College of Arts and Humanities

VI. Faculty Hiring, Recruitment, and Appointment

In the College of Arts and Humanities, we recognize that the foundation of any competitive college is academic excellence, built through recruiting, hiring, and retaining the very best faculty.

Requests for Faculty Positions

The dean's office will evaluate position requests for full-time tenure-track and full-time non-tenure-track positions annually and in coordination with the timeline established by the provost. Program directors or department chairs should initiate unit discussions of strategic requests within the context of responsible fiscal management and with close attention to the most important needs of the unit, other partnering units, the college, and the university. Such discussions should be ongoing.

The criteria used to evaluate position requests from chairs and directors will be consistent with the criteria established by the provost and with the strategic priorities of the college and university. Position requests should include one or more of the following:

1. Maintain or enhance undergraduate major enrollment in core enrollment areas and in areas with growth potential;
2. Support and promote strategic curricular growth and enhancement including interdisciplinary, international, multimodal, inclusive, and diverse programming;
3. Enhance general education programming in the college;
4. Create opportunities for diversifying the faculty;
5. Create opportunities for external funding;
6. Create collaborative opportunities for teaching, research, or service with other departments, programs, colleges, institutions, or communities;
7. Leverage support for position requests with existing or new funding sources.

All full-time faculty position requests should include the following:

1. The title, one-line description of the position, and a draft position description (level of hire, expertise sought, qualifications required and desired, teaching duties).
2. Enrollment data: Include the past five years of data on SCH, number of majors for the program and department, and enrollment in the courses relevant to the position.
3. Programmatic coverage (existing programs): How does the position support current undergraduate and graduate programs (if relevant) and/or enhance new programs? Does the position contribute to areas or programs outside the department? Include a summary table with the current distribution of all full-time positions in the department.
4. Strategic initiatives for curriculum: What strategic initiatives does this position support at the department, college, or university level? Does the position enhance interdisciplinary, international, multimodal, inclusive, and/or diverse programming? Does it offer opportunities for the development of certificates or new degrees?
5. Accreditation and/or Program Review: Does the position relate to accreditation standards and/or fulfill recommendations related to program review?
6. Diversity and inclusivity: Does the position enhance diversity and inclusivity goals in relation to hiring or other areas?

If the dean approves the position it will be moved to the provost for approval. Following the Provost's approval, the dean will confer with the chair to establish the appropriate rank, salary range, and duties for the position description.

Recruitment and Hiring Procedures

Search committees must adhere to the hiring procedures established by CWU Human Resources. Additionally, all faculty recruitment and hiring in CAH will conform to the following policies:

1. The dean will appoint a search committee in consultation with the chair. The dean may appoint at least one search committee member from outside the department. The search committee will collaborate with the dean and HR consultant to frame the position description and review the recruitment plan.
2. The search committee chair will work with HR to ensure that all committee members receive training in diversity and inclusivity.
3. All position descriptions should include rank, length of appointment, eligibility for tenure, requisite experience and credentials, language about the ability to work with diverse students and curriculum, and expectations regarding teaching, scholarship/creative work, and service. Position descriptions must be approved by the dean before posting.
4. Tenure-track positions require a national search and 30-day position posting.
5. The procedure for evaluating and selecting final candidates must be consistent with the announced criteria. Screening instruments must be developed and approved by HR and the dean.
6. The dean should receive copies of the CV, letter of application, and letters of reference for all finalists. An interview should be scheduled with the dean for each finalist, preferably toward the end of the campus visit. The dean should also be invited to candidates' public presentations.
7. Once the campus interviews are completed, the department should determine a ranking of the candidates. The chair should submit to the dean a written rationale for the rankings. The rationale should focus on each candidate's work and potential as a teacher and scholar/artist. The dean, with the approval of the provost and in consultation with the chair, determines the terms of the offer to the candidate selected and tenders the formal offer.

The dean must document when the offer is made and accepted. Search and start-up costs will initially be borne by the department. Departments may apply for reimbursement with the understanding that funds may be limited.

Search Guidelines 

1. Where possible, use telephone or online video interviews with candidates to narrow down the pool before extending invitations for campus visits.
2. Meal costs should be kept at state per-diem rates.
3. The on-campus interview should not exceed two days.
4. All search committees must work with Human Resources to attract the most diverse pool possible through targeted advertisements and recruitment.
5. Invite two or three candidates to campus for each position. For candidates' public presentations, recruit as many students and faculty from outside the department in the audience as possible. Ensure that candidates meet with students.
6. All candidates must be treated equally, including internal candidates.
7. Provide each candidate with Human Resources packets supplemented with additional relevant department and college materials.