required for that degree.

A applicant who does not provide conclusive evidence in regard to A1 and B1 does not possess the equivalent of the degree in question.

II.       For establishing equivalence in a discipline on the basis of work experience, the applicant must possess thorough and broad skill and knowledge for each of the following as separate and distinct criteria:

A2.      Mastery of the skills of the discipline thorough enough for the proposed specific assignment and broad enough to serve as a basis for teaching courses in the discipline, AND

B2.       extensive and diverse knowledge of the working environment of the discipline.

An applicant who does not provide conclusive evidence in regard to either A2 or B2 does not possess the equivalence of the experience in question.

 

Review and Revision

This Procedure for Establishing Equivalency is subject to review and revision at the request of either the Academic Senate or the District.  Such revised policy or procedures shall be mutually agreed upon by both parties before it replaces the previously agreed-upon hiring policy or procedures.