4-13 Senior Officer Search and Selection Procedures/ Guidelines

• Attachments are included in the PDF file.
• Effective date of this revision: May 11, 2021
• Contact for more information:  Human Resources

INTRODUCTION

These procedures and guidelines have been developed to inform and to assist search committees in carrying out their responsibilities in a timely, orderly, and professional manner. The President has the authority to waive all or any part of these procedures. The procedures and guidelines apply to the filling of all regular and provisional Senior Officer positions except for the President, and do not apply to interim or acting appointments or when it is necessary to temporarily reassign duties to current employees. The procedures for the selection of the President are outlined in a separate Board of Trustees policy. In addition to exercising sound judgment in the selection process, search committees must use prudent judgment regarding recruitment expenses, as they actively seek strong candidates.

It is extremely important that all searches be conducted in a manner that ensures each applicant has a positive impression of Central Michigan University (CMU). Candidates are evaluating CMU at the same time CMU is evaluating them. To attract the interest of candidates requires that we actively promote and share the positive elements of the university and surrounding community. To obtain marketing materials for CMU and the Mt. Pleasant community, contact Human Resources.

As search committees proceed through the process, it is important to balance the interests of the candidate and CMU by preserving the confidentiality of the application while learning as much about the candidate as possible. Background checks including references are important at various stages throughout the process, but it is also important to communicate closely with candidates and provide flexibility that keeps their application confidential for as long as possible.

As an executive leader, it is important that each candidate understands and demonstrates CMU’s Leadership Standards, as well as CMU’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and are evaluated on these standards throughout the hiring process. The university is committed to affirmative action and fosters a culture that inspires excellence.

DEFINITIONS

Applicants: An applicant is anyone who meets the minimum qualifications and expresses a continued interest in a specific vacancy by submitting an application, résumé or curriculum vitae.

Candidates: All applicants who are interviewed (including video and off-campus) become candidates.

Division Head: Any Senior Officer who has responsibility for a division of the university and reports directly to the president.

Finalists: The top candidates (typically 1-3) who come to campus for the last round of interviews are considered finalists.

Internal Candidate: For the purposes of recruitment, internal candidate refers to an employee who is currently in a benefit-eligible position and was hired by the university through a prior external affirmative action search. Therefore, internal candidates exclude temporary staff, some temporary faculty, students, independent contractors, graduate assistants, and conditional employees.

Supervisor: Individual to whom the vacant position reports.

INTERNAL SEARCH

Offering career opportunities internally enhances CMU’s ability to retain quality employees. The Division Head may choose to submit written justification to seek approval of the Executive Director/Civil Rights and Institutional Equity and the President to conduct a search internal to the university instead of conducting an external search. By promoting from within, a vacancy will likely result that will subsequently be posted and filled through an external affirmative action search. All procedures outlined in this document apply to internal searches, unless noted otherwise

USE OF A SEARCH FIRM (DOES NOT APPLY TO AN INTERNAL SEARCH)

A search firm may be used to assist in the recruitment/screening of applicants for Senior Officer positions. When a Division Head or the President has decided to utilize the services of a search firm, they should work with Human Resources for assistance in selecting the search firm. Some firms have been pre-approved; other firms may be used following a bid process (see Search Firm Policy). The supervisor of the vacant position will determine the use/role of the search firm. Supervisors must work with Human Resources before entering into a contract with a search firm. CMU’s voluntary self-identification form must be shared with all applicants; therefore, a link to the form https://apps.cmich.edu/SelfIdentification/Applicant/ will be provided to the search firm by Human Resources.

SELECTING A SEARCH COMMITTEE

The Division Head/President to whom the vacant position reports will appoint search committee members and a chair of the search committee. The composition of the committee will represent the diversity of CMU’s institutional culture and advance the university’s commitment to the principles of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. Committee membership will be approved by the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity (OCRIE).

Once all committee members have accepted the appointment to serve on the search committee, the Division Head/President will work with University Communications to announce the search, including committee members.

The search committee chair will be expected to work closely with the supervisor throughout the recruitment and selection process. The search committee chair will work with the supervisor to determine a timeline to ensure that the search is carried out in a timely, orderly, and professional manner.

Human Resources or its designee will assist in the search process and act as an ex officio search committee member for all Senior Officer searches. Human Resources or its designee will contact OCRIE at the beginning of the process to schedule training as part of the first meeting with the search committee.

Each committee member should play a major role in the recruitment, interviewing, screening, and evaluation of applicants as outlined in the Search Committee Charge (Attachment A).

