The Search Committee is appointed by the chair after consultation with the faculty, according to departmental procedure, and is approved by the dean. The search committee comprises at least three department faculty and is encouraged to include students, with responsibilities defined by the committee, and members from outside the department, as appropriate. The Search Committee Chair responds to applicants with an acknowledgment letter containing a checklist of received documents, an indication of those yet to be received, and an enclosure of the form and envelope described above. Checklist includes letter of application, curriculum vita, and three original letters of recommendation, one of which is from the current institution of employment. The Search Committee is to review the files in that office or in a designated location on campus.
Applications are confidential information.
When the search committee has completed the initial screening of candidates, all tenure-track faculty will be invited to examine the files of those candidates and to convey their impressions and opinions to the search committee . Faculty are strictly forbidden to contact the candidate or any reference or to discuss a candidate with any individual beyond the faculty within the department. All materials submitted by applicants are to be maintained by the hiring department for three years for reference in case procedural questions arise. The Search Committee Chair calls the candidate to ascertain continued interest in the position and to request permission to call listed references. As a matter of institutional courtesy, no references may be contacted until specific permission is granted by the candidate.