Subappendix A: Protocols for Hiring and for Search Committees for Faculty Members Employed by Dartmouth College

We recognize that diversity, equitble, and inclusion are at the very core of our educational mission and are catalysts for institutional and educational excellence. We are committed to building an excellent academic environment, which includes efforts to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive faculty. With this goal in mind, departments and programs are asked to develop strategies that incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion as key parameters in their efforts to recruit and retain faculty.

Advertisements

Search committee members will formulate advertisements in collaboration with the Dean of Faculty Affairs and the Director of Institutional Diversity and Equity to ensure that the qualifications set forth in the advertisement reflect the criteria by which candidates will be evaluated. In addition to ensuring that platforms used for advertising (e.g., Interfolio) include the text of Dartmouth’s Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action statement, all ads must include the following language:

Dartmouth is highly committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive population of students, faculty, and staff. We are especially interested in applicants who are able to work effectively with students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds, including but not limited to: racial and ethnic minorities, women, individuals who identify with LGBTQ+ communities, individuals with disabilities, individuals from lower income backgrounds, and/or first-generation college graduates. Applicants should state in their cover letter how their teaching, research, service, and/or life experiences prepare them to advance Dartmouth’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Advertisements should be constructed to highlight the areas of research/teaching/engagement endeavor that are deemed critical to the hire, the expected rank of the candidate, resources at Geisel/Dartmouth to support the candidate; and whether or not there are specific requirements (e.g., must have evidence of federal funding). It is important to note that if a criterion is set out in an ad, it must be followed in the assessment process.  Thus, if the committee feels a certain metric is important (e.g., does the candidate have postdoctoral experience), the ad should state that that criterion is preferred, but not required.  Similarly, ads should not indicate a closing date for review of applications unless there is a certain knowledge that the committee will not entertain applications submitted after that date.

A sample letter is provided below; ads should be careful to not be exclusive (e.g., Assistant Professors preferred, not only assistant professors will be reviewed), unless there are known restrictions that need to apply. All applicants should subsequently be reviewed according to protocols for fair hiring as provided by IDE within the context of the professional attributes set out in the ad.

Ads must also confirm to guidance provided by the Office of Visa and Immigration Services (OVIS) at Dartmouth in order to ensure that any hires made for whom Geisel will want to sponsor permanent resident sponsorship will qualify for this process (see Guidelines for Schools and Departments Placing Ads That May Be Used for Permanent Residence Sponsorship of Foreign Nationals below).

Draft ad template language:

Faculty Position in XXXXX
Department of XXXXXX
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

The Department of XXXXX (Website url) and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth seek applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of XXXXXX to join our collegial and collaborative Department and scientific community XXXXX. Exceptional candidates at senior ranks may be considered. The ideal candidate will use contemporary approaches to address fundamental questions related XXXXXXXX. Areas of research interest include studies focused on XXXXXXXXXX. The successful candidate will be expected to initiate and establish a robust research program focused on XXXXXXXX that will attract extramural funding, provide research training for graduate and undergraduate students, and teach in classroom settings at different levels (elaborate).

A generous start-up package as well as access to state-of-the-art research facilities will be provided. Faculty members in XXXXXX are members of the PhD graduate program in (list PhD program that is default for hire and url) and participate in NIH supported training grant programs in (list any training grants, COBREs, U or P mechanisms). Depending on areas of expertise, successful candidates may also join Dartmouth’s graduate programs in (list graduate programs and urls that are potential, but not default).

Dartmouth is highly committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive population of students, faculty, and staff. We are especially interested in applicants who are able to work effectively with students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds, including but not limited to: racial and ethnic minorities, women, individuals who identify with LGBTQ+ communities, veterans, individuals with disabilities, individuals from lower income backgrounds, and/or first-generation college graduates.

Candidates must hold a Ph.D., MD or equivalent degree and relevant postdoctoral research experience (n.b.: if ABD or Masters candidates are to be considered, this needs to be explicitly stated in ad or the ad must state:  Candidates with Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent are preferred; strongly preferred etc.). Applicants should upload a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, research statement (not to exceed 3 pages), and a teaching statement to: https://apply.interfolio.com/XXXXX, and ask three referees to provide letters of recommendation. Candidates should not include impact factors in their CV bibliographies.