To minimize time spent on paperwork and increase the committee’s productivity, a support person may be appointed by the supervisor or the committee chair to provide assistance to the search committee. They will be prepared to assist with meeting arrangements and committee activities which should ease the burden on the search committee chair and assure that all required contacts are made with applicants.

For consistency and efficiency, the search committee chair, Human Resources, or the search firm should handle all inquiries regarding the search including any applicant or potential applicant’s written or verbal request for information about the search process or timelines. In consultation with University Communications, the search committee chair should also handle any inquiries from the news media.

If it is determined that the electronic employment application system is not going to be used to collect applications because a search firm is being used, a job posting will still be placed on CMU’s job website by Human Resources.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Division Head/President to whom the vacant Senior Officer position reports approves the job description, although the search committee may be requested to provide input. The search committee and/or search firm will use the job description as the basis for developing the advertisement; therefore, the final job description will be forwarded to the Executive Director/Civil Rights and Institutional Equity for approval before the position is advertised or otherwise announced. All Senior Officer job descriptions and advertisements must include as a minimum qualification “demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” which will be evaluated during the interview process. In addition, the standard statement outlining leadership expectations will be added to every senior officer job description.

ADVERTISING

Human Resources will assist the search committee/firm with the development of the advertisement, using the approved job description as the basis for the advertisement. Senior Officer positions are advertised nationally unless an internal search has been approved.

The advertisement may include the title of the position, a description of the major responsibilities, minimum required qualifications and any desired qualifications, application deadline date, where to apply, and the approved AA/EO statement. In addition, a standardized statement describing CMU has been developed for advertisement and may be used to promote uniformity, consistency, and accuracy in describing the university. Use of this statement is highly recommended when advertising position vacancies externally. In the interest of conserving finances, a condensed ad may be placed; however, it must include at least a brief description of the job, the approved, shortened AA/EO statement, and refer to the CMU website for the full-text version of the vacancy notice.

Human Resources will ensure that the advertisement is placed on the CMU jobs website (jobs.cmich.edu), which will be the only announcement for internal postings and will also assist in placing advertisements in external resources, including sources that focus on diverse populations. After University Communications has announced a Senior Officer search to campus, they will include the posting on a university webpage that provides a list of all active Senior Officer searches.

RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is not a passive activity. In conjunction with the supervisor, the search committee chair must develop a recruitment plan that will result in attracting an applicant pool that meets the university’s affirmative action goals. Supervisors and search committee members have an obligation to actively participate in the recruitment process and assist in identifying a diverse pool of candidates. The rest of this section does not apply to internal searches.

A good faith effort must be made to utilize a wide variety of sources in soliciting applications from a diverse applicant pool. Human Resources is responsible for advising units with respect to appropriate sources and techniques that constitute a good faith effort to attract qualified minorities, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and others from under-represented groups as referenced in the Search Committee Charge.

Advertising may not always be effective in attracting a mix of qualified applicants. Therefore, the search committee is encouraged to use other recruitment methods aggressively, such as, making personal contacts and sending vacancy notices to various universities, businesses, organizations, professional associations, alumni groups, listservs, and trade journals.

Human Resources will share market data and a recommended salary range to the President for approval towards the beginning of the recruitment process.

RECEIPT OF RESUME/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT LETTERS

Once an applicant completes the application process, a confirmation number will be electronically generated, acknowledging receipt of their materials. In accordance with affirmative action guidelines, a voluntary self- identification form is available as part of the electronic process. If a search firm is used and CMU’s electronic system is not used to gather applications, Human Resources will provide the search firm with a link to CMU’s voluntary self-identification form that must be shared with all applicants.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Confidentiality of the names of applicants and information gathered about them and their employing institutions is necessary to attract high quality candidates, to avoid putting their current employment in jeopardy, and to protect CMU’s integrity. Anonymity is extremely important until the finalist(s) are identified and come to campus to meet with representative members of the university community. Search committee members will be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and will be expected to conduct meetings and deliberations consistent with this commitment (Attachment B). Confidentiality should also be maintained even after a position is filled. Discussions or comments about applicants or the search process with individuals outside of the search committee are not appropriate.

SCREENING QUALIFICATIONS

Using the approved job description, the search committee/firm will assess every applicant’s qualifications and assure that all applicants are evaluated using the same criteria. The screening of applicants should eliminate from further consideration those applicants who do not meet the minimum qualifications set forth in the advertisement. The electronic system allows the use of required questions that assists with screening applicants who do not meet the minimum qualifications. After the review and approval of the Executive Director/Civil Rights and Institutional Equity, search committees may choose to conduct video or off-campus interviews with applicants in order to assist in the screening process.

