300 Hiring Procedures

Columbia College Chicago actively seeks diversity in its faculty and encourages female, LGBTQ, disabled, and minority appointments. The college’s active stance in this regard contributes positively to the learning environment, supports excellence, and prepares students for an increasingly global and complex cultural environment.

305 President
In the event of a vacancy (or pending vacancy) in the position of the president, the chair of the Board of Trustees shall promptly convene an Advisory Panel to evaluate and recommend to the Board appropriate candidates to fill the vacancy. The composition and proceedings of the Advisory Panel are determined by the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees makes the final hiring decision.

310 Provost
When the position of provost is to be vacated, the president, in consultation with the school’s deans, will convene a search committee and give it its charge. In some cases, an interim provost may need to be appointed until a permanent replacement can be identified. In such cases appointment will be made by the president in consultation with the school deans, the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, and the Chairs’ Council, for a period not to exceed two years.

The minimum composition of the search committee is as follows:

• one school dean, selected by the president;
• two members of the Chairs’ Council to be selected by the Chairs’ Council (from different schools, if feasible);
• a member of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate to be selected by the members of the Executive Committee;
• one full-time faculty member from each of the three schools to be elected through an open election process overseen by the Faculty Senate;
• amember of the part-time faculty to be selected through a process in accordance with the applicable current CCC P-fac collective bargaining agreement;
• two student representatives, one graduate and one undergraduate, selected by the Student Government Association;
• a member of the provost’s staff selected by the president; and
• a member of the president’s cabinet selected by the president.

The search committee shall use the following procedures:

• The president may choose to chair or co-chair the search committee or appoint the chairperson from within the committee.
• In the event that an executive search firm is employed to manage the process, the firm will solicit input from the president and search committee in the creation of a job description including desired qualifications and experience necessary for the position. The president may then revise the description as necessary, which will then be forwarded to Human Resources and the search firm for posting, distribution and recruitment.
• In the event of an internally managed search, the president will draft a job description including desired qualifications and experience necessary for the position. This will be forwarded to the search committee for review and suggestions, which will be conveyed to the president in a timely fashion. The president may then revise the description as necessary, which will then be forwarded to Human Resources.
• Curriculum vitae and résumés will be received electronically by the Office of Human Resources and made available to members of the search committee. The interim provost or other internal candidates may apply, and will receive consideration according to these stated procedures.
• Members of the search committee will review the documents and decide which applicants will be invited to come to campus for in-person interviews. In some cases, telephone or Skype interviews will be necessary to narrow the field of applicants.
• The committee shall select the finalists and submit a statement detailing strengths and weaknesses of each candidate to the president for a decision. It is expected that the committee will submit not less than two, nor more than three, candidates for the president’s consideration. The committee may, if it elects, identify which of the candidates it recommends for the position, with a rationale for this recommendation. The search committee shall then forward materials to the president. The president shall interview each of the final candidates for the position.
• All part-time and full-time faculty, staff, and students in the school shall have the opportunity to attend open meetings with the final candidates and to write evaluations addressed to the full committee. The committee will present a report on this input to the president.
• The president shall select a candidate for the position or instruct the committee to reinitiate the search process.
• In the event that any member of the search committee should become a candidate for the position, that person will automatically recuse themselves from the committee. The recused member shall be replaced by a member of the same category, according to the procedures outlined above.
• Administrative support for the search will be provided by the Office of the President.

315 School Dean
When the position of school dean is to be vacated, the provost will consult with the president and the school’s department chairs to determine whether the position is best filled by an internal or open search. This determination will be based on the abilities and interests of existing faculty and chairs and, in the case of an open search, the desire for new expertise or point of view as well as the availability of funds for an additional position. After consultation, the provost will decide how best to fill the vacancy. In some cases, an interim dean may need to be appointed to oversee the school until a permanent dean can be identified. In such cases, appointment will be made by the provost in consultation with the school’s department chairs for a period not to exceed two years.

