3.2.13 Administrator Selection and Search Policies

I. Policies Governing All Searches

A. Public Announcement

Searches for vacant administrative positions described in this policy, with the exception of a Chairperson/Director of a Department/School (see II.G.), will begin when the President or the President’s designee officially announces to the Academic Senate that such a vacancy has occurred or will occur.

B. Appointment of Acting or Interim Administrators

When an incumbent administrator is temporarily absent, an acting administrator may be appointed after consultation with appropriate constituencies.  For example, the Provost may appoint an acting dean after consultation with the appropriate College Council/Coordinating Team.  The incumbent may resume assigned duties after a leave by following the appropriate University leave policies. 

In the event that an incumbent administrator vacates a position, an interim administrator may be appointed after consultation with appropriate constituencies.  The expected term of the appointment and plans for seeking a permanent replacement must be announced to the campus community.

C. Open Searches versus Internal Searches

To seek the most capable and diverse candidate pool, preference should be given to open searches for candidates that are both external and internal to the University.  However, it is sometimes appropriate to limit searches to internal, campus applicants only. 

In these instances, before a search begins, due consideration and consultation should be given to:

1. the efficacy and need for an internal search, including whether existing local expertise and/or administrative continuity is preferable to newer, fresh approaches; and
2. whether an open, internal, or a targeted (see Sec. I.F.) search is appropriate in a specific case.

In order to satisfy requirements (1) and (2) above, the appointing officer – President, Provost or others - must make an effort to consult all constituencies, whether directly or indirectly affected by the search, about the efficacy of an internal versus an open search, the appropriateness of a targeted internal search versus an open internal search, and the qualifications and merit of candidates being considered for a position.  The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access should also be consulted.

D. Responsibilities of All Shared Governance Groups and Appointing Officials

As is described in Section II of this policy, the responsibility to form search committees is held jointly by shared governance groups and the University officials formally responsible for selecting the person(s) to be appointed.  Both the shared governance groups and the appointing officer have a positive obligation to ensure the search committee has the broadest possible representation of unit diversity.

E. Responsibilities of All Search Committees

1. It is the responsibility of the search committee to work closely with and to advise the appointing officer as to whom the appointing officer should recommend for the position being searched. To this end, whether it is an open or internal search, the committee will actively seek highly-qualified applicants and will ordinarily recommend to the appointing officer at least three candidates for the position.
2. Search committee members shall make themselves aware of, and follow, University and Board of Trustees policies regarding affirmative action. To fulfill this responsibility, the committee will receive official search committee training from Human Resources.
3. Prior to making its recommendations to the appointing officer, the committee will:
1. arrange for each finalist candidate (those selected for on-campus interviews) to be interviewed by relevant groups and constituencies, such as college councils; deans and vice presidents; chairpersons and directors; the faculty status committee of the Department/School in which a candidate might, if appointed, hold rank; members of governance units such as the Academic Senate; personnel from the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access; faculty, staff and students; the members of the search committee; the Provost; the President; when appropriate, members of the ISU Foundation Board of Directors and members of the ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors; and any other group or person the appointing officer specifies;
2. provide each of the persons or groups interviewing a candidate with the names of all finalists for the position. The credentials of finalist candidates will be open to inspection by any of these persons. This may be done in writing or on search-related websites, or through other means;
3. solicit the views of those individuals and groups who met with the candidates during the campus interview process;
4. provide those persons and groups interviewing a candidate with a feedback form, prepared by the committee, for evaluating each of the candidates; and
5. set a reasonable deadline for receiving the forms and comments, prior to the time the committee meets for purpose of producing a final committee report.
4. When the appointing officer and the search committee have agreed that there are no additional candidates whom they desire to interview on campus and the committee has completed its final committee report of its list of candidates, the committee will meet with the appointing officer to discuss their recommendations, including the reactions of campus constituencies to each of the candidates that it recommends.

F. Targeted Searches

In most cases, preference should be given to open search or an internal search.  However, there may be instances where the President has identified an individual that is particularly well-suited for a high-level position where a targeted search is warranted.  In these cases and in the interest of shared governance, inclusion, and diversity, the candidate should be presented to the appropriate campus community as a nominee.  The nominee should hold a public forum and/or meetings with the appropriate constituencies with an opportunity for questions.  A period is then allowed for community comments to be submitted to the President before the decision for appointment is completed.

