NUMBER:   ACAF 1.01

SECTION:  Academic Affairs                   



SUBJECT:  Search Procedures for Academic Administrative Positions 

                                   

DATE:     February 1, 1995



LATEST REVISION:January 17, 2001

                                             

Policy for:     Columbia and Regional Campuses              

Procedure for:  Columbia and Regional Campuses              

Authorized by:  Jerome D. Odom

Issued by:      Provost's Office



________________________________________________________________





I.  Policy



 It is the policy of the University to insure the involvement of

 the faculty and professional staff in the search process for

 filling academic administrative vacancies at the department,

 college, campus, and central administrative levels of the

 University, and to follow affirmative action guidelines in all

 major phases of this process.

 

 A. University units seeking to fill academic administrative

 positions must conform with University Policy ACAF 1.00, which

 governs search processes for academic positions.

 

 B. National advertising is required on all standing academic

 administrative positions.  Exceptions to this policy may be

 approved by the executive vice president for academic 

 affairs and provost in consultation with the Executive 

 Assistant to the President for Equal Opportunity Programs.  

 In such instances, however, the unit must provide equal 

 promotional opportunity to women and minorities, documented 

 by advertising the vacancy within the University and 

 considering fairly all applicants internal to the University.  

 Additional efforts should be made to encourage USC women and 

 minorities to apply.  Exceptions will normally 

 not be granted for the following positions:  academic deans,

 campus deans, vice presidents, and the executive vice 

 president for academic affairs and provost.

 

 

 

 II.  Procedure



 The next highest administrative office will be responsible for

 constituting search committees.

 

 The following general guidelines will apply:

 

 A. When a vacancy occurs, the next highest administrative

 officer will convene a meeting of the faculty of the unit for

 the purpose of electing the faculty members of the search

 committee.  In the case of university-wide administrative

 units, this process shall include professional staff of the

 unit.

 

 B. 1)  Except in unusual circumstances, in searches for

     department chairs and deans, the majority of members of the

     search committee will be elected by the faculty of the unit. 

     The constituting authority may add members in order to

     achieve balance and diversity.  Where appropriate, search

     committees may include members of advisory or partnership

     boards, alumni, and students.

 

    2)  For all other positions, except in unusual

     circumstances, the majority of the members will be faculty

     chosen by the Faculty Senate Advisory Committee.

 

 C. The constituting authority will appoint the chair of the

 committee.

 

 D. The general charge to the search committee will be to seek

 and identify qualified candidates.  The appointing authority

 will provide specific charges as appropriate within the

 framework of this general charge applicable to all search

 committees.

 

     1) Search committees will report on efforts undertaken to

     locate women and minority applicants.

     

     2) Application deadlines should be at least 30 days from

     the date the vacancy is first publicized.

     

 E. Candidates to be interviewed will be selected from a list

 determined by the committee.  Search committees will

 participate in the determination of candidates to be

 interviewed and in the interviewing of those candidates.  Prior

 to selecting final candidates to bring to campus, in the event

 that no women or minorities are on the committee's short list,

 the constituting authority may request the credentials of the

 ranking women or minority candidates and a reconsideration of

 their status by the committee.

 

 F. All candidates invited to campus will have the opportunity

 to meet the faculty and the faculty will have the opportunity

 to report their impressions to the committee and the appointing

 authority.  In the appointment of a department chair, the

 committee will provide a secret ballot for the faculty to

 provide evaluations of the candidate.

 

 G. Before the final selection, search committees will present

 their evaluations and recommendations of candidates to the

 appointing authority.  At the request of either the committee

 or the appointing authority, a meeting to discuss

 recommendations will be held.

 

 H. When academic administrative positions are to be filled by

 internal processes, the following special guidelines apply:

 

     1)  Advertising:  position announcements should be widely

     advertised within the University and should be posted in the

     unit having the vacancy.  The application deadline should be

     at least 30 days from its posted announcement.

     

     2) When an appointing authority uses the internal search

     method, a preappointment report will be provided to the

     Office for Equal Opportunity Programs with the following

     information:

     

        a)  Copy of position description

        b)  Resume of selected employee

        c)  Resumes of other employees who were considered for

            promotion

        d)  Reason for selection of proposed employee

        e)  Affirmative action efforts made

        

        These guidelines apply in all search processes for academic

        administrative positions such as, but not limited to,

      institute director

      academic program director

      department chair,

      division head,

      assistant dean,

      associate dean,

      academic dean,

      regional campus dean,

      chancellor,

      associate provost,

      vice provost,

      vice president,

      executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.



	    I.	Appointment term:  institute directors, academic 

		program directors, department chairs, division heads, 

		assistant deans, and associate deans will normally be 

		appointed on either a nine-month or an eleven-month annual 

		basis.  Exceptions must be specifically granted by the 

		executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.  

		All individuals in administrative positions serve as 

		administrators at the pleasure of the appointing authority.





III.  Reason for Latest Revision:



The latest revision clarifies the term of appointment for certain 

administrative positions.

      



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