Describes the process to be used for recruiting the best faculty by ensuring a large and diverse pool of qualified candidates.

The following requirements must be fulfilled before an academic appointment recommendation in the Professor series or equivalent ranks is submitted to Academic Personnel. For other series, use these requirements as a general guide, modifying them as appropriate for the series. Since the pool of candidates for almost all academic positions is a national pool, national advertising is appropriate in almost all cases.

A. Budgeted Provision (FTE)

Before recruiting can be authorized for a member of the Professor series, Supervisor of Physical Education series, Lecturer with Security of Employment series, the availability of a budgeted FTE position must be verified by the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor.

B. Description of Need

The academic unit must present a careful case concerning the type of appointment to be made, and this must be reviewed by the Academic Planning Council and approved by the Executive Vice Chancellor before recruiting can begin. The filling of a position cannot occur except in the context of academic planning. The description should discuss the need for an appointee in a particular discipline or sub-discipline, at a particular level. It should also discuss the relationship of this proposed appointment to the long-range goals of the unit and other related units, and should try to evaluate the impact of the appointment on various resources. Particular attention should be paid to the impact of the appointment on library resources. In addition, the estimated magnitude of initial set-up costs and of space and equipment needs should be considered carefully. The description of the need will be evaluated in light of the planning goals of the academic unit, the relationship between this unit and others, the need for such an appointee in terms of workload, anticipated growth in workload in the future, the tenure/non-tenure ratio of the unit, and the affirmative action goals of the unit. The description should also indicate that the faculty played a role in its development.

C. Advertising

The description of need forms the basis for the advertisement. All Professor series appointments must be advertised nationally in suitable academic or professional publications. Advertisements must be run for a reasonable amount of time (minimum of 30 days) to ensure wide dissemination. For example, if advertising is in journals which appear monthly, then the advertisement might appropriately be placed for two months; if it is in journals which appear quarterly, then one issue is sufficient. For weekly publications, the advertisement should be run for three weeks. Shorter periods of advertising are acceptable for non-ladder ranks positions (i.e., one-year temporary appointments). Any closing date for applications must allow a reasonable amount of time (normally one month) following the appearance of the advertisement for the majority of interested candidates to apply.

All advertisements for ladder rank and Sr/LPSOE/SOE positions must be submitted through AP Recruit to the Vice Provost for Academic Personnel for approval prior to publication. They must be consistent with the position as released and as described in the “description of need.”

Advertisements should contain the following: Department name, position level, teaching duties (if pertinent), preferred research area, necessary qualifications and experience, AP Recruit job number/link, and the EEO statement. A sample advertisement might read as follows:

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE

Position for an Assistant Professor* in the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology. Duties involve undergraduate and graduate teaching in vertebrate embryology and developmental biology. Research area preferred: vertebrate developmental biology with a focus that complements the interests of the existing faculty.** Applicants must possess Ph.D. or M.D. Postdoctoral training is preferred. To apply, upload curriculum vitae, statement of contributions to diversity, and names of three references at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF0XXXX.  Applications received by February 1, 2017 will receive full consideration.  The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

Copies of the published advertisement must also accompany all Search Reports.

*Academic title and rank should be stated wherever possible… If proceeding with an “open rank” search, Departments must provide appropriate rationale in the “Planned Search and Recruitment Efforts”.  The rationale must include outreach efforts to promote a diverse applicant pool.  They should also explain in the “Selection Plan” section how they will distinguish and evaluate candidates between different ranks (how will they review the candidates?).   Recent Ph.D.’s should never be compared to more senior academics in terms of the amount of work accomplished in cases where recruitment is open for Assistant or Associate Professors. Where a position is advertised at a given level, it should be filled at that level. If an appointment at a different level becomes unavoidable, the situation must be discussed at an early stage with the Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and the Affirmative Action Officer to determine whether a new search should be initiated.

