Academic Affairs Staff Hiring Procedures

The varied nature of staff positions makes a single, uniform procedure for hiring Academic Affairs staff challenging. This is because departments and academic offices have different configurations; applicant pools and advertising outreach can differ; and the responsibilities of staff persons—including their amount and type of interaction with students and other constituencies—can vary significantly. The following, modeled on the faculty hiring procedure, provides a general process for the hiring of Academic Affairs staff, but should be implemented with a degree of flexibility to suit the needs of each position and search. Some advice in the document “Developing and Executing Tenure Track Searches: An Overview,” found in the Department Chair Handbook, may also be helpful. Process deviations should be discussed with the Senior Associate Dean of the College.

Academic Affairs staff searches are generally organized by the Senior Associate Dean of the College, in consultation with the Dean of the College. The Senior Associate Dean works with the relevant Department Chair or area supervisor to craft a procedure fit for the particular search.

1. Department Chair or area supervisor discusses position need and hiring rationale with the Dean of the College and Senior Associate Dean of the College.

2. Once a search has been approved, the Department Chair or area supervisor works with the Senior Associate Dean on the details of the search including search timeline, advertising outlets, and job ad.

3. Search timeline. Searches utilizing broad advertising networks, such as national listservs and organizational outlets, should generally allow jobs to be posted for at least 30 days prior to closing. Support staff searches that rely more on local networks may run for a shorter duration.

4. Position advertising. Department Chair or area supervisor should discuss ideal advertising outlets with the Senior Associate Dean.  For professional staff, use of known professional networks and contacts is encouraged.  For support staff searches, utilizing area contacts and local newspapers is encouraged. All jobs will be posted on the Wabash employment website (http://www.wabash.edu/employment/).

5. Job Ad Should Include:

  • Name of the college
  • Position title
  • Name of department(s) or area in which the position is located
  • Description of job responsibilities
  • Type of appointment (salaried or hourly; full-time or part-time)
  • Degree requirements and relevant qualifications (credentials and skills)
  • Directions for submission of materials to employment website (www.wabash.edu/employment) and indication of required application materials (cover letter, resume, list of references; depending on nature of position, reference letters and academic transcripts may be required)
  • Name of the search chair and/or Academic Administrative Coordinator (e-mail address if appropriate)
  • Standard EOE line: “Wabash College, a liberal arts college for men, seeks faculty and staff who are committed to providing quality engagement with students, high levels of academic challenge and support, and meaningful experiences that prepare students for life and leadership among diverse populations around the globe. Wabash is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from persons of all backgrounds.”

In positions where a bachelor’s degree or higher is required, Wabash requires official transcripts upon hire. Notification of this requirement can be included in job text or discussed during campus interview and included in appointment letter.

The ad may also integrate other potential information, such as selling points of the department, program, or College, including availability of professional development support. Consider including this description of the College’s commitment to cultivating a diverse, inclusive environment: “In the midst of a strategic transformation to advance the success of first-generation students and students from low-income families, Wabash College is committed to attracting and effectively supporting faculty and staff with a demonstrated commitment to supporting student success. Approximately 25% of our students are federal Pell Grant recipients, one-third of our students are first-generation college students, and about 20% of our students identify as domestic students of color. Wabash offers a broad range of academic and cultural programs open to all members of the Wabash community. Wabash is a top-60 Liberal Arts College according to U.S. News, and is a member of Colleges That Change Lives. Many students, staff, and faculty find the close-knit community of the residential college one of the most rewarding aspects of their time here.”

The employment website also allows use of up to five application questions and the identification of ratings criteria. Application questions can be used to collect information such as a URL to a portfolio of work, field of degree, type of experience, etc. However, being mindful of the unintended implications of hidden or implicit bias, these questions should not include year of degree completion or name of undergraduate or graduate institution.

Ratings criteria such as “Overall” evaluation, “Relevant experience,” and others can be used by the search committee in evaluation of candidates.  Application questions and rating criteria must be set up at the time a position is posted on the employment website.

Additional considerations related to searches and advertising:

  • When other current college employees or retired employees are available and suitable for a position, particularly short-term positions, they may be transferred or hired based on discussion with the Dean and Senior Associate Dean and without advertising a position.
  • In addition to posting in prominent locations for the area of hire, whenever possible positions also should be advertised in locations that cater to expanding candidate pools.

6. Completed ad, once approved by the Dean’s Office, is placed by the Human Resources Office in the agreed upon advertising outlets.

7. Applications will be received via the Wabash employment website (http://www.wabash.edu/employment/).  Applicants receive an automated confirmation email upon submission of their application.  EOE survey information is collected electronically in the employment website. Academic Administrative Coordinators can upload additional and updated candidate materials.

8. The appropriate department chair or area supervisor (hereafter referred to as search committee chair) and Academic Administrative Coordinator are assigned as managers of the application pool and give search participants access to necessary files. Review of candidate materials takes place via the employment website: www.wabash.edu/employment/admin/. Instructions and information about the system are on the login page, and Academic Administrative Coordinators maintain a user’s guide for the employment system. 

9. Search Committee reviews applications and identifies short-list candidates, with selection rationales, for the Senior Associate Dean to review. The Senior Associate Dean gives approval for short-list Zoom or phone interviews.  Such preliminary interviews should be scripted. Notes should be added to the committee’s files on the candidate. Interviewers should review guidelines on inappropriate interview questions. At their discretion, the search committee might conduct reference checks after short-list interviews or choose to wait until after on-campus interviews.