Internal Search
The provost will conduct an internal search by asking for letters of application and additional materials from interested faculty members with tenure and department chairs. If the number of eligible applicants is greater than four, the provost in consultation with the president will reduce the number to be considered to no more than four. The provost will hold an open forum for each of the eligible candidates with all full- and part-time faculty and staff invited. Evaluation forms will be distributed at the end of the forum that will include space for open comments. The provost will take the evaluations and comments into consideration and, in consultation with the president, decide which candidate will receive the appointment.

Open Search
The provost will convene a search committee and give the committee its charge. The composition of the committee is as follows:

• the provost or designee;
• one school dean appointed by the provost;
• two tenured faculty members nominated and elected in a process administered by the Faculty Senate drawn from the faculty contained within the departments comprising the school in question. Each faculty member shall represent a different department within the school and be voted upon by the combined faculties of those departments that make up the school in question;
• one faculty member with tenure appointed by the provost and drawn from a department within the school in question that is not yet represented on the committee;
• one part-time faculty member selected in accordance with the procedures specified in the agreement then in effect between the college and the Part-Time Faculty Association at Columbia College Chicago. The part-time faculty member shall be drawn from a department in the school not yet represented on the committee if possible;
• one tenured faculty member nominated and elected in a process administered by the Faculty Senate drawn from either of the other two schools;
• one department chair elected by the Chairs’ Council after the faculty nominees have been elected and drawn from a not yet represented department contained within the school in question;
• one department chair appointed by the provost drawn from a department within the school in question; and
• under special circumstances, additional members may be added to the search committee. For example, the Associate Dean for Los Angeles Programs might be added to a search for the dean of the School of Media Arts. These additional appointments will be at the discretion of the provost.
  The committee shall use the following procedures:
• Curriculum vitae and résumés will be received electronically by the Office of Human Resources and made available to members of the search committee.
• Members of the search committee will review the documents and decide which applicants will be invited to come to campus for in-person interviews. In some cases, telephone interviews will be necessary to narrow the field of applicants.
• All part-time and full-time faculty and staff in the school shall have the opportunity to attend open meetings with the final candidates and to write evaluations addressed to the full committee.
• The committee shall select the finalists and submit a statement detailing strengths and weaknesses of each candidate to the provost for a decision. It is expected that the committee will submit not less than two, nor more than three, candidates for the provost’s consideration.

In the event that any member of the search committee should become a candidate for the position, that person will ask to be recused from the committee. The recused member shall be replaced by a member of the same category, according to the procedures outlined above.

320 Chair of an existing department
When the position of chair of an existing department is to be vacated, the dean of the school will consult with the provost and the department’s faculty to determine whether the position is best filled by an internal or open search. This determination will be based on the abilities and interest of existing faculty and, in the case of an open search, the desire for new expertise or point of view as well as the availability of funds for an additional faculty position. After consultation, the provost and dean will decide how best to fill the vacancy. In some cases, an acting chair or interim chair may need to be appointed to oversee the department for a limited period. (See section 405.2 Acting and Interim Chair.) In such cases, an acting or interim appointment will be made by the provost and dean in consultation with department faculty for a duration not to exceed two years.

Internal Search
The dean will conduct an internal search by asking for letters of application from interested faculty members with tenure. The dean will hold an open forum for each of the eligible candidates with all full- and part-time faculty and staff invited from the college community. Evaluation forms will be distributed at the end of the forum that will include space for open comments. The dean will take the evaluations and comments into consideration and, in consultation with the provost, decide which candidate will receive the appointment.