The cover letter should provide:

  • a summary of the impact and importance of their past work;
  • a statement on how their efforts in all areas (research, teaching, engagement) will be of benefit to the Geisel/Dartmouth academic community;
  • a statement of how Dartmouth/Geisel/the Department or Center will be of benefit to their academic program/aspirations;
  • statement of how their teaching, research, service, and/or life experiences prepare them to advance Dartmouth’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Application review will begin on XXXX 2019 and continue until the position is filled.

The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth is located in the neighboring towns of Hanover and Lebanon in the Upper Connecticut River Valley on the NH and VT border. Dartmouth is surrounded by a vibrant, academic, and professional community offering excellent public schools, a lively arts scene, a rural setting with great natural beauty, and delicious local produce and artisanal foods. Those who enjoy the city, Boston, New York City, and Montreal are within a few hours' drive.

Ads must reference Dartmouth's notice of non-discrimination:

Dartmouth is dedicated to establishing and maintaining a safe and nondiscriminatory learning, living, and working environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. The College's Principle of Community establishes that interactions between and among members of the Dartmouth community should be based on integrity, responsibility, and consideration so that all may fully access and benefit from the opportunities the College provides.

Dartmouth is committed to the principle of equal opportunity for all its students, faculty, staff, and applicants for admission and employment. For that reason, Dartmouth prohibits any form of discrimination against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, national origin, citizenship, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other legally protected status in the administration of and access to the College's programs and activities, and in conditions of admission and employment. 

Guidelines for Schools and Departments Placing Ads That May Be Used for Permanent Residence Sponsorship of Foreign Nationals

To take advantage of the expedited labor certification "Special Handling" process for professors, instructors and lecturers at post-secondary educational institutions, Dartmouth must submit the labor certification application on behalf of a foreign national within 18 months of the date of selection, which is usually the date of the offer letter.  Department of Labor oversees the Special Handling process and requires that sponsoring institutions demonstrate the foreign national was hired via a competitive recruitment and selection process.  As part of the materials needed in support of the application, Dartmouth must document that at least one advertisement was placed in a national professional journal.

Checklist for the advertisement to ensure compliance with Department of Labor requirements:

  1. Print advertisement in national journal for teaching position. Evidence includes the tearsheet of the ad containing the name and date of the publication.  If electronic advertisement, must be posted for at least 30 calendar days on the journal's website.  Evidence of electronic ad should include print-outs of journal's website on first and last day of 30-day posting period.
  2. Save copies of all ads and all invoices.
  3. The ad must contain the following information:
    1. Job title
    2. Teaching duties
    3. Requirements
    4. Work location
    5. Employer name
    6. Specific address to send applications
  4. If you may be hiring more than one person, put "Multiple Positions Available" in the ad.
  5. Include "classroom teaching" in the ad.
  6. Make sure that the stated minimum requirements for the ad are actual, real requirements, and that you would not hire someone with less than those requirements. For example, if a job for an Assistant Professor requires a PhD, but you would hire someone who is ABD (All But Dissertation), put PhD or ABD in the ad.  For Special Handling, the foreign national must have been able to meet all of the job requirements stated in the ad at the time of selection.
  7. Avoid using the word "preferred." The Department of Labor treats preferred requirements as actual requirements.
  8. Keep copies of all resumes submitted and all affirmative action paperwork, as well as an internal account of which candidates were interviewed, and reasons for rejection. The application must include a selection committee report, a recruitment summary, and a statement of qualifications of the selected foreign national candidate.

Search Committee Selection and Composition:

All faculty members who are employed by Dartmouth College who do not qualify for a waiver from a national search (see Subappendix D) must be hired following protocols established by IDE at Dartmouth College. IDE works with divisional leaders, academic deans, and the office of Human Resources to make certain that recruitment and hiring are conducted in a manner that is consistent with equal opportunity and affirmative action laws and regulations and Dartmouth's institutional mission with regard to diversity.