10. Following any short-list interviews, search committee chair identifies top candidates to be considered for campus interviews. The Senior Associate Dean, often in consultation with a Division Chair or the Dean, reviews recommendation and candidates. The Dean’s Office approves candidates to be invited for interviews.

11. The Search Committee Chair identifies interview dates in consultation with the Office of the Dean of the College, and the Academic Administrative Coordinator schedules the interviews. Scheduling should be done in consultation with the Senior Associate Dean’s and/or the Dean's schedules. Search committee members, Deans and Division Chairs, and outside faculty and staff participating in the search receive access to candidates’ materials (generally only cover letter and resume) via the employment website. Student participants generally do not receive candidate materials. All involved in the interview process should be given a copy of the document, “Interviews – What’s Inappropriate to Ask?” 

12. In cases where meals are involved during the interview, the dinners should include search committee members but not spouses or partners.

13. To the extent necessary in the search, Academic Administrative Coordinators provide the job ad and candidate’s schedule to on-campus interviewers; set up appointments with staff, faculty, administrators, and students; and arrange transportation from the airport, lodging, meals, and rooms on campus. Job candidates generally arrange flights themselves and are reimbursed for their expenses, but can work with Academic Administrative Coordinators and/or the Travel Coordinator for flight arrangements if they prefer.

Interview Scheduling

Depending on the nature of the search and position, the interview will likely include some number of the following elements (* items represent required elements):

  • Meeting with search committee*
  • Meeting with members of department(s) or administrative area with whom they will work*
  • Meeting with similarly situated or related staff in other college departments*
  • Meeting with students
  • Meeting with a group of faculty
  • Potential public presentation, depending on nature of position
  • Meeting with one or more Division Chairs
  • Meeting with Senior Associate Dean*
  • Meeting with Dean
  • Exit interview with search committee chair*
  • Campus tour
  • Meeting with Campus Ambassadors (optional, but perhaps especially useful for candidates from outside our region). The Campus Ambassador Program is designed to give candidates a time during the interview to ask their own questions about the variety of ways faculty and staff live, work, and volunteer in Crawfordsville and surrounding areas. Ambassadors are chosen by the candidate rather than the search committee, and Campus Ambassadors do not attend the candidate’s public presentation or offer written feedback to the committee chair. Campus Ambassadors cannot ask personal questions or otherwise depart from best practices on appropriate and inappropriate questions for interviews, but Ambassadors can volunteer information about their own experiences at the College and in central Indiana. If the Campus Ambassadors program is used, the administrative assistant shares the list of current Campus Ambassadors with the candidate, who selects two or three Campus Ambassadors that they would like to talk to. The administrative assistant checks with the nominated Campus Ambassadors to determine their availability, and shares contact information among the candidate and Campus Ambassador for them to determine a time to talk, generally after the campus visit and either on Zoom or via phone call.

Other Considerations:

  • The length of visit will vary based on position but will generally be ½ to 1 day.
  • To the extent possible, department and area colleagues should have individual interviews of 20-30 minutes in length with candidates.
  • Meetings with students and with outside staff or faculty should not include members of the interviewing department or area. Candidates should be provided with the names of the students, faculty, and staff they are seeing. In the case of faculty and staff, their department/area and rank or title help candidates know whom they are meeting with.
  • Meeting groups should be constructed to include a range of current staff and faculty.
  • Candidates should be offered the opportunity to schedule additional appointments as desired, such as with the library, IT, and/or a visit with a realtor or town tour.
  • Candidates should be provided breaks during the course of the interview.
  • To the extent relevant to the search, search committees should review the College's statement on "Spouse and Partner Employment.”
  • An employee should generally not participate in searches for which family members are applicants.

14. Following campus interviews, the search committee chair gathers commentary from faculty, staff, and students—but not Campus Ambassadors. The Campus Ambassadors should have no communication with the search committee.  After considering outside and inside commentary, the search committee discusses and ranks the candidates.

15. The search committee chair discusses candidate rankings and recommendations with Senior Associate Dean and/or Dean.

16. Dean or Senior Associate Dean determines the outcome of the search and notifies search committee chair.

17. The job offer made to candidate by the Dean’s Office.

18. After a candidate has verbally accepted the position, the President sends an appointment letter. A signed and returned appointment letter from the candidate confirms the appointment.

19. After a signed appointment letter has been returned, search committee chair contacts other interviewed candidates to tell them the outcome of the search. Academic Administrative Coordinator sends e-mails to all other applicants notifying them that the position has been filled. Communication should be sent via the employment website.

20. All applicant files will be stored electronically and access will be restricted.

Hire Information - What to Retain in Job Searches

1. Copy of the academic administrative coordinator’s files related to the search including any merge file that was created pertaining to the search and substantive communication about the search or with applicants.  Simple informational communications with applicants do not need to be kept.

2. Documentation of the decision-making process:

  • Any written notes that may exist on the selection process. Why applicants made lists, why others did not.
  • Short list of applicants, interview list(s).
  • Copies of the interview schedules.
  • Any written notes on the final selection.

The Academic Administrative Coordinators have agreed to electronically bundle all of this information for storage for a period of three years, as is required, after which time it should be deleted. Information will be kept in confidence, to be used only in the case of a complaint.