Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) Provostal searches: establishment and
composition of a provostal search committee.
(1) The action necessary to establish a
search committee for a provost will be taken by the president.
(2) The search committee for a provost will
consist of the following:
(a) Four
presidential appointments (one of whom shall chair the committee) to include
the following:
(i) Two faculty members, one
of whom must be from the provostal area and one of whom must be a member of the
bargaining unit.
(ii) One
dean.
(iii) One open
appointment.
(b) Three
faculty elected by the faculty senate.
(c) One dean elected by the council of
deans.
(d) One undergraduate
student elected by the undergraduate student senate.
(e) One graduate student, elected by the
graduate student association.
(f)
The composition of the above committee shall reflect special needs (e.g.,
affirmative action and special interest off-campus groups). If these needs are
not met, then up to two additional members may be added by the
president.
(B)
Decanal searches: establishment and composition of a decanal search committee.
(1) The action necessary to establish a
search committee for a dean will be taken by the appropriate provost.
(2) The search committee for a dean will
consist of the following:
(a) Five provostal
appointments to include the following:
(i) The
chair - must be an outside dean or senior administrator with a faculty
appointment and will be a non-voting member of the committee.
(ii) Two faculty members - must be members of
the college for which a dean is being sought.
(iii) A student in those colleges which have
both graduate and undergraduate programs; otherwise, an open
appointment.
(iv) A
student.
(b) Three
faculty elected by the faculty in the college.
(c) In case of special need (e.g. to give
weight to affirmative action, departmental interests in multidepartmental
colleges, or to represent off-campus groups) up to two additional members may
be added to a search committee by the provost.
(C) Decanal or provostal search process.
(1) Confidentiality.
(a) Because of the sensitive nature of
decanal and provostal searches and reviews, the internal proceedings of all the
committees described in this document will be kept confidential to the extent
permitted by law.
(b) The committee
will not accept anonymous information and opinions. All written material
submitted to and retained by the search committee is subject to disclosure
under Ohio law.
(2)
Orientation session.
(a) Before the committee
begins its work, there will be an orientation and training session arranged by
the appropriate provost or the president. At this session, the provost or
president will discuss with the committee:
(i)
The charge for the committee.
(ii)
As part of the charge provide the chair with copies of the "affirmative action
pre-employment guidebook" published by the office of affirmative action and the
"search committee manual" published by the personnel department of the
university in order to become familiar with these documents prior to the first
meeting of the search committee.
(iii) A representative from the office of
affirmative action should inform the committee of the utilization of minorities
in the area of the search and therefore of the affirmative action goals for
that unit. The rules of operation will be shared with the affirmative action
office for their information.
(b) At this session, the provost or the
president will discuss with the committee:
(i)
The number of candidates who may be brought to the campus for
interviews.
(ii) The number and
ranking of candidates who should be recommended for the position.
(iii) The kind of interaction which the
provost or president wishes to have with the search committee during the
search.
(iv) The criteria or
objectives which should be used during the search, and
(v) The deadline or desirable date for
soliciting applications and completing the search.
(c) The search committee and the relevant
provost or president will agree upon the procedures for the search and the
criteria to be used in the search to evaluate candidates. These criteria must
be uniformly applied to all candidates.
(3) Rules of operation.
(a) All specific rules listed in these
guidelines will be observed. In all other situations, "Robert's Rules of Order"
will govern the operations of the committee unless the committee agrees to a
different set of rules.
(b) At its
first meeting(s), the committee will establish a rule defining attendance and
search committee participation requirements. Members of the committee who do
not meet these attendance and participation requirements may be removed by a
majority vote of the committee. Any vacant position may be filled through the
same procedure by which the position was originally filled.
(4) Staff support.
(a) The appropriate provost or the president
will provide the committee with such staff support or office help as is
necessary for the performance of its functions.
(b) Minutes of the official actions of the
search committee meetings will be kept. Copies of the minutes will be given
promptly to all committee members.
(5) Solicitation of candidates.
(a) No advertising or solicitation for the
position will take place before the search committee and the relevant provost
or president agree upon the appropriate criteria to be used in the search to
evaluate the candidates. Before placing any ads, the search committee will
secure confirmation by the affirmative action office that the ads match the
description of the position for which the search is being conducted. The
chairperson of the committee will be responsible for advertising and
solicitation.
(b) The job
description and other requirements and criteria will be distributed to the
university community and posted on the web along with an invitation to send the
committee either names of possible candidates or letters of application. In the
case of a decanal search, the same information and invitation will be sent in
writing to all faculty, administration and staff of the college the dean is to
head.
(c) If the search is to be
partly or wholly external, it will be advertised in appropriate media with
special attention to media catering to groups covered by affirmative
action.
(d) At the discretion of
the committee, initial screening may involve personal interviews.
(6) Initial screening of
candidates.
(a) The complete file of every
candidate will be made available to every member of the search committee.
Committee members are to treat all files and copies as confidential and will
refrain from public comment on the committee's deliberations through the
initial screening process.
