Hiring and Recruiting Faculty
Hiring Full-Time Faculty
Procedures
Procedures vary somewhat for tenure-track hires and term hires of one-year and three-year replacement faculty. The key differences are: For tenure-track positions, the Dean of A&S will approve the ads, interview all candidates, and make the salary offer. An associate dean will also interview the candidates.
For three-year replacement faculty, the Associate Dean for Faculty Development will approve the ads, interview the candidates, and make the salary offer.
For one-year replacement faculty, the Associate Dean for Faculty Development will approve the ads and make the salary offer. The Departmental Chair will interview candidates and, after consulting with members of the department, make a recommendation to the Associate Dean.
In all cases authorization to invite a candidate to campus must come after the appropriate dean has reviewed the credentials. The credentials should have all the requested materials (vita, teaching and scholarship statements, letters of reference, and copies of transcripts) prior to being submitted for review.
Recruitment policies can be found on this under "Recruitment of Full-Time, Temporary Faculty." Please contanct Dean Newcomb directly if you have questions regarding the Tenure-Track Faculty Hiring Procedures (document currently under construction).
Credentials
All tenure-track hires are expected to complete the terminal degree in their field prior to beginning employment at the University. The following statement from the Dean of A&S is taken from a memo to department chairs dated November 8, 1999.
"As we get into hiring season, let's all remember that Bill Cooper wants us to insist that Ph.D.s be earned by the time new tenure-track faculty arrive in Richmond in mid-August. (This assumes that the Ph.D. is expected for the occupant in a given position. There will be occasional exceptions, as when an M.F.A. is considered the terminal degree in a given field or when extraordinary experience may constitute reason to overlook the absence of a terminal degree.) Bill's very strong suggestion was that anyone who has not earned an expected Ph.D. should be given a personal leave of absence without pay so that s/he can focus on finishing work on the Ph.D. I expect to be writing such conditions into future contracts. Obviously, the reason for insisting on earned degrees is that we have high expectations of our faculty, and it is very difficult to meet these expectations while still fulfilling past obligations. If our new faculty are to teach, engage in research beyond the dissertation, and become appropriately engaged in our community, they need to arrive at Richmond ready to focus on these challenging and appropriate responsibilities.
Please review applications and vitae of job applicants with this issue in mind, and when necessary please contact candidates and their dissertation advisers prior to inviting candidates to on-campus interviews to determine that their Ph.D. will be earned by mid- August.
Having "earned" the Ph.D. is not necessarily the same as having it "in hand" (on a transcript and diploma). We will expect a copy of the final transcript as soon as it is available, but when a degree has not yet been formally conferred, we will accept a letter from the Ph.D. advisor testifying that the candidate has fulfilled all requirements for the Ph.D.
As with any rule, there may be occasions for exceptions. Requests for exceptions should be rare and for compelling reasons. The chief matter that comes to mind is hiring to meet our community's diversity goals. Please speak to me as early in a search as possible if you believe we should discuss possible arrangements to bring about hiring someone who has not yet finished his or her terminal degree. Just as someone can be hired to teach two courses instead of three, or be given a higher salary than a fellow hire, someone could be hired and assigned to (dissertation) research in their first term or two. I mention this only as an example of what we might do in a particular situation in order to meet some particular goal, not as a strategy that we should strive to implement."
Data Collection
In accordance with the Strategic Plan, chairs are requested to collect data about the applicant pool. The following is required and should be reported at the conclusion of the search in a report to the A&S Dean's Office. This data is primarily of interest for the recruitment of junior faculty The total number of completed applications broken down by male/female. Indicate if possible how many minority candidates applied.
The number of Ph.D.s awarded in the field annually, if that information is available.
The number of candidates invited to campus.
The number of offers made.
Two goals are (1) to increase the applicant pools relative to the number of new Ph.D.s and (2) to increase the percentage of first offer acceptances.
Benefits
The benefits for tenure-track and one-year replacement faculty differ as follows No retirement contribution is made for non-tenure-track faculty unless the individual had an academic teaching position (full-time or part-time) during both semesters of the previous academic year.
