Lead Deans A Lead Dean will be appointed for each approved FEI proposal. The Lead Dean will be responsible for coordinating with deans, directors, and other lead administrators of units that will be involved in an approved search. A single search committee will be formed for recruiting a cluster and must include all entities involved in the cluster and diversity among its membership. The advertisement should include all possible units that may serve as the tenure home for the candidate.

The Lead Dean is responsible for

• setting the levels of the FEI positions
• constituting the search committee
• granting permission to advertise
• ensuring that the job advertisement is representative of the position and, at the same time, is sufficiently broad so that a strong and diverse pool of candidates is obtained
• monitoring the search process to ensure that proper search practices have been employed and that a diverse and academically strong pool of candidates is obtained.

The Search Process All recruiting and hiring will, of course, be conducted in accordance with the Faculty Manual, human resources policies, and equal opportunity policies. The Lead Dean is responsible for obtaining approval from the Provost's Office before extending an offer. The FEI hiring plan does not provide any exceptions to University or State of South Carolina rules and regulations.

Approval from the Provost's Office is required before extending a formal offer for an FEI position at any rank. A portfolio containing the following documents must be submitted to the Provost's Office for approval prior to extending an offer:

• FEI Search Committee Summary Form (Word) - The completed form should be submitted in electronic format.
• FEI Endorsement Form (Word) - This form must be signed by all relevant Deans and Department Chairs/Directors related to the original FEI proposal and to the final hire.
• Memorandum of Understanding from collaborating units, if applicable
• Candidate's Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation
• For hires with tenure, a signed Form A-2 and a complete tenure file.
• Other information that the lead dean deems pertinent and necessary

The portfolio may be submitted in hard copy or electronically except for the Search Committee Summary Form which must be submitted electronically. Please make sure that all documents are clearly marked.

Following required approval, an offer of employment may be extended in accordance with current University hiring policies and procedures.

FEI funding decisions are tentative until the time an offer to a particular candidate is approved by the Provost's Office and accepted by the candidate. FEI funds will be transferred as a base increase in a recurring budget to the appointing unit for the fiscal year in which the faculty member hired under the FEI program assumes his or her appointment at USC.

Questions? For more information, contact:

• Dr. Christine W. Curtis, Senior Vice Provost curtisch@mailbox.sc.edu
• Nid Stuessy, Administrative Coordinator nstuessy@mailbox.sc.edu