G. Procedures for all Search Committees

1. Immediately upon being formed and charged with its task by the appointing officer, the committee will elect from among its members a vice chairperson. The sole function of the vice chairperson will be to take over the chairperson's duties if and when the chairperson resigns or becomes unable to serve on the committee.
2. If meetings of the appropriate constituencies—faculty or staff—are necessary for purposes relating to the search, the chairperson of the search committee or the chairperson’s designee shall call and preside over all such meetings.
3. The appointing officer shall be informed in advance of all meetings of the search committee.  The appointing officer may attend these meetings, but may not vote on any matters before the committee.
4. Any person that has agreed to serve as a member of a search committee may not become a candidate for the searched position.  In the event that the committee is dissolved and a new search for the same position occurs, members of the previous search committee may then put their names as candidates.
5. If a member of the committee resigns, another representative of the same constituency will be appointed.

H. Search Completion and Final Appointment

1. The appointing officer may reject all candidates recommended by the search committee, in which case the appointing officer will either instruct the committee to resume its search for satisfactory candidates or may dissolve the committee and call for the creation of a new search in accordance with these policies.
2. In the specific case of searches for Department/School Chairperson/Director (see II.G.), when the search committee has submitted a report that is acceptable to the College Dean, the Dean of the College shall convey the report and indication of a preferred candidate to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.  The Provost, after consultation with the College Dean, shall make the final selection. The Provost may reject all candidates recommended by the College Dean and the search committee. In such a case, the Dean of the College shall either instruct the committee to continue its search or dissolve the committee and call for the creation of a new search in accordance with established procedures as outlined in II.G.
3. In all other searches covered by this policy, the President or the President’s designee shall make the final selection and inform the search committee of the candidate chosen. The Academic Senate (or other appropriate groups—e.g., College Council/ Coordinating Team or Graduate Council) shall be informed of the name of the person hired when the time is appropriate to do so.

J. Changes in Procedure

Modifications or interpretations of these procedures for specific, individual searches must be approved by the Academic Senate Executive Committee upon recommendation of the President or the Provost prior to the initiation of the search. Once procedures have been initiated for a specific search, they cannot be modified.

II. Search Committee Composition

A. All Committees

Tenured/tenure track (T/TT) faculty seats on search committees listed in this policy may not be held by individuals that have appointments as administrative personnel (e.g. Vice Presidents, Associate Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents, College Deans, Associate Deans Department Chairpersons, School Directors, or University Counsel).

B. Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

The search committee to screen candidates for Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost will be formed when the President, in consultation with the appropriate shared governance body, appoints:

• a T/TT faculty member elected from each college;
• a non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty member elected by the NTT faculty;
• three students, from a list of twelve names provided by the Student Government Association;
• a civil service employee (CS) from a list of five CS employees working within Academic Affairs provided by the CS Council;
• an Administrative/Professional (AP) employee from a list of five AP employees working within Academic Affairs provided by the AP Council;
• a dean or former dean;
• an administrator selected by the President to serve as secretary of the committee; and
• a chairperson selected from the Panel of Ten.

C. Vice President for Student Affairs

The search committee to screen candidates for Vice President for Student Affairs will be formed when the President, in consultation with the appropriate shared governance body, appoints:

• three T/TT faculty members from a list of six names provided by the Faculty Caucus of the Academic Senate;
• an NTT faculty member from a list of three names elected by the NTT faculty;
• five students from a list of sixteen names provided by the Student Government Association;
• a CS employee from a list of five CS employees working within Student Affairs provided by the CS Council;
• an AP employee from a list of five AP employees working within Student Affairs provided by the AP Council;
• an administrator selected by the President to serve as secretary to the committee; and
• a chairperson selected from the Panel of Ten.

D. Vice President for Finance and Planning

The search committee to screen candidates for the Vice President for Finance and Planning will be formed when the President, in consultation with the appropriate shared governance body, appoints:

• three T/TT faculty members from a list of six names provided by the Faculty Caucus of the Academic Senate;
• an NTT faculty from a list of three names elected by the NTT faculty;
• two students from a list of ten names provided by the Student Government Association;
• a CS employee from a list of five CS employees working within Finance and Planning provided by the CS Council;
• an AP employee from a list of five AP employees working within Finance and Planning provided by the AP Council
• an administrator selected by the President to serve as secretary to the committee; and
• a chairperson selected from the Panel of Ten.

E. Vice President for University Advancement

The search committee to screen candidates for Vice President for University Advancement will be formed when the President, in consultation with the appropriate shared governance body, appoints:

• two T/TT faculty members from a list of four names provided by the Faculty Caucus of the Academic Senate;
• an NTT faculty member from a list of three names elected by the NTT faculty;
• two students from a list of ten names provided by the Student Government Association;
• a CS employee from a list of five CS employees working within University Advancement provided by the CS Council;
• an AP employee from a list of five AP employees working within University Advancement provided by the AP Council;
• an administrator selected by the President to serve as secretary to the committee
• a chairperson selected from the Panel of Ten;
• a member of the Illinois State University Foundation Board of Directors after consulting with the Foundation Board of Directors; and
• a member of