Faculty Appointments & Review — Faculty Recruitment Practicalities

Policies and Procedures

Brief Summary of the Usual Process

The following is applicable to all faculty lines except adjuncts and postdocs.

Initiation of Faculty/P&S Requisition/Recruitment Plan in Workflow
When the Dean authorizes a faculty search, the department initiates the Faculty/P&S Requisition/Recruitment Plan and attachments in Workflow.

When the Dean; Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities; or Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences has approved it, it goes to the Office of the Provost for review. The Provost's Office  will forward it to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (EOD). The EOD staff member's final approval will be sent to everyone on the Workflow path. At that point the ad may be placed and any mailings or online notices may be done.

Pre-Interview Report (PIR)
Once the committee has reviewed the applicants and are ready to submit the PIR for review.  The administrator should make sure all applicants are rated.  Rating codes must be selected for each applicant before the PIR can be generated.  

  • Justification letter explaining the choice of the proposed interviewees.  This letter must also include a paragraph on all candidates rated a "1" and all candidates with veteran status.
  • Pre-Interview Worksheet (generated out of the Jobs@UIOWA system)

Once the Dean; Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities; or Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences has approved the PIR, the department may contact the interviewees and schedule the campus visits.(When the itinerary is set, a copy should be sent to the dean doing that particular interview.) In the meantime, the PIR is forwarded to EOD for its final review and approval. CLAS HR will relay any questions to the department.

When interviews are completed, the faculty chooses a finalist and draws up the Search and Selection Summary.

Search and Selection Summary (SSS)

  • Draft offer letter
  • Justification letter with a paragraph about each interviewee and how they performed in the interview.  The justification should clearly indicate who will be receiving an offer
  • Letters of Recommendation (3)
  • Start-up spreadsheet (if applicable)

Once the SSS has been approved by the Dean; Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities; or Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences, the Provost Office, and EOD, the department may release the offer letter to the candidate of choice.

If the candidate wants to negotiate some elements of the offer, the DEO will email the Dean; Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities; or Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences to discuss the candidate’s requests. When negotiations are complete, the candidate who accepts the offer should return the signed letter to the DEO, who will initial the last page. The department keeps the original and sends a copy to CLAS HR.

The final step is the initiation of the appointment form in Workflow.

Special Topics

Waivers of Affirmative Action Search for Faculty Positions

There are occasions when it is appropriate to fill a faculty position by asking the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (EOD) for a waiver of the usual search procedures in order to either bring an individual to campus for a formal interview, or to appoint him/her immediately to the position.

The DEO brings such a proposal to the Dean. If the college decides to support such a recruitment, the Dean; Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities; or Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences will initiate the process by requesting an EOD waiver and presenting the credentials of the scholar to demonstrate that if a search would be undertaken they would rise to the top of the applicant pool.

The request for a waiver may specify either:

  • A formal campus interview as the first step to an offer; OR
  • An immediate offer of appointment

The DEO must send the Associate Dean a few paragraphs explaining how the candidate meets the three criteria needed for a waiver to be approved:

  • the line is high on the list of priorities for the department and/or college (i.e. emergent instructional needs, uniquely qualified candidate, etc.);
  • there is overwhelming support (at least 75%) of the candidates appointment by the current faculty;
  • if the department were to run a national search in the specific area of expertise, the candidate would emerge as one of the finalists.

If the waiver request is for a campus interview (and is approved), the DEO will set up the candidate interviews, including a Dean (Dean of the college if the appointment is to be with tenure). Following the campus interviews, the DEO will report to the Dean; Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities; or Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences the level of faculty interest in offering the candidate a position. If all are in agreement the DEO will draw up a letter specifying the faculty vote, and a draft offer letter for submission to the Dean.

If the waiver request is to appoint the candidate directly to a position (and is approved), CLAS HR will draw up the Waiver Request form.  The department will provide a justification letter, draft offer letter, and three letters of reference for submission to the Dean , who will forward them to the Provost's office along with his endorsement of the request, and then to EOD. [Even though the position is assured through the granting of the waiver, the terms of the offer must receive the usual college/university review.]

When the DEO receives notification of final approval, the offer letter may be released to the candidate.

Questions? Contact Tiffany Schier.

Interviewing Foreign Nationals

The Office of Immigration Services at the University of Iowa provides the information and assistance departments need as they recruit and employ individuals who are not U.S. citizens, and departments should contact that office directly with questions. Their website is a good source of general information on correct procedures for interviewing and for extending a faculty or staff offer.

Once the decision is made to extend an offer, and the department has reason to believe that the finalist is not U.S. born, the offer letter should state:

This offer is contingent on your being eligible to work in the U.S. by the date of appointment.

If the candidate accepts the offer, the department may then ask for detailed information on his/her visa status. The department should promptly fill out a Case Initiation Form and submit it to Immigration Services in order to avoid any serious delays in obtaining work authorization. Please remember that regardless of an individual's qualifications, not everyone is eligible for employment in the U.S., as determined by his/her individual circumstances.

Necessary Forms

NOTE: Applicants must use the jobs@UIOWA system.

Faculty Requisition
Initiate a faculty requisition through the jobs@UIOWA system (located under the "Systems" section of the "Administration" tab).

Pre-Interview Report (PIR)
The Pre-Interview Report (PIR) is also prepared online through the jobs@UIOWA system and is handled in a manner similar to workflow forms. CLAS does require a memo explaining the selection of candidates for interview. For detailed information on the PIR process, click here.

Search and Selection Summary (SSS)
The department will use the Search and Selection Summary (SSS) link to request approval to make an offer. The SSS should include a draft offer letter, recommendation letters, and a memo detailing the rationale of the hiring decision (provide reasons for selection of candidate and reasons for non-selection of other candidates who were interviewed for the position). For detailed information on the SSS process, click here.

The department will issue the offer letter in paper or by PDF attachment, and must include the Voluntary Self-Identification form, which the candidate will return directly to EOD.

The department will also include with the offer letter the Data Collection Form for New Appointments.

At the time the department receives the signed contract, the MFK should be verified with the CLAS Accountant.