Guidelines for Employment

 The hiring authority for all positions exempt from the state personnel act (EPA), including faculty positions, is the chancellor.

The following administrators are designated as hiring managers who are authorized to initiate and direct searches for the employment of faculty positions:

• Chancellor
• Provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs (hereafter referred to as “provost”)
• Associate and assistant provosts
• Deans
• Associate and assistant deans
• Academic department chairs

Winston-Salem State University is committed to the principle of equal and fair treatment of all applicants and does not discriminate against applicants or employees based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected class. It is the responsibility and intention of the university to ensure that all decisions regarding employment, including but not limited to recruitment, selection, training, promotion, and termination of personnel, are made in accordance with this commitment.

The hiring process for faculty members and all other positions at WSSU is facilitated by use of an electronic system provided by a commercial vendor through which position and associated budget information is managed, coordinated, and approved through the various steps that comprise the full range of position management and hiring actions. Application materials from candidates are accepted, coordinated, reviewed, approved, and managed through various authorities for equal opportunity, budget, and hiring approval within the same system. The required coordination, review, and approval steps outlined herein are executed through access to the electronic/online system. Training in the use of the system is available through Human Resources and is required for all Hiring Managers, search committee chairs, Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action (EEO/AA) officers, budget officers, and others who have position management or approval authority for steps in the hiring process of members.

Each permanent faculty position is a discrete position of employment that must be authorized by the chancellor. The first step in filling a faculty position is to confirm that an authorized position exists. Authorized positions are managed by the provost in collaboration with the deans to provide an adequate and appropriate number of faculty members to support academic programs.

Once the establishment of the position has been confirmed, the hiring manager must ensure the following actions are complete:

• The position number has been confirmed;
• The budgeted salary has been confirmed by the budget director;
• The budgeted salary has been confirmed within the established salary range for the position;
• The position description has been reviewed. Any amendments to the job description, job summary, or qualifications (such as required/preferred education level or experience or scholarly production) for the position must be approved prior to commencement of the search;
• The position advertising plan has been identified; and
• The anticipated start date has been established.

The hiring manager is typically assisted by the search committee to review and update the position description, qualifications, and advertising plan.

The hiring manager appoints a search committee and a chair to conduct a search that is in compliance with EEO/AA policies of the university.

The search committee shall be composed of a minimum of three (3) members. The typical search committee will consist of five to seven members, depending upon guidance provided by the hiring manager. The hiring manager should make the search committee as representative as possible of the groups that have a significant interest in the position to be filled. Consideration for search committee membership should be given to people with expertise in the particular field and people with frequent interactions with the position. It is important to include people who bring diverse representation to the committee. Departments and units are encouraged to seek knowledgeable members from other departments, if necessary, in order to promote a diverse and well-rounded search committee.

The hiring manager selects the chair of the search committee. It is important that the chair understand and support the hiring manager’s objectives. The chair should be familiar enough with the unit’s programs, the academic discipline, and goals to be able to discuss the area and the position knowledgeably with potential candidates.

1. Charge to the Search Committee. The hiring manager shall meet with the search committee and inform the committee of the timeline for filling the position, the maximum budget request of the hiring manager, the search committee may participate in a review and update of the position description, job summary, and the minimum and preferred qualifications for the position. Each member of the committee will sign a statement of confidentiality for all discussions and documents that result from the consideration of various candidates for the position.

The hiring manager is ultimately responsible for ensuring the following:

• The vacant position is advertised in appropriate internal/external media;
• Criteria for screening applications are developed based upon required and preferred qualifications of the position;
• The relative merits of applicants are considered based upon the required and preferred qualifications;
• Professional qualifications are confirmed for invited applicants prior to campus interview;
• Best-qualified applicants are invited for campus interviews;
• Applicants visiting the campus are appropriately hosted; and
• Travel and reimbursement arrangements for applicants who are interviewed on campus are completed in a timely manner.

Members of the search committee will provide support in accomplishing these objectives as requested by the hiring manager.

