Faculty Recruitment Guidelines

The following procedures should be used as a guide to basic requirements in recruiting and appointing full-time faculty at UT Tyler and UT Tyler Health Science Center, both tenure track and non-tenure earning. This guideline also applies for visiting faculty positions.

1. A faculty need is identified, and a search committee composed primarily of faculty shall be appointed by the department chair or dean if the position is that of a chairperson.
   
   
2. In consultation with the chairperson of the department, the search committee will prepare the text of advertisement/job description. 
   • The document must provide at a minimum: 
     • Position rank and tenure status
       • Departments will be held to advertised rank and tenure status. If rank and tenure status are uncertain, use open-ended language in the advertisement.
       • Positions for tenured and tenure-track faculty members are required to be advertised nationally.
     • Responsibilities and duties.
     • List of required and preferred qualifications.
     • Start date of appointment.
     • Documents/materials to be provided by the applicants.
     • Date that the review of applications will begin or priority application date.
   • The HR Office should be consulted for guidance on Equal Employment Opportunity language and other information that is often included in advertisements.
     
     
3. Approval to initiate a search is obtained from the Position Review Committee using the Hiring Authorization Request DocuSign.
   • This DocuSign must include the search committee chair and members, posting locations, and have the text of the advertisement attached.
     • The committee must consider methods by which the position can be made known to members of underrepresented groups.
       
       

       NOTE: The HR Office will advertise faculty positions on UT Tyler’s Applicant Tracking Software (ATS), Chronicle, HigherEdJobs.com, and Texas Workforce Commission. Depending on the Affirmative Action Plan availability and placement goals, the faculty ad may be included in HigherEdJobs.com Affirmative Action Emails.

       NOTE: Costs associated with advertising positions in other outlets will be the responsibility of the Department. 
       The Department must work with HR to ensure the advertisement includes all required sections, including a 
       statement to notify candidates that they are required to apply through the UT Tyler ATS.
       
       

4. Once approvals are obtained, HR posts the position in all avenues listed above. The Search Committee will then begin receiving applications and may begin reviewing materials from candidates electronically thru UT Tyler ATS.
   • The Committee chairperson arranges for a representative from the Office of Human Resources (HR) to attend the first search committee meeting to explain the hiring process and guidelines of the search.
     
     NOTE: It is the responsibility of the search committee to review application materials and consider, interview, and recommend for selection only qualified applicants. Qualified applicants are those who meet all required qualifications as advertised on the posting and who submit all the required documents as requested on the posting.
     
     
5. The Search Committee reviews applications, conducts screenings, and narrows the list of applicants to a smaller number of preferred candidates. 
   
   NOTE: HR will require that a hiring matrix or screening tool be submitted after the search has concluded. Phone or video conferencing interviews may be used in the process of identifying preferred candidates. A standard set of questions should be identified for use with all candidates in phone interviews.
   
   NOTE: HR will require that all interview forms for each candidate you interviewed, containing your questions and responses, be submitted after the search has concluded.
   
   
6. Preferred candidates should be informed that they are under serious consideration and asked to provide any additional information that the committee may wish.
   • The Search Committee submits a list of candidates (preferably no more than three) to the department Chair for approval to invite to campus for interviews.
   • The Chairperson should consult with the Dean regarding the preferred candidates and receive approval to invite them to campus for interviews.
   • The Dean will send curriculum vitae for the candidates to the Office of the Provost for information only.
     • In the event the search is for a chairperson or another candidate for whom tenure would be requested, the Office of the Provost would review the curriculum vitae in that context.
       
       
7. On-campus interviews are to be scheduled by the committee in consultation with the Chair and/or Dean, and interviews should normally include an oral presentation by the candidate and meetings with the search committee, faculty, students, the chair, and the dean.
   • When appropriate, candidates may meet with the Office of Research and Scholarship to learn about the services available through that office.
   • Appointments may also be scheduled with the Office of Student Success and/or The Graduate School when such meetings are considered helpful in the process of recruiting a candidate.
   • If the appointment is to be with tenure, the candidate must also meet with the Office of the Provost. 
     
     
8. After on-campus interviews the Search Committee submits recommendations to the Chairperson of the Department who will consult with the Dean on the recommendations.
   • The Search Committee shall not conduct negotiations about salary, rank, or other conditions of employment with candidates.
     
     NOTE: You are required to conduct a reference check on at least the final candidate (the candidate you select). HR will require that all reference check notes be submitted after the search has concluded
     
     
9. The Dean sends a request to hire to the Office of the Provost with requested salary and rank and a faculty budget worksheet.
   • HR Compensation will be consulted for salary recommendations.
     
     
10. The Office of the Provost approves the offer of employment and offer letter. No offers may be made without approval in writing.
    • The offer letter should follow the appropriate template developed by the Office of the Provost.
    • The letter is to be sent, along with a curriculum vitae, to the Office of the Provost for approval.
    • The offer letter should have a place for the candidate to sign indicating acceptance of the offer. 
      
      
11. A preliminary verbal offer to the candidate is made by dean or department chair (dean’s preference).
    
    
12. If the verbal offer is accepted, the Dean signs and sends the offer letter approved by the Office of the Provost to the candidate.
    
    
13. After the signed offer letter is returned, the Dean’s Office forwards the original to the HR Office, sends a copy of the letter to the Office of the Provost, and files a copy in the Department. 
    
    NOTE: If visa sponsorship is needed, the department must notify the HR Office immediately after signed offer letter is received. 
    
    
14. The Dean’s office receives original transcripts and sends them to HR and the Office of the Provost.
    
    
15. At the conclusion of the search, the Department must send all hiring documents (e.g., questionnaires, interview and reference check forms, transcripts, CV, matrices, etc.) to the HR Office via email. 

• HR will be responsible for sending non-selection notifications to candidates.