(b) In a
timely manner, the committee or a special subcommittee, will undertake a
preliminary screening to determine how representative the pool of candidates is
in regard to the search criteria and to the affirmative action goals. The
committee will determine whether additional steps need to be taken to produce a
pool which better reflects the hiring goals and the search criteria for that
position.
(c) If a consultant or
search firm is authorized, that consultant or search firm:
(i) Should be approved by the
committee;
(ii) Should conduct a
search according to the terms and conditions set forth by the committee;
and
(iii) Shall work with and
report to the committee.
(d) When preliminary screening is completed,
the committee will then screen the applicants and decide approximately how many
candidates should be interviewed and will then choose which ones to invite for
on campus interviews and in what order.
(7) Notifying eliminated candidates.
As soon as the committee is convinced that any particular
candidate is not a viable candidate, such a candidate should be promptly
notified in writing that he or she has been eliminated.
(8) On campus interviews.
(a) All candidates should be interviewed in a
comparable fashion.
(b) The
committee as a whole will interview each invited candidate. If possible, the
committee should arrange for some of its members to talk with the candidate in
an informal setting, for example, at lunch or dinner or some other social
function.
(c) The committee will
schedule on campus interviews with groups from the appropriate college or
university, including the faculty, administrators, staff, and
students.
(d) The on campus group
interviews will be advertised as extensively as possible. It is imperative that
there be timely notification of the times and dates of such interviews,
including distribution of the candidate's qualifications.
(e) In addition, as it deems advisable, the
committee may invite particular individuals and groups to hold separate
interviews with the candidate. Some possible individuals and groups are:
(i) For provostal searches:
The president
The senior vice presidents and provosts
Deans of appropriate provostal units
Vice and associate provosts
Provostal staff
The faculty senate executive committee
Representatives from appropriate students' governance
groups
Representatives from appropriate interest groups, such as black
and women's faculty, administration, and staff groups
Relevant community groups
(ii) For decanal searches:
The president
The appropriate provost
The current dean
Associate and assistant deans
Unit heads of the colleges
The college faculty executive committee
Appropriate student groups
Representatives from appropriate special interest groups, such
as black and women's faculty, administration, and staff groups
Relevant community groups
At all interviews, the participants will be invited to provide
comments to the search committee.
(9) Selection.
(a) After the interviews are completed, the
committee will discuss each interviewed candidate and, if it deems itself
ready, will select by vote the persons it wishes to recommend to the president
or relevant provost as finalists.
(b) All voting at this stage in the process
may be by secret ballot and confirmed by at least two members of the
committee.
(c) After this vote
there may be a meeting of the committee and the president or relevant provost
to discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of final candidates. The
president or relevant provost shall then determine which, if any, of the
finalists to recommend to the board of trustees.
(d) Before making public the decision on whom
to recommend, the relevant provost or the president should meet with the
committee to inform and discuss his or her decision.
(10) Publicity.
The chairperson will provide periodic and timely written
reports on the progress of the committee without compromising the issue of
confidentiality. Such reports will be distributed as appropriate to the
university community. In addition, committee members should make regular
reports to their constituencies by other means regarding the progress of the
search. All reports should be accompanied by an invitation to send comments to
the committee.
(D)
Decanal review.
(1) Section 1. Criteria.
Following the search process and as part of the appointment of
any new dean, that dean and the relevant provost will decide upon the
performance criteria and operationally meaningful measures by which the dean is
to be judged. These criteria will include but need not be limited to:
(a) Generic criteria - those criteria which
relate to the tasks performed by any dean; and
(b) College specific criteria - those
criteria which relate to the responsibilities specific to that college,
including the relationships to local, state and professional agencies and
societies (e.g., relation to the artistic community and performance world for
the "CCM" dean; designation as a state of Ohio defined head of teacher
education for the college of education dean; responsibilities of the college of
law dean to certify to the state of Ohio regarding graduates of the college of
law; and the relationship between the county medical society and the dean of
the college of medicine); and
(c)
Specified unit expectations at a given point in time which may be determined
relative to available resources, university initiatives or strategic plan, or
other imposed restrictions.
(2) Section 2. Annual assessment.
Each dean will be assessed on an annual basis by the relevant
provost using the above criteria and measures. This annual assessment should be
summarized by the provost in a written report to the dean who, in turn, should
respond to the report in writing if the dean wishes to do so. Following the
annual assessment, each dean shall make a meaningful, written report to the
faculty of the college regarding how the goals and objectives of the college
are being met.
(3) Section
3. Decanal review.
Early in the fall term of the penultimate year of each dean's
appointment, the relevant provost shall ascertain if the dean wishes to serve
another term. If the dean does wish to serve another term, the dean shall be
reviewed by the relevant provost using the annual assessments and the following
new materials and assessments prepared for that review.
(a) A brief (no more than ten pages)
self-assessment of the dean's tenure. In addition, the dean will provide
additional material as requested by the provost.