Selection of Search Committee Members:

  • All search committees should comprise individuals who are qualified to assess the applicant pool for any identified search and who reflect diverse segments of the academic community with respect to criteria such as racial, gender, and ethnic diversity; disabilities and veteran status; and different academic areas or intellectual approaches relevant to the hire.
  • Prior to submitting potential search committee names to the Dean’s Office/IDE for approval (vide infra), the search committee chair should contact each potential member’s departmental Chair to ascertain if service on the committee is in the faculty member’s best interest with respect to their own academic advancement. If the departmental Chair is not supportive of this service, the search committee chair should seek other nominees.
  • Individuals who have authority for hiring decisions (Chairs and Institute/Center Directors) are prohibited from serving on search committees, unless otherwise approved by the Dean. Individuals who have authority over financial resources that are essential to a given search hire (e.g., Heads of Clusters), should not serve on search committees unless approved by the Provost, the Dean and IDE.
  • Nominees for the search committee are then submitted to the Dean of Faculty Affairs at Geisel and the Director of IDE (on Dashboard), both of whom must approve the composition of the search committee.
  • Director of IDE and the Dean of Faculty Affairs will meet with the search committee (Chair and as many other committee members as possible) to discuss the progression of the search.

Search Committee Expectations and Protocols:

Once the committee membership has been approved, the Dean of Faculty Affairs and the Director of IDE meet with all search committees prior to the posting of advertisements and solicitation of applications. As many committee members as possible are encouraged to attend this initial meeting. Unless granted an exception from the Dean's Office, departmental Chairs/Institute Directors should not serve on regular search committees, although they may serve on search committees for Chairs or other institutional leaders. Chairs/Directors of hiring departments/centers are required to attend the initial meeting of the search committee with the Dean's Office and IDE to ensure all parties have the same information on search processes.

Initial Search Committee Meeting Goals:

While not required, the following modules/webinars are also valuable in addressing this topic.

1. Google’s module Watch Unconscious Bias at Work (although it is long: 1 hr)

2. Facebook’s module (individual modules on specific topics)

  • We also encourage committee members to take one of the Project Implicit® Association Tests, but to also recognize the limitations of these tests (Jan de Houwer, 2002) and that their use needs to be coupled with discussions of outcomes (Sukhera et al., 2019).
  • To inform search committee members of important aspects of fair hiring including, but not limited to, the following:
    • All candidates must be considered through the same application mechanism and review process unless exceptions are approved in advance by the Dean of Faculty Affairs and IDE. For example, if candidates are brought to campus for interviews, all should be brought to campus following the same selection and interview procedures. Unless there are approved extenuating circumstances, it should not be that some candidates are brought to campus while others are interviewed by Skype.
    • Internal candidates may apply for an open search, but must do so through the same mechanism and identical review process as do external candidates. No Chair, member of the search committee or other member of the faculty should provide information or feedback to an internal candidate outside of the approved process by which all candidates are informed of their status in the search. If an internal candidate is not judged as qualified according to the criteria by which the short list is constructed, they cannot be granted “courtesy interviews”.
    • Search Committees may not share individual portfolios submitted for one ongoing search at Dartmouth with another ongoing search at Dartmouth without permission of the candidate. Such requests require pre-approval by Dean of Faculty Affairs/IDE. If there are candidates that one search committee believes would be of interest to a different ongoing search, the best recourse is to suggest to the candidate that they may also want to apply to that search.
    • Search committee may not disseminate letters of recommendation to anyone except other members of the search committee and the Chair/Center Director and/or Dean(s) as requested.  These letters are confidential as should not be downloaded or kept by members of the search committee.  Search committees should also reach out to candidates to ensure that they approve of sharing other information (e.g., their CVs or research/teaching/diversity statements) more widely with the broader community.
    • Search committees may reach out to colleagues to suggest that they encourage candidates to apply and may also actively encourage appropriate candidates to apply in venues such as national meetings.
    • Search Committees are strongly encouraged to use standard questions for all candidates during interviews, to allow comparable time for all interviews, and to use standardized assessments for all candidates. Evaluative metrics should include those attributes that are relevant to the position. For example, assessments should not be made on a sense that the candidate is a good “fit” as this can be interpreted as the candidate conforming to social norms that might exclude otherwise qualified individuals. Search committees can use metrics such as professionalism, collegiality, ability to work well in teams, etc. to define attributes required for the position.
    • Search committees should ensure that adequate time is allowed for vetting of candidates.
    • Search committees may not contact individuals who have not been listed as references by the candidates without candidates’ permission. Such inquiries may jeopardize a candidate’s standing at their current institution if they are not the accepted candidate in the search. This process may also introduce bias in the evaluation (see below).
    • If additional references are contacted for candidates, search committees should make sure that the balance of the number of people contacted is equitable across the candidate pool (i.e., do not contact 10 people for one candidate and two for another).
    • Search committees should review the list of acceptable and non-acceptable questions below (Subappendix B) and information on best practices to recruit a diverse, equitble, and inclusive faculty (Efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at Geisel).
    • Search Committees should be informed that written comments on Interfolio or on résumés/CVs need to be maintained for three years and are discoverable as they are considered official documents of the recruitment process.
  • To inform members of the search committee and all other individuals engaged with/interested in the search that, while they may encourage applicants to apply, once an individual has entered the applicant pool, all communication with applicants on any aspect of the search must go through the Chair of the search committee and/or Operations Director assigned to oversee the search.
  • To inform members of the search committee of resources that may be of value in recruiting different affinity groups. It is important to note that search committee members should not specifically offer select resources to specific candidates based on an assumption that the candidate belongs to a given affinity group. Search committee members should instead make all candidates aware that Dartmouth has a wide variety of resources that may be of interest to the candidate and then allow the candidate to indicate whether specific resources (e.g., child care options, different affinity groups) may be of interest to them.

