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Post Info TOPIC: faculty search question
manova

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faculty search question
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I have a non-USM question related to faculty searches.


In my department, we have an individual who has a 2 yr/non-tenure track position.  We have permission from the provost's office to make this a tenure track position.  Here is my question.  The provost office would like us to conduct another national search to fill this slot.  Normally, we would not object to this, but we unanimously agree that we would like to keep this individual.  His research is excellent, the students respond well to his teaching, and he is just all around a nice person to have in the department.  Our senior member of the department feels that it would be unethical for us to bring in others for a job when we already know who we want to hire.  Our chair feels that since we did a national search for the 2yr position, that another search is unnecessary, but the provost's office feels that you would have a different applicant pool for a tenure track position.


What do you think, is it right to interview people and give them false hope when we already have a candidate that we want...or, for the sake of legitimacy, do we need to conduct another national search?


This is not a thinly disguised situation at USM.  I feel that this forum is a unique place to solicit opinions from a diverse set of academics.



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Cossack

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It is a waste of resources to engage in a pretend search. You have a win win situation. You have a known quantity that meets the department's expectations. The only reason to search would be if there was an issue with salary and your visitor turns down the offer. This is an example of upper level administration wasting departmental time and resources. Is the recommendation to search coming from the EEOC folks or the provost office?

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Crusty Old Bird

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Your provost is right. Be glad that you have someone who knows how to handle searches in an open and fair manner. If the person on the two year really is the best possible candidate, that will be revealed by your search. What would be unethical is not giving the candidates who visit a real chance at getting the job. Keep an open mind and hire the best candidate. If that turns out to be the internal candidate, he/she will have proved their merit and their value to the department wiil be enhanced.

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manova

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Cossack, you must be a chair because you sound exactly like ours .  As for where is came from, our chair only said the provost's office, but there could be details left out.


Crusty, I tend to agree with you, but I was in the minority during our meeting.



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Take the visiting candidate to lunch. I'm tied up.

Date:
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Cossack wrote:

It is a waste of resources to engage in a pretend search.
You better bet your bippy it is a waste of time. Some might even think it's unethical or immoral to waste another applicant's time when you know full well that the incument is the one that will get the nod.

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Cossack

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Cossack, you must be a chair because you sound exactly like ours . As for where is came from, our chair only said the provost's office, but there could be details left out.

Please do not confuse me with a chair, that really hurt my feelings. At a time when departments are strapped for resources, it is not a good use of those scarce resources to engage in searches that are unnecessary. It costs to advertise, it costs to bring two or three candidates to campus, and it uses up faculty time and energy. Another issue to consider is that you have an asymmetric information situation. You have much more information about the candidate you have observed as a visitor than you will have about the de novo candidate. Your downside risk is much greater with the denovo candidate and your upside cannot be that great if you are satisfied with your current visitor.

If you think you have an ethics issue if you search and do not tell the candidates up front that it is a long shot that they will be selected, then search and tell them. Of course you will not get many good candidates because they will not want to waste their time.

You can determine if the Provost's office is concerned with fairness, EEOC, etc. by asking them to fund the search. You know they will not come up with the funds; they will want the department to waste their funds. If you have a Ph. D. program, you could borrow the money against the increase in GA money that you will get from COB. (Forgive me, I could not resist the temptation).


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manova

Date:
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Cossack wrote:



Please do not confuse me with a chair, that really hurt my feelings...


You can determine if the Provost's office is concerned with fairness, EEOC, etc. by asking them to fund the search. ...




I was hoping the smiley would let you know that I was just kidding.


We left our meeting today with the same idea.  If the provost really wants a search, he should pay for it.



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Cossack

Date:
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manova,

My comment was in jest.

Since the Provost's office is not likely to cough up the money, your conundrum is resolved


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