(b) Letters of support solicited by the
provost from a list of individuals submitted by the dean.
(c) Assessment of the dean's role in
achieving the current goals and objectives of the college.
(d) Assessment of the dean's role in
achieving the level of education, research (as appropriate) and service (as
appropriate) that is carried on within the college.
(e) Assessment of the dean's performance by
college administrative staff, solicited by the provost.
(f) Assessment of the dean's performance by
administrative peers, solicited by the provost. Administrative peers may
include individuals both inside and outside of the university.
(g) Assessment by other relevant groups or
individuals of the provost's choice (e.g., students, alumni, professional or
community groups such as the county medical society or the bar, as
appropriate).
(h) Assessment by a
committee of faculty of that college charged to report to the provost on the
quality of leadership provided by their dean in accomplishing the goals and
objectives for the college.
When the relevant provost has considered all of the above and
has determined whether to recommend reappointment of the dean, the provost
shall first meet with the faculty assessment committee to discuss this
decision. If the reappoint/not reappoint decision is contrary to the
recommendation of the faculty assessment committee, the provost will present to
the committee the justifications for the contrary decision. Following this
meeting, the provost will meet with the dean. Should the decision be to
recommend reappointment of the dean, the provost and the dean will review and
update, as appropriate, the goals and objectives for that particular college;
the dean will then issue a report to the faculty as done after each of the
annual assessments including in that report the length of the reappointment. If
the decision of the provost is not to recommend reappointment of the dean, the
provost will convene a search committee as outlined in the university
rules.
This review process should begin within two months of the
dean's notification to the provost of the intent to serve another term and is
to be completed within three months, excluding regular academic breaks, from
the first meeting of the faculty assessment committee.
(4) Section 4. Faculty assessment
committee. The faculty assessment committee (a.k.a. faculty decanal review
committee) shall report to the provost on the quality of leadership provided by
their dean in accomplishing the goals and objectives for the college.
(a) All individuals holding a full-time
faculty title in the college will be eligible to serve on a decanal review
committee. The faculty assessment committee will consist of:
(i) Five faculty members from the dean's
college elected by the faculty of the college, at least one of whom shall be a
tenured faculty member and at least one of whom shall be an untenured faculty
member (at the time of the election), unless no untenured faculty member is
willing to serve. The relevant provost will meet with the faculty of the
college to explain the review process and to call for the election of these
five committee members through the faculty governance structure of the
college.
(ii) At his/her
discretion, the relevant provost may appoint an additional faculty member from
the dean's college to the faculty assessment committee in order to achieve
balanced faculty representation.
(iii) In accordance with established college
procedures, up to two non-voting student members may be selected from the
students in the college.
(b) This committee, when formed, will meet
with the relevant provost to receive its charge. The provost will provide the
committee with copies of the annual reports that the dean has prepared for the
faculty during the dean's tenure plus those items listed in this rule in
paragraphs (D)(3)(a) [self assessment], (D)(3)(b) [letters of support],
(D)(3)(e) [assessment by college administrative staff], (D)(3)(f) [assessment
by administrative peers], and (D)(3)(g) [assessment by other relevant groups or
individuals] of this rule. The dean shall also submit to the committee his/her
dossier: included should be the college's mission statement and/or long-range
plan, and any other relevant material the dean wishes to include.
While the faculty assessment committee may set its own agenda,
it must function in a confidential manner during its deliberations to the
extent permitted by law. In addition to a review of the above listed materials,
it is recommended that the committee's review include:
(i) The current goals and objectives of the
college, how well they are being met, and how well the faculty perceives they
are endorsed and furthered by the incumbent dean;
(ii) The overall quality of the education,
research (as appropriate) and service (as appropriate) that is carried on
within the college as it reflects the leadership of the dean and the resources
made available to the dean; and
(iii) Significant issues that the faculty of
the college perceive as being consequential within the college or the
university.
(c) In
support of its agenda the faculty assessment committee may collect data from
the faculty of the college by interviews, solicitation of letters, and/or
surveys.
(d) Any written material
submitted to and retained by the faculty assessment committee is subject to
disclosure according to the laws of the state of Ohio. Any material to be
considered by the committee must be submitted in writing and must be signed.
The committee may consider anonymous information only when it is derived from a
general survey used to determine the level of support for and confidence in the
dean. The survey must be reviewed, approved, and executed by an appropriate
research group on campus such as the institute for policy research. This group
shall compile the results of the survey, including those open-ended comments
provided in response to the survey but excluding ad hominem attacks. These
compiled results will be presented to the faculty assessment committee for its
review and consideration.
(e) When
the faculty assessment committee has gathered its data and completed its
internal deliberations, it shall meet with the provost to present its findings,
to respond to questions by the provost, and to ask questions of the provost.
Following this dialogue the committee will submit a summary report to the
provost, including a recommendation for reappointment or non-reappointment of
the dean.
Replaces: Former 3361:10-6-01
Replaces: 3361:10-6-02