Resources that may be of interest include The Employee Resource Networks (ERN) and the Experience Dartmouth (ED) Ambassador Program at Dartmouth College:

Both programs provide excellent resources for affinity groups including GLBT, Veterans, Latino Council, Native American Network, International employees, Black Caucus, and Asian Pacific Islander Caucus. These resources are available to faculty and staff for employees of the College, DH, and WRJ VAMC and their families.

Search committee should be aware of and make candidates aware of resources at Dartmouth to build a diverse, equitable and inclusive faculty (e.g., Inclusive Excellence; https://inclusive.dartmouth.edu/initiatives/increase-faculty-diversity; Campus Culture and Climate Initiative, C3i; https://sites.dartmouth.edu/c3i/). Resources/creative approaches to make such hires and to support a diverse, equitable, and inclusive academic community following hiring have been and are available to achieve this goal. The Search Committees should contact the Dean of Faculty Affairs at Geisel to explore potential creative solutions through Geisel or jointly with Dartmouth College more broadly.

Search Committee members should note that Dartmouth recognizes that the commitment to recruit and retain highly qualified faculty and staff often involves finding employment opportunities for a candidate’s spouse or partner. Dartmouth recognizes that meeting the needs of two careers is crucial for a successful recruitment. We encourage prospective candidates and hiring departments to review our current Arts and Sciences faculty listings, Geisel School of Medicine faculty listings, and Dartmouth College Human Resources employment website. Search Committees should feel free to contact the Dean of Faculty Affairs at Geisel to explore such hires.

  • To inform search committee members that their charge is to provide a short list of candidates to the Chair/sponsoring department faculty/co-sponsoring institutes. While search committee members (as well as other faculty, staff and students) may play a key role in hosting candidates who are brought to campus for first and or second interviews, they are not part of negotiations with any candidate. Such negotiations are the obligation of the Chair. Search committee members should not discuss any specifics of a potential offer to a candidate (e.g., salary, start-up, professional obligations) nor be involved in such negotiations, and should refer any such questions posed to them by candidates to the Chair. Any discussion of what would be personal information should the candidate accept the position should be restricted to the Chair (and co-sponsoring director when applicable) and the Dean’s Office.