Open Search
If the provost and dean decide that an open search is warranted, the dean will convene a search committee and give the committee its charge. The composition of the committee is as follows:

• the provost or designee;
• the school dean;
• one representative from Academic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion;
• one chair of an existing department selected by the dean in consultation with the Chairs’ Council;
• at least three to a maximum of five tenured faculty members of the department in which the vacancy exists, elected by the tenured, tenure-track, and/or senior lecturer faculty of that department, excluding those who would themselves seek the position (see chart below). The chair, if available, may vote on the membership of the search committee but may not serve on the search committee. In the event the minimum complement of tenured faculty is not available, the balance is to be selected from among tenure-track and/or senior lecturers in the department. In the event that the minimum complement of faculty is still not met, the balance is to be selected from tenured faculty from other departments by the initial committee. In the event that the minimum complement of faculty is still not met, the balance is to be selected from tenured faculty from other departments by the initial committee;

Departments with
3-6 tenured or tenure-track faculty members	Three members on the committee
7-9 tenured or tenure-track faculty members	Four members on the committee
10+ tenured or tenure-track faculty members	Five members on the committee

• one additional full-time tenured faculty member from outside of the department, selected by the initial membership of the committee, unless an outside faculty member is already a member of that group;
• one part-time faculty member selected in accordance with the procedures specified in the agreement then in effect between the college and the Part-Time Faculty Association at Columbia College Chicago; and
• under special circumstances, additional members may be added to the search committee. For example, the Associate Dean for Los Angeles Programs might be added to a search for a chair of Cinema and Television Arts. These additional appointments will be at the discretion of the school dean.

The committee shall use the following procedures:

• Curriculum vitae and résumés will be received electronically by the Office of Human Resources and made available to members of the search committee.
• Members of the search committee will review the documents and decide which applicants will be invited to come to campus for in-person interviews. In some cases, telephone interviews will be necessary to narrow the field of applicants.
• The dean will hold an open forum for each of the eligible candidates with all full- and part-time faculty and staff invited from the college community. Evaluation forms will be districuted at the end of the forum that will include space for open comments.
• The committee shall select the finalists and submit a statement detailing strengths and weaknesses of each candidate to the provost and dean for a decision. It is expected that the committee will submit not less than two, nor more than three, candidates for the provost’s consideration.

325 Chair of a new department
Chairs of new departments shall be chosen by the provost in consultation with the dean of the school in which the new department is located. In some cases, when the department is formed by a merger of existing departments, an open search may not be necessary, and the provost will follow the procedures detailed above for appointment or internal search. If an open search is conducted, the search committee shall be constituted as follows:

• the provost or designee;
• the school dean;
• one representative form Academic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion;
• at least two chairs of existing departments, selected by the Chairs’ Council;
• at least three faculty members selected by the provost, excluding those who would themselves seek the position; and
• one part-time faculty member selected in accordance with the procedures specified in the agreement then in effect between the college and the Part-Time Faculty Association at Columbia College Chicago.

The search committee will follow the same procedure as that detailed in section 320.

330 Tenured and tenure-track faculty
Please review the General Qualifications for Tenure-track and Tenured Appointments, Section XIII of the Statement of Policy.

For tenured or tenure-track faculty in existing departments, there will be a search committee of not fewer than four persons, constituted as follows:

• department chair;
• not fewer than two full-time faculty elected by the department’s faculty; and
• one or more full-time faculty members from the institution at large chosen by the committee, preferably from a department with an allied discipline.
  For tenured or tenure-track faculty in new departments, there will be a search committee constituted as follows:
• department chair;
• any existing full-time faculty member(s) assigned to the department; and
• three full-time faculty members selected by the department chair and department faculty (or department chair alone, should there be no faculty members yet), at least one of whom should be from an allied department.

Search committees shall follow the following procedures:

• Chair shall convene the search committee, review the assessment of departmental strengths and weaknesses, and develop a position description and marketing strategy for the ad placement. The position description must include specifications regarding teaching load, departmental duties, and college-wide expectations.
• Chair shall consult with school dean to verify budget range for the position. The chair shall submit the file, including completed Position Requisition Form, to dean for approval.
• Dean shall send approval to chair. Dean shall also send approval to the Office of Human Resources, including position description and Position Requisition Form.
• Chair shall notify the Office of Human Resources if position is a replacement, in order for an exit interview to be scheduled with the departing faculty member.
• Chair shall call the Office of Human Resources to discuss the position and recruiting strategy in order to facilitate preparation of classified advertisements.
• The Office of Human Resources shall place the advertisement in agreed-upon media, as well as posting it on the college’s job website.
• The search shall proceed in compliance with the institutional statement of equal opportunity and shall be consistent with policies as described in 705 Equal Opportunity.
• The Office of Human Resources shall collect résumés electronically and make them available to the chair.
• Chair shall convene departmental search committee to review applications.
• The final choice of candidates to be interviewed shall be made by the department chair with the advice of the committee. The chair’s decision is subject to the approval of the school dean.
• In consultation with the dean, the chair shall schedule interviews with finalists. The interview schedule for each finalist shall include an interview with the dean. Whenever possible, initial interviews should be conducted at conferences such as MLA, CAA, etc.
• Before interviews, the chair shall request interview guidelines from Human Resources and review them with search committee members. The director of human resources is available to meet with the search committee to discuss interviewing procedures and techniques.
• A Columbia College Chicago Employment Application Form must be completed by candidates who are interviewed as the first step in the interview process. All candidate applications must be kept confidential.
• Each interviewed candidate must be recorded on the Applicant/Hire Log as required by the Equal Opportunity Commission Guidelines.
• All candidates whose applications and vitae are submitted to the dean as finalists must have excellent qualifications consistent with the position description, and be the result of a national search. If needed, the Office of Human Resources will be available to provide a comprehensive explanation of the Columbia College Chicago benefits program to final candidates.
• The chair’s final recommendation, emerging from the interview process and committee deliberations, shall be forwarded to the dean. Upon concurrence, the dean shall forward the finalist’s name to the provost. The provost may, at the provost’s discretion, request an interview with the finalist. Upon concurrence by the provost, the decision is made.
• The dean shall inform the chair of the decision.
• Prior to making a formal offer, all references must be checked by phone. The chair and search committee members who call references must ask the same general questions of each reference. Calls may be made to colleagues in the field who may have knowledge of the finalist(s), but confidentiality must be requested. Nothing should be written on any of the applicants’ submitted materials. Degrees shall be verified by the Office of Human Resources.
• A verbal offer shall be made by the chair (with approval of the dean) to the selected finalist.If the offer is accepted, the chair notifies the dean of this fact in writing.
• Within one week of the chair’s notification, the dean shall notify the provost in writing, with a copy to the chair, of the candidate’s acceptance and shall request that a letter of appointment be generated by the provost.
• Within one week of receiving the dean’s letter, the Office of the Provost shall produce a letter of appointment, with copies sent to the chair, dean, Office of Business Affairs, Office of Human Resources, and Academic Personnel Office.
• The Office of Human Resources shall schedule an orientation for the new faculty member.
• At the completion of the hiring process, the chair shall send all applications and résumés with the Applicant Hiring Log to Human Resources. All interviewed candidates shall get a thank you letter from the Office of Human Resources.
• Any questions or concerns at any time during the hiring process may be directed toward the Office of Human Resources.

335 Joint appointment of tenured or tenure-track faculty
There will be a search committee of not less than six persons, constituted as follows:

• chairs of the departments;
• three full-time faculty members from the relevant departments, two of whom will be from the department which has majority decision in conversion from tenure-track to tenured status, and one additional faculty member or chair from an allied department; and
• chairs of the relevant departments, the dean or deans of the school or schools in which the faculty member will serve, and the provost will determine which department will serve as “base” for the joint hire. A joint appointment will usually be obligated to the base department not less than 51% up to a maximum of 75%. The chair of the minority department will be required to recommend retention or termination of tenure-track faculty in writing on a yearly basis. Disputes between chairs about duties, responsibilities, and workload will be mediated by the dean(s).

340 Teaching-track faculty
Please review the General Qualifications for Teaching-Track Appointments, Section VI of the Statement of Policy.

A teaching-track appointment is a full-time, non-tenured faculty position. In some instances, the department chair may appoint a search committee to assist in selection of candidates. At other times, the department chair will appoint a teaching-track faculty member with the approval of the dean and provost.