Some committees may also check listed references to narrow the pool of candidates. As a professional courtesy, the search committee should inform candidates prior to checking references. At this point, reference checks should be limited to references supplied by the candidate. The search committee should honor requests to refrain from contacting particular references until the candidate reaches the finalist stage.

INITIAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Prior to conducting the initial interview, the search committee chair will formulate interview questions in conjunction with Human Resources, which may include the input of the search committee and the supervisor. All candidates will be asked a standard question about CMU’s Leadership Standards and how they have demonstrated their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Information gathered will include verification of circumstances under which a candidate was ever terminated or asked to resign from a position. The search committee chair will ensure that interview questions are specifically job related in order to gather pertinent information. The interview questions must be presented to the Executive Director/Civil Rights and Institutional Equity for approval prior to conducting interviews.

If using a search firm, the Executive Director/Civil Rights and Institutional Equity will need to approve questions used to pre-screen applicants. The search firm representative will present and discuss applicants who are recommended for candidate status. Search committee members may recommend other applicants for further consideration.

INITIAL INTERVIEW APPROVAL

Prior to the initial interviews, Human Resources or designee must update the electronic hiring system to accurately reflect the status of each applicant and obtain the approval of the Executive Director/Civil Rights and Institutional Equity. The Executive Director/Civil Rights and Institutional Equity will notify Human Resources of the approval status. Once approval is received, the committee can begin making arrangements for interviews.

OFF-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS (INCLUDING VIDEO INTERVIEWS)

Interviews conducted off campus may be used to assist the search committee in determining the finalist(s) to invite for on-campus interviews. The search committee may instead choose to conduct video interviews to assist in identifying the finalist(s). Video interviews should not be recorded. This paragraph does not apply to internal searches.

WESTLAW AND INTERNET SEARCHES

Before finalist(s) are invited to campus:

1. Human Resources or designee will work with Library staff to conduct a WESTLAW search. WESTLAW provides authoritative legal, news, public records, and business information online.

Any information resulting from the above searches will not be used to automatically disqualify any candidate. Information will be discussed with the appropriate candidate and evaluated in connection with the responsibilities of the position. The search committee chair must be confident that a good-faith effort is made to collect all appropriate information from relevant sources (within legal guidelines).

ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS

Finalist(s) will be invited to campus for interviews with the search committee, representative members of the university community, the supervisor and the President. The search committee chair should work with University Communications to release the names of finalist(s) to the campus community prior to on-campus interviews. However, the President may decide to forego open forums and not release the names of the finalists to protect the privacy of the candidates.

It is the responsibility of the search committee chair to establish, in conjunction with the supervisor, a schedule of campus meetings. All time spent with a finalist(s) is considered part of the interview process including social functions and meals. The search committee chair should caution everyone who meets with the finalist(s) in a business or social context to avoid asking personal questions that are not job related. Questions related to areas such as race, gender, religion, age, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, and marital status are non-job related and are not allowed when interviewing candidates for positions. For more information, see Pre-Employment Inquiry Guide.

If open forums are held, faculty, staff and students should be encouraged to attend the forums. A member of the search committee must be present at all meetings to ensure that no inappropriate questions are asked of the finalist(s). Open forums may be live-streamed; however, they should not be recorded.

The finalist(s) may have lunch or dinner with the President and/or search committee to provide less formal interaction. For positions that report to the President, all finalists will be scheduled to meet with the President’s direct reports. This paragraph may not apply to internal searches.

TENURE

Where academic tenure might be included in the offer of employment, the supervisor must first inform the Provost/Executive Vice President and Faculty Personnel Service (FPS) to ensure that tenure is appropriate for the position.

Once a finalist is determined and a conditional offer is made and accepted, the finalist’s CV must be shared with FPS for analysis of where a grant of tenure would be appropriate. FPS will then work with the appropriate Dean to arrange a faculty review of the CV to determine if the faculty have any objection to the grant of tenure within that department. FPS will notify HR and the Provost’s office, identifying the department that should be memorialized in the appointment letter. Where possible, the departmental review and indication of support will be completed before a final appointment letter is issued.

REFERENCE CHECKS ON THE FINALIST(S)

As a professional courtesy, Human Resources or designee will inform finalist(s) prior to checking references. Reference checks are only required on the selected finalist, but the search committee or search firm may use them to assist in determining the best qualified candidates. Human Resources should honor requests to refrain from contacting particular references until the candidate reaches the finalist stage. If a finalist refuses to allow contact with a potential reference that the committee deems important, the finalist should be informed that this refusal limits the committee’s ability to complete its evaluation and that the finalist may not receive full consideration.