2. Advertising the Position. The media outlets and professional publications in which the position is advertised should be based on the scope of the search. Faculty positions should typically be advertised nationally in such professional publications as the Chronicle of Higher Education, HigherEdJobs.com, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed., and other professional publications/journals as appropriate and depending upon available funding. Media Relations provides assistance with posting the advertisement in external media. The EEO/AA Officer will approve the search plan and advertisement prior to advertising the position. The advertisement or vacancy notice should contain the following minimum information:

• Position title and supervisor title;
• Job summary, including the responsibilities of the position;
• Required and preferred qualifications: education requirements, earned degrees from regional accredited universities/colleges, experience, knowledge, scholarly productivity, and other qualities (minimum and preferred);
• Type of appointment (i.e., full-time; permanent; academic rank, time-limited; tenure-track status);
• Starting date;
• Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience;
• Required application materials (curriculum vitae; letter of application; list and addresses of references; transcripts);
• Application instructions;
• Date screening will begin;
• Affirmative action statement; and
• Institutional and department/division profile.

The hiring manager ensures that receipt of each application is acknowledged in writing to the applicant. Typically, the hiring manager is assisted by the chair of the search committee.

The hiring manager and members of the search committee must use the required and preferred criteria listed in the position description and reflected in the vacancy notice/advertisement to screen each application. Further, the criteria must be consistently applied to each applicant in the same manner. The search committee shall record screening results for each applicant. The committee then identifies best- qualified applicants who meet or exceed the criteria for further screening or to advance candidates for interviews.

Committee members will prepare a set of questions that are related to the criteria in the advertisement and will use the prepared set of questions for an initial interview in person or via phone of the best qualified applicants. The chair of the search committee shall provide the hiring manager with an unranked list of best-qualified candidates to be considered for campus interviews, as well as the curriculum vitae/resumes and letter of application for each of the applicants on the list. Prior to recommending a campus visit, the chair will ensure that professional qualifications of candidates are checked. The basis of any reference checks will be position-related questions.

The hiring manager determines how many of the best-qualified applicants will be invited to a campus interview. The decision to invite or not invite specific applicants to the campus must be justifiable based upon the qualifications of the applicants.

When faculty candidates are invited to the campus for interviews, they will typically meet with appropriate constituencies. Members of any constituencies who participate in campus interviews will be given the opportunity to provide a written assessment of the candidate. At a minimum, faculty candidates will be interviewed by the search committee and the hiring manager. A campus interview may also include a presentation by the candidate. The presentation is open to the campus community. With the assistance of the search committee, the hiring manager will ensure that candidates brought to the campus are appropriately engaged and treated with the utmost professional courtesy.

Following the campus interview, members of the search committee will submit an evaluation through the committee chair to the hiring manager. The evaluation will be based on the qualification criteria in the vacancy notice and all evaluation forms. The evaluation will assess the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate interviewed for the position.

1. Approval from Appropriate Administrators. The proposed candidate’s employment reference(s) are contacted/confirmed prior to an offer of employment. Additionally, a criminal background check will be conducted prior to employment. For appointment to a faculty position that also includes an administrative appointment, the hiring manager will inform his/her immediate supervisor and the provost in writing of his/her recommendation for the selection of the candidate to fill the vacant position who will coordinate approval by the chancellor. Salaries must be within the established ranges for the positions.

2. Unofficial Offer. The hiring manager will contact the applicant that he/she plans to recommend for the vacant position to ascertain whether the candidate is still available to fill the position and to tentatively agree on the salary that will be recommended for the position.

3. Official Hiring Recommendation. Before an official offer is made, the hiring manager will make the following hiring documents available to the EEO/AA Office for review and approval:

• Hiring proposal;
• External advertisement or position announcement;
• Position description and qualifications;
• Applications, resumes, letters of interest, and all other application documents;
• Evaluation and selection worksheet used to review all applicants and record reasons for recommendation/non-recommendation for hire;
• Official transcripts and proof of any required licenses and certifications; and
• Search-committee documents maintained outside the electronic/online system, including interview questions, reference-check questions, screening and selection worksheets, and any evaluation forms/notes/score sheets (which must be retained by the chair of the search committee and provided to the EEO/AA upon request).

The EEO/AA Office will review the hiring proposal, demographic data associated with the applicant pool, and all other documents made available by the hiring manager. If the federal and state guidelines for fair hiring practices have been followed, the EEO/AA Officer will approve the hiring proposal.

The Office of the Provost reviews the hiring proposal and forwards to the Budget Office. The Budget Office confirms budgeted salary is sufficient and approves the hiring proposal. If budgeted salary is insufficient, the Budget Office notifies the Office of the Provost and hiring manager.

