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Executive Management Selection Committee & College Dean Selection, Revision of EM 04-043

Executive Memorandum 18-022 August 13, 2018

From: Gayle E. Hutchinson, President 

Subject: Executive Management Selection Committee & College Dean Selection, Revision of EM 04-043

Upon the recommendation of the Academic Senate and the concurrence of the Provost, I approve Executive Management Selection Committee & College Dean Selection Committee, effective immediately.

Preamble

It is in the nature of universities that faculty, staff, and students take on a co-governance responsibility with the administration. This participative relationship extends to the selection of key managerial personnel.

  1. SCOPE
    1. The purpose of this document is to specify the policy by which faculty, staff, students, and administrators participate in the selection process of the campus’ executive management staff and college deans.
    2. The goal of attracting and retaining the highest quality administrative staff to the University is appropriately a concern of the faculty. Accordingly, the faculty's advice in these matters is an important way in which shared institutional governance and our common institutional mission are achieved.
    3. Confidentiality is an essential ingredient in such searches to protect both the process and the pool of candidates. The need for this confidentiality means that the selection committee will have to operate as the agent of the faculty, staff, and students since an open, public process is not compatible with these needs.
  2. POLICY
    1. The Executive Management Selection Committee (EMSC)
      1. Searches to be performed by the EMSC and governed by the structures and processes herein described:
        1. Provost, vice presidents, vice provost, assistant vice presidents, and in Academic Affairs, associate vice presidents, associate vice provosts, and assistant vice provosts;
        2. Non-college academic deans (e.g. , Regional and Continuing Education, Graduate & International Programs, Undergraduate Education);
        3. Other senior managerial positions with significant impact on the academic program as authorized by the president in consultation with the Academic Senate Executive Committee.
      2. Membership
        1. The membership of the EMSC will be built around the core of the Executive Management Evaluation and Development Committee (EMEDC). The EMEDC consists of:
        2. Four full-time faculty
        3. One permanent staff member
        4. One presidential appointee
        5. One dean
        6. The EMSC will utilize these EMEDC members and be augmented by:
          1. One student appointed by the Associated Students Board of Directors
          2. One additional presidential appointee to give the committee expertise about the position that is the target of the search
          3. One lecturer selected by the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate if no lecturers are already serving on the EMEDC.
          4. The Assistant Vice President for Human Resources (or designee) will serve in an advisory role to the cabinet search Selection Committee. The Associate Vice President for Academic Personnel (or designee) will serve in an advisory role for all searches in Academic Affairs.
        7. The president may modify the EMSC makeup and process for a given search with the agreement of the Senate Executive Committee.
      3.  Chair
        1. The chair of EMEDC will be the chair of each Selection Committee or will appoint a chair from the EMEDC members.
      4.  Process
        1. When a vacancy occurs, the hiring authority (president or provost) will prepare a draft of a job announcement. This job announcement will describe the duties of the position and the necessary and desired qualifications for candidates.
        2. The EMSC will meet with the President or Provost to discuss the draft job announcement as well as the goals and timeline for the search. The draft job announcement will be distributed by the EMSC chair to the campus community for comment and input. The use of professional search consultants and their role in the process will be discussed with the committee and defined by the President or Provost.
        3. The committee will consult with the Assistant Vice President for Human Resources (Cabinet), or the Associate Vice President for Academic Personnel (all other Academic Affairs executive positions), or their designee, for process issues related to the search.
        4. The Assistant Vice President for Human Resources (Cabinet), or the Associate Vice President for Academic Personnel (all other Academic Affairs executive positions), or their designee, will work with the EMSC to design the advertising methods and selection processes that serve the goals of campus for diversity, non-discrimination, and equity.
        5. Regular discussion between the hiring authority and the EMSC is encouraged but communication about candidates and their qualifications is strictly forbidden with those outside of the committee.
        6. If there is to be a public phase of the search process, the EMSC will work with the hiring authority to structure a schedule of meetings with appropriate audiences and an efficient input system that encourages the rating of candidates according to qualifications listed in the job announcement.
      5. Conclusion s
        1. At the conclusion of the process, the EMSC will report in writing to the hiring authority the list of all applicants to the position, the list of all acceptable candidates, and the committee’s evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of all of the acceptable candidates. Official ranking of the acceptable candidates is discouraged.
        2. Upon completion of the search, all reports and data shall be archived in the Human Resources Service Center for a period of three years.