Otherwise the benefits are the same - however, some benefits like life insurance have a one year waiting period and so really don't apply to one-year faculty. Medical coverage is the same for both types of faculty hires.
In addition to fringe benefits, all full-time faculty are eligible to apply for faculty travel support to attend professional meetings. The decision on travel support is up to the Chair and subject to priorities within the department and availability of funds.
Recruitment of Full-Time, Temporary Faculty
The guidelines for hiring full-time, one-year or three-year faculty are similar to those for hiring tenure-track faculty with some few exceptions. This document should be read in conjunction with the procedures for hiring permanent faculty.
Qualifications
The Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree is not required for temporary positions. However, a masters degree plus at least 18 hours of course work in the teaching area is essential to meet SACS requirements. Obviously, we prefer candidates who have some teaching experience and are of the quality our students expect in faculty.
The Search
Be sure to advertise nationally if time allows. (Ads must be pre-approved by the Associate Dean for Faculty Development.) Contacting colleagues at Ph.D. programs in the region is often a productive activity as many potential candidates are ABD. Be sure that the teaching load is clearly communicated to candidates. Currently, that load is 12 hours per semester. The salary will be slightly less than that for a tenure-track position, but very competitive.
The Screening
Consider candidates only after their files are complete. The required credentials should include a current vita, 3 letters of recommendation, copies of transcripts, and a statement about teaching experience/philosophy. If a letter or two is missing, you may wish to contact the candidate and remind him/her that the application cannot be evaluated until all letters are received. The Chairperson should share copies of the credentials of the top 3-5 candidates with the Associate Dean for Faculty Development. They will then discuss the candidates and agree on who should be given an invitation for a campus interview. As a general rule, the procedure will be to invite the top candidate and after that visit decide whether to make an offer or invite another candidate.
The Campus Interview
If possible, the candidate should spend a night in Richmond, teach a class or at least give a presentation, and meet with students and faculty. All three-year candidates will meet with the Associate Dean for Faculty Development who will discuss salary and benefits. One-year candidates will meet with the chair of the department but will not meet with the Associate Dean. At the end of the campus visit the Chairperson and Associate Dean will confer and exchange reactions to the candidate. After each campus interview has concluded, the Chairperson will communicate the department's recommendation concerning an offer to the Associate Dean for Faculty Development. The Associate Dean will communicate the offer if he/she agrees with the recommendation. Otherwise, there will be discussion among all those concerned until consensus is reached on the next course of action.
After Acceptance
When the candidate has accepted the offer, the same procedures should be followed as for tenure-track hirings -notify all other applicants that the position has been filled, work with the new faculty member on his/her transition to Richmond, and see that all reimbursements are completed.
Upon Arrival on Campus
The new hire will attend new faculty orientation in August, but this is not sufficient. The Chair is responsible for mentoring the new faculty member and making sure he/she is aware of critical policies such as sexual harassment. It is important to communicate the academic standards of the University to the new member of the community and make sure he/she has a solid syllabus for each course.
Hiring Part-Time Faculty
Part-time faculty status is defined as teaching less than 12 hours. Most part-time faculty teach 3 or 6 hours of coursework during a semester. The use of part-time faculty provides flexibility to meet sabbatical needs or special enrollment needs or to provide reassigned time for continuing faculty. Our goal is to minimize the use of part-time faculty.
The Associate Dean for Academic Operations works with the department chair to hire adjunct faculty. It is the responsibility of the chair to locate individuals who meet the SACS requirements. Then a formal request to hire the person is submitted to the Associate Dean together with a copy of the person's vita and an official transcript showing the completion of the relevant degree. The Associate Dean will normally not interview the adjunct faculty candidate.
If the individual does not meet the requirements of SACS for coursework or degree in the field, but brings special expertise that would meet SACS expectations, the chair must write a letter explaining how the individual's experience qualifies him/her to teach. This letter should be submitted to the Dean's Office. Contact Jessica Albertson with questions.
The contracts issued to adjunct faculty have a clause that indicates the class may be cancelled at the last minute due to low enrollment. All adjunct contracts are for a single semester.