The search firm, search committee chair and/or supervisor of the position are encouraged to check “off-the-list” references on the finalists to assist in making the hiring decision; in addition, an attempt must be made to contact the selected finalist’s current supervisor. The search committee chair will remain accountable for responsibilities delegated to other members of the search committee.

SELECTION APPROVAL AND CRIMINAL/FINANCIAL CHECK (PRIOR TO A JOB OFFER)

Prior to any job offer, Human Resources will work with the supervisor to document a rationale for the selection of the recommended hire and a reason why each of the other finalists were not selected. Responsibility and authority to select and appoint Senior Officers resides with the President; therefore, the supervisor will affirm in the justification document that the President approves the hire prior to making a contingent job offer. For Associate Dean positions, the president delegates the hiring decision to the Provost/Executive Vice President; however, the appointment letter will still be issued from the president. The justification must be electronically forwarded to the Executive Director/Civil Rights and Institutional Equity or designee for approval. Once Human Resources receives the approval from the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity, they will notify the supervisor that the recommended hire has been approved.

The Division Head/President must consult with Human Resources regarding the terms and conditions of employment. Human Resources or the search firm will conduct a state and national criminal history check and a national sex offenders check on the selected finalist, in accordance with current policy. For selected Senior Officer positions, a financial background check may also be necessary after obtaining consent of the selected finalist.

Information obtained from background checks will be shared with the Division Head and with the President as appropriate. Any information of concern will be discussed with the President or his/her designee before a final offer of employment is made.

SALARY AND BENEFITS (PRIOR TO A JOB OFFER)

Human Resources will assist in determining an appropriate salary for the selected finalist. Consideration will be given to the candidate’s education and overall relevant experience, current applicable external market data, and the experience and salary of internal employees in comparable positions. The final salary for Senior Officers must be approved by the President prior to any offer of employment.

A summary of Senior Officer benefits can be found at Senior Officers. Benefits are standard and no one has the authority to offer benefits outside of those outlined in the Senior Officer Handbook. For the full terms of employment, refer to the Senior Officer Handbook at https://cdn.cmich.edu/sitefinity/documents/senior-officer-handbook.pdf

OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT

Once the hiring justification has been approved by the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity, the supervisor may extend a contingent offer of employment. This will permit direct conversation about important topics such as initial salary, start date, benefits, moving expenses, house hunting expenses, at-will status, information about the community, and all other terms/conditions of employment. The offer of employment will remain contingent until successfully passing the background check(s) and affirming the required degree, even when a search firm has been utilized.

The amount of reimbursement for moving expenses is negotiable up to the equivalent of two times the employee’s monthly wage base, not to exceed $20,000. As an alternative, a signing bonus may be offered that could be used at the employee’s discretion, including moving household belonging to the area. The same maximum applies to the signing bonus. All moving reimbursement and signing bonuses are taxable income for the employee. Any exception to the maximum must be approved in advance by the president.

When the final selection has been approved and an offer is made and accepted, the supervisor will be responsible for an announcement to the search committee, senior officers, and the campus community. The supervisor or designee should work with University Communications regarding the campus announcement. Human Resources will notify the search firm, if applicable.

APPOINTMENT LETTER

Human Resources will generate the official appointment letter, which will be shared with the Division Head and signed by the President, prior to sharing the letter with the new Senior Officer. The appointment letter should be signed by the new Senior Officer accepting the terms and conditions of employment and returned to HR for the personnel file. Human Resources will provide a copy of the appointment letter to the applicable supervisor, and when the appointment is in the Academic Division, also to Faculty Personnel Services. Human Resources is responsible for entering the applicable information into SAP for all Senior Officers.

NOTIFICATION TO UNSUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES 

After an offer of employment has been accepted, Human Resources, the Division Head or the search firm will personally contact those who were interviewed, but not selected. It is recommended that the system generated notifications be used to notify applicants not interviewed that the position has been filled.

RECORD RETENTION AND PERSONNEL FILES 

After the completion of the hiring process, search committee members and the supervisor must forward all interview notes and other search materials to Human Resources. Human Resources will electronically retain the hiring justification and other related search materials. Human Resources also maintains the official personnel file for all Senior Officers.

ORIENTATION

The Associate Vice President of Human Resources will meet with newly appointed Senior Officers for general orientation purposes. The supervisor will provide other appropriate orientation to new Senior Officers.

Central Michigan University reserves the right to make exceptions to, modify or eliminate this policy. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures and directives relative to the subject.