    2. The College Dean Selection Committee (CDSC)
      1. Membership
        1. The College Dean Selection Committee will consist of:
          1. One college dean.
          2. One permanent staff member.
          3. One tenured faculty member from each department* in the college with a minimum of four such faculty, two of whom will be department chairs*. If there are fewer than four departments in the college, additional faculty members will be elected by the process described in the next section to bring the number of faculty representatives to four.
          4. One student member from the students majoring in one of the disciplines in the college.
          5. One member of EMEDC, as a non-voting member.
        2. With agreement of the Provost and the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate, the College Dean Selection Committee can be augmented from the membership described above. Augmentations will be carefully considered so as not to upset the balance of the various college constituencies.
          The Associate Vice President for Academic Personnel (or designee) will serve in an advisory role to the committee.
        3. A professional search firm may be employed to assist with the search process. The Provost will determine whether such consultants are to be used and in what roles after discussion with the committee. The firm will participate under the direction of the College Dean Selection Committee and its chair.
      2. Eligibility and Selection of Members
        1. The Provost will appoint one of the college deans; all of the other college deans are eligible to serve.
        2. The staff member shall be elected by and from the staff members of the college. Elections will be held using procedures specified by the Staff Council.
        3. All tenured faculty members are eligible for nomination to the department positions on the College Dean Selection Committee. The nomination and election process will be that used for election to college committees. If there are fewer than four departments in the college, additional faculty representatives will be selected from the tenured faculty of the college at-large. This nomination and election process will occur after the department faculty representatives have been elected. The nomination and election procedures will be those used for the election of the college’s academic senators. If after all of the faculty representatives have been elected it is determined that there are not two current or recent (within the past three years) department chairs represented in the group, the elected faculty representatives will meet and choose additional department chairs (current or recent) to replace the department faculty representatives as needed to meet this goal.
        4. The student member (graduate or undergraduate) will be selected by the college executive committee from among the students who are majoring in one of the disciplines in the college.
      3. Eligibility and Selection of the Chair
        1. With agreement of the Provost and the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate, the chair of CDSC will be selected by, and from, the CDSC college members.
      4.  Process
        1. When a vacancy occurs in a college dean position (see the previous sections for non-college dean selection.), the Provost will notify the college and the Staff Council of the need to form a Dean Selection Committee.
        2. The Provost will prepare a draft of a job announcement. This job announcement will describe the duties of the dean position and the necessary and desired qualifications for candidates.
        3. The College Dean Selection Committee will meet with the Provost to discuss the draft job announcement as well as the goals and timeline for the search. The draft job announcement will be distributed by the Dean Selection Committee to the college faculty and staff for comment and input. The use of professional search consultants and their role in the process will be discussed with the committee and defined by the Provost.
        4. The committee will consult with the Associate Vice President for Academic Personnel (or designee) for process issues related to the search.
        5. The Associate Vice President for Academic Personnel will work with the Dean Selection Committee to design the advertising methods and selection processes that serve the goals of campus for diversity, non-discrimination, and equity.
        6. Regular discussion between the Provost and the College Dean Selection Committee are encouraged but communication about candidates and their qualifications are strictly forbidden with those outside of the committee.
        7. For the public phase of the search process, the College Dean Selection Committee will work with the Provost and the Associate Vice President for Academic Personnel to structure a schedule of meetings with appropriate audiences and an efficient input system that encourages the rating of candidates according to qualifications listed in the job announcement.
      5.  Conclusion
        1. At the conclusion of the process, the College Dean Selection Committee will report in writing to the Provost the list of all applicants to the position, the list of all acceptable candidates, and the committee’s evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of all of the acceptable candidates. Official ranking of the acceptable candidates is discouraged.
        2. Upon completion of the search, all reports and data shall be archived by the Associate Vice President for Academic Personnel for a period of three years.
III. RESPONSIBILITIES
  1. The Executive Management Selection Committee (EMSC) and the College Dean Selection Committee (CDSC) created by this document are committees of the Academic Senate. EMSC will report annually to the Senate on their accomplishments.

Please direct any questions about this policy to the Chair of Academic Senate.

PDF version of EM 18-022 (PDF)