Chairs are expected to mentor adjunct faculty and provide them with guidance as to what is expected, what must be on the syllabus, etc. Chairs should make them feel a part of the department's program as much as possible.
Compensation and Benefits The pay scale for 2004-2005 for adjunct faculty teaching 3 CONTACT hours is
- M.A. or M.S. - $2,870
- M.F.A., Ph.D. or J.D. - $3,500
Science laboratory instructors would be paid according to the terms above, except in the case of 2-hour labs, which would pay 1/3 less. (For lab instructors, this pay scale is a significant increase that we've needed for some time to reflect the equality between labs and other courses.)
No fringe benefits except access to University resources and parking is provided. For part-time faculty who must commute a one-way distance of more than 35 miles, we will allow reimbursement for mileage up to an amount based on the number of days that they teach on campus. For each day they must teach during a typical week they will be eligible for up to $300 mileage reimbursement. A letter outlining the total mileage at the current rate for the entire semester will be sent to Terri Weaver at the end of the semester and a check for reimbursement (up to the allowed limit) will be generated. Chairs should avoid mentioning this mileage reimbursement unless it is clear the adjunct commutes from a distance of more than 35 miles. Generally, adjuncts who are graduate students at UVa and W&M are obvious candidates for the reimbursement.
The mileage reimbursement is designed to help cover out-of-pocket expenses in a non-taxable way. It is not full reimbursement of depreciation, insurance, etc.
Securing Housing
Chairs should assist new faculty in their transition to the Richmond area. Housing is often the initial problem. There are six two- bedroom cottages on Bostwick Lane. Four are assigned by the A&S Dean's Office. Of the four, two are furnished. The rent includes utilities other than cable and telephone. Some priority is given to special visiting faculty or new faculty moving here from abroad.
Basic Facts for A&S Cottages
The two cottages assigned by Law and Business have the same layout, but other information may vary.
2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bath, utility room - 695 square feet
Two are furnished, two are unfurnished
Each has two wall mounted A/C units plus stove and refrigerator. Furnished units have washer/dryer, while unfurnished units have hookups for washer/dryer.
All utilities except cable and telephone are included.
Rental cost: $700/month for unfurnished, $800/month for furnished.
Rental Terms and Conditions
Lease is 1 semester or 1 year
1/2 month's rent required as a deposit
1st month's rent in advance
Cannot take possession until after August 1st
If rented for 1 semester in fall, must vacate by December 21st.
If rented for year, must vacate by May 31st
University Services handles lease details.
Visa Basics
Any new faculty member who is not a citizen or permanent resident with a "greencard" must obtain a visa before starting employment. Chairs need to be aware that the University has no control over the INS or other political restrictions on visas that might be imposed. When hiring a non-citizen, it is important to retain all the files of applicants for the position until the person has been granted permanent resident status. The INS may challenge the visa application and the University must show that there were no citizens applicants who were more qualified than the person hired and willing to take the position. This has happened within the past 10 years and was a painful process for the chair involved even though we prevailed.
There are a number of visas but only two are usually relevant to us:
J-1 Visa
This visa is limited to at most 3 years and at the end of that time the holder must return to his/her country of origin for up to 2 years before being given another visa. This has been held by faculty with appointments for one to three years. It is relatively quick to process at the US embassy in the country of origin. The fees charged are determined by the country of origin.
H-1B Visa
This is the normal visa obtained by new tenure-track faculty. Once at the University the faculty member can then apply for permanent resident status and his/her greencard. There is a quota on such visas and in March, 2000 the INS stopped accepting applications for those who wanted to begin work prior to October 1. This meant that a new faculty member who was hired in Physics could not start until January, 2001. Start the process as soon as the contract is signed!
The University will provide all the required materials and do its part in the visa application process, but the cost of application and any attorney fees must be borne by the new faculty member.
Contact Krittika Onsanit in International Education who coordinates the visa application process if you have more questions.
Remember that you should not discriminate on the basis of visa status when hiring. However, it is useful to be aware of that status. The contract that is signed does specify that employment depends on a successful visa application.