**The area of specialty should be stated. If any of a number of areas is acceptable this can be stated, but selection cannot subsequently be made on the basis of one of these areas being preferred to another.

D. Sexual Misconduct, Harassment, and Discrimination (SMHD) Declaration

Applies to all academic recruitments and search waivers processed in AP Recruit.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence.  All individuals who participate in university programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of all forms of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation.

1. Required Documentation

The Sexual Misconduct, Harassment, and Discrimination (SMHD) Declaration form is, by default, a required document when preparing a search plan in AP Recruit.  Applicants will be asked to complete, sign, and upload the form as part of their application materials.  It is the responsibility of the hiring unit to ensure that all candidates who have met the basic qualifications for the position have submitted the required application materials, including the SMHD Declaration form.  Should it be determined that a blank or incomplete form has been submitted at any point of the recruitment process, the hiring department and the candidate will need to engage in good faith efforts to rectify this error prior to the recruitment reaching its finalist(s) identification stage.

NOTE: Recruit Analysts will need to ensure the SMHD Declaration form is marked as a required document in AP Recruit. There are no instances in which the form is optional. A blank or incomplete upload of the form is not acceptable and deems the application incomplete. Applicants will need to be told to return to their application to upload a complete form for further consideration.

2. Search Waivers

The Sexual Misconduct, Harassment, and Discrimination (SMHD) Declaration form is also required from selected finalists of academic recruitments processed via a qualifying search waiver.  It is the responsibility of the hiring unit to provide an electronic copy of the SMHD Declaration form to the finalist and upload the completed form to the documentation tab of the search waiver in AP Recruit, prior to routing the search waiver for approval.

Review – Search Waiver Guidelines

3. Identifying a Finalist

Once a finalist of an academic recruitment or search waiver has been identified, it is the responsibility of the hiring unit to perform a preliminary review of the responses provided on the SMHD Declaration form.  If any of the form questions were responded to affirmatively, the hiring unit must contact the Office of Academic Personnel prior to providing a tentative or formal offer of appointment.  The AP, together with key campus partners, including the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (OEOD), will review each case independently and respond to the unit on how to best proceed.  It is essential that the hiring unit refrain from performing any inquisitive or investigatory efforts on behalf of the University, with either the candidate or past employers, as it interferes with internal campus procedures that are in place to address affirmative declarations prior to academic hiring.

NOTE: If there are affirmative responses on the SMHD Declaration form, please contact acadpers@uci.edu and provide the AP Recruit JPF number (or Search Waiver number) and a copy of the application bundle that contains the SMHD Declaration form.  Any changes to recruitment outcomes should also be communicated to AP once this process has been initiated.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  1. Does UCI still have an Institutional Reference Check Program?

    In AY 2021-22, UCI completed a two-year pilot of a campus-wide, institutional reference check program, conducted centrally by AP for finalists of Ladder-Rank Professor and Professor of Teaching series searches (all ranks). Applications submitted in AP Recruit included an Authorization to Release Information Form, which authorized the University to conduct an inquiry across previous institutions for instances of professional misconduct.

    In AY 2022-23, UCI permanently established the institutional reference check program using the original parameters of its pilot period. However, the program also underwent a significant evaluation process in collaboration with multiple campus partners and leadership to ensure UCI was further strengthening its commitment to the AAU’s Principles on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Academia via this program.

    On May 1, 2023, the program underwent the following changes:
    • Standardized language that describes the Institutional Reference Check policy was removed as a requirement from AP Recruit job ad descriptions.    
    • The Authorization to Release Information form was replaced with the Sexual Misconduct, Harassment, and Discrimination (SMHD) Declaration form.  It places the primary responsibility on job-seeking applicants to provide an accurate and honest reporting of past involvement in misconduct across their professional/academic career histories.  The form also authorizes the university to conduct reference check inquiries with previous employers/academic institutions when necessary.
    • The SMHD Declaration form became a required document in all academic searches processed via AP Recruit (including search waivers).  
    • Recruitment finalists with affirmative cases must be reported to AP by the hiring unit prior to issuing a tentative or formal offer of appointment.
    • Central policies and procedures concerning the review of affirmative cases were modified, and now also include relevant campus partners in its review of affirmative cases.

2. Is the review of an SMHD Declaration confidential?

The Office of Academic Personnel respects the confidential nature of any information disclosed. It affirms that all records will be maintained in confidence, subject to applicable personnel and retention policies. The University reserves the right to consult with central campus offices at any point of its review of such cases, including, but not limited to, Campus Counsel, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, and Human Resources.

3. Is a criminal background check included in the review of SMHD Declarations?

The review of affirmative SMHD Declarations does not involve a process for criminal background checks, which are covered by other University policies.

4. How should units proceed if a search does not result in a finalist?

As with all cases in which an effort to recruit a finalist is not successful, the dean, chair, and faculty search committee will decide whether to proceed with another applicant or discontinue the search. If another applicant is advanced as a finalist, the hiring procedures listed in this section continue to apply.

E. Other Recruitment Activities

In addition to national advertising, the following measures should be undertaken to ensure consideration of a large and diverse pool of qualified candidates and to ensure that this pool includes candidates targeted under the campus affirmative action program; i.e., minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and protected veterans.

  1. Consult with the school’s Equity Advisor on planned outreach efforts and schedule training for the search committee on best practices for a non-biased search process.
  2. Faculty members in the department who are planning to attend national meetings should be asked to publicize any vacant positions, and to attempt to locate diverse qualified candidates for consideration.
  3. Letters should be sent to colleagues at other institutions and to professional organizations serving the interests of minorities, persons with disabilities, veterans, etc., soliciting their nominations of candidates. All correspondence about the position should contain the statement: “The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.”
  4. Announcements about vacant positions should be publicized on campus in order that any non-ladder academic appointees will be aware of the openings. This can be accomplished by posting an announcement about the position and/or by circulating an announcement to any academic units where qualified candidates might reasonably exist.
F. Search Committee

It is recommended that an academic unit establish a search committee to receive and review applications. Underrepresented faculty (including women) must be included on search committees. The chair of the academic unit is responsible for ensuring that the search committee is fully informed about, and adheres to, all affirmative action procedures. The search committee should serve the faculty as a whole by evaluating candidates and informing the faculty about certain candidates. Departmental faculty should have access to the search committee’s findings (minutes of all meetings should be kept) and should be able to bring any inadequacy of the search procedure to the committee’s attention. The committee should be responsible for dealing with any such perceived inadequacies in a responsible fashion.

Conflict of Interest Policy for Faculty Searches was drafted by the Office of Academic Personnel and the Council on Academic Personnel with Equity Advisor feedback, May 19, 2020.  It was further endorsed by the Academic Senate Cabinet, June 16, 2020.  This policy is effective July 1, 2020.

G. Pool of Candidates

At the end of the recruiting period and prior to the onset of the selection process, it is important to determine that the pool of candidates contains women and minorities in reasonable proportion to their availability, and that appropriate affirmative action search measures have been taken. Therefore, at this point, the department should run an Applicant Pool report and review with the search committee and Equity Advisor to ascertain whether the selection process can proceed or whether the search needs to be extended.

H. Selection Process

Once a satisfactory pool has been established, the selection process can begin. Only job-related criteria may be used as selection devices. Furthermore, selection should be based on the criteria spelled out in the position description and advertisement. The academic unit is responsible for maintaining the academic quality of the institution by hiring the best qualified candidate. However, it must be recognized that in most cases there is no such thing as only one best qualified person, but a narrow range of best qualified candidates. It is important to give full consideration to the principles of affirmative action in deciding among the “best qualified” candidates. The selection of the final candidate proposed for an appointment should be by the faculty as a whole, based upon the final group of candidates proposed by the search committee. This final group of candidates should contain a diverse group of qualified candidates whenever possible. To limit the impact of implicity bias, it is important to give more than cursory consideration to all applicants. This means carrying consideration beyond the initial contact level. The recommendation concerning the final candidate must in all instances be accompanied by a record of the opinions of the faculty as described in Section APP 1-14, Departmental Voting Procedures. Such a recommendation for appointment may be indicated to the individual concerned, but it must never be represented as an offer of a position.

Documentation requirements for accommodation of applicants who request a reasonable accommodation due to a disability are extensive and differ somewhat from usual search documentation procedures. To ensure that these requirements are met, Human Resources should be consulted whenever accommodation requests are received.

Letters notifying candidates that they were unsuccessful should be very carefully worded. Under no circumstances should any factors which are not related to academic performance be mentioned in such letters. The following tone is usually appropriate:

Dear______________ :

I would like to thank you for your application for the position of ____________ in the Department of ____________, and for your interest in the University of California, Irvine.

The Search Committee for this position has received and reviewed a very large number of applications from highly qualified individuals. Although a final decision has not yet been reached, the Search Committee has completed the difficult task of selecting a short list of candidates whose qualifications most closely match our needs at this time. I regret to inform you that you are not among this small group of final candidates.

I hope you will accept my best wishes for your success in finding a suitable position.

I. Search Activities Statement

Each appointment dossier must have a corresponding Shortlist and Search report in AP Recruit The information in AP Recruit should accurately describe the search and selection procedures, and it should clearly articulate reasons for the final choice. It is important to state the reasons why the other ranked finalists were not chosen. Approval of Search Report will be given if they demonstrate the following:

  1. Advertising was carried out in appropriate publications for appropriate lengths of time;
  2. The Affirmative Action Officer certified that the pool of candidates considered was reasonably representative of available persons;
  3. A serious effort was made to locate and consider a diverse pool of candidates; and
  4. The final selection is readily understandable from the description of the criteria in the position profile, the advertisement, and the ranking and reasons given for choosing the finalist and for not choosing the other seriously considered candidates.

If appropriate search procedures cannot be demonstrated, an appointment will not be made.

J. Record Retention

Complete records of the search, including applicant files and any search committee reports, must be maintained for a minimum period of three years after the close of recruitment. AP Recruit is the system of record for searches.

K. Transfer to the Professor Series from Another Academic Title at UCI

Transfer into the Professor series from another academic title may be made without following the prescribed affirmative action procedures if the original recruiting procedures made the possibility of such a transfer clear and explicit, and the original recruitment was carried out in conformance with affirmative action procedures. In all other cases, a potential candidate for such a transfer should be regarded as one of many possible candidates for that position, and normal recruiting procedures should be conducted.

L. Search Waivers

Occasionally, an opportunity to hire someone of outstanding ability will occur. It may not be possible to comply with all affirmative action procedures. If this is clearly the case, a waiver to affirmative action procedures may be requested. Such a request may be granted if a strong case can be made that this is a unique and very important opportunity for UCI (e.g., a member of the National Academy, a Nobel Laureate). Care should be exercised in requesting waivers in order that their value does not become eroded by too frequent requests.

M. Aggregate Recruiting

When simultaneous recruiting for several positions occurs, each position should be treated separately. If there are reasons why this cannot reasonably be accomplished, then a statement should be submitted which explains how the selection will be made without bias and without addition of further criteria.

N. Summary of Required Steps
  1. FTE must be available.
  2. The Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor must authorize recruiting for that FTE.
  3.  Advertisement must be approved by the Vice Provost for Academic Personnel.
  4. The Equity Advisor should be contacted when a pool of candidates has been developed and before selection occurs.
  5. Contact Academic Personnel if the proposed candidate has answered affirmatively to the Sexual Misconduct, Harassment, and Discrimination Declaration form, prior to extending a tentative or formal offer of appointment.
  6. Every appointment dossier submitted must have an approved Shortlist and Search report in AP Recruit.