The personnel records of the newly hired employee will be maintained by the Human Resources Department, with the exception of original, official transcripts, which will be maintained by the Office of the Provost. The Office of the Provost will maintain copies of the hiring package and prepare the appointment letter. The provost shall sign the appointment letter for all faculty positions. The offer letter must contain the following:

• Position title;
• Effective date of the appointment;
• Initial salary;
• Provision for periodic evaluation of performance and review of compensation;
• Annual leave entitlement of the employee, if applicable;
• Name and title of the hiring manager of the employee;
• Notification that the administrative component is “employment at will” subject to continuation or discontinuation at the discretion of the chancellor;
• Notification that the employment is subject to the UNC Policy on Senior Academic and Administrative Officers, if applicable;
• Notification that the employment is contingent upon proof of eligibility to work at WSSU and also upon results of a criminal background check; and
• Scheduled date for the employee orientation

The selected candidate must complete an employment application, provide authorization to conduct a criminal background check, submit official transcripts, complete the I-9 form, complete tax withholding forms, and return the signed letter of offer reflecting acceptance of employment to Human Resources prior to the date of employment. After eligibility for employment has been established, an orientation session for the new employee will be conducted.

If the hiring manager determines that the recruitment and selection process did not yield the best-qualified candidate for the position or if a suitably qualified applicant is not available to accept the position, the search will be discontinued and will reopen at a later time with the same or a different search committee. The hiring manager will indicate and record the basis upon which each candidate was deemed unacceptable or unavailable and file with Human Resources and the EEO/AA Office.

When a decision is made by the hiring manager to reopen the search, the procedures outlined herein will be executed in their entirety.

Application documents from all applicants who applied for the position but were not selected and all work products of the search committee will be maintained for at least three years. At the end of that time, the files will be destroyed. Original application documents for the successful candidate will be maintained by Human Resources; copies will be kept in the hiring department.

Winston-Salem State University’s excellent teaching reputation is attracting a growing number of international applicants for various faculty and professional administrative positions. With the move to the Master’s category and related campus activity surrounding research and scholarship and regional economic development initiatives, more research, teaching, and administrative positions will result in the recruitment of highly qualified international candidates that will contribute to the university's intellectual and cultural diversity.

Because of the complexity of the federal laws regarding nonimmigrant employment in the United States, all employer-sponsored petitions must be filed in accordance with federal regulations, as they may be amended from time to time. Please refer to the Hiring International Faculty Policy for more information.

1. Identification of Need for Part-time Faculty. The department chair or hiring manager determines that part-time faculty members are needed to teach classes that have been scheduled but for which no instructors have been assigned. Funding sources are also identified to pay the salaries for these positions.

2. Selection of Available Candidates. The department chair or hiring manager identifies available candidates from a pool of qualified individuals that is maintained by the department, checks references, and interviews candidates for vacant part-time appointments, if interviews have not been held previously. Upon completion of the interview, selection process, and an unofficial offer and acceptance of part-time employment by a qualified candidate, the hiring manager completes, signs, and forwards the Temporary Faculty Personnel Action Form, along with all required supporting documents, to the dean for approval. The additional personnel documents that are required include the employment application, curriculum vitae, official transcripts, release form for background check, and W-4 form.

The process for verification of eligibility for employment is similar to that of permanent faculty. The selected candidate must provide authorization to conduct a criminal background check, submit official transcripts, and complete the I-9 form. Upon approval of the hiring recommendation by the dean or supervisor of the hiring manager, the hiring manager forwards the Temporary Faculty Personnel Action Form, official transcripts, and release form for background check to Human Resources through the Provost’s Office. The provost determines the eligibility of the candidate for employment by reviewing official transcripts. The selected candidate must go to Human Resources to complete the I-9 form.

After obtaining verification from the Budget Office that funds are available in the budget to pay the salary for the part-time position, the Provost’s Office signs the Temporary Faculty Personnel Action Form, prepares a letter of appointment, obtains the signature of the provost, and mails the letter to the appointee. The letter of appointment indicates the title of the position, the beginning and ending date of employment, salary, courses assigned, and other responsibilities. The Provost’s Office forwards a copy of the Temporary Faculty Personnel Action Form and the W-4 form to the Payroll Office to place the appointee on the payroll.

Original transcripts are retained in the Office of the Provost. A copy of the hiring form and the letter of appointment are returned to the hiring department. Human Resources retains the original of all other personnel records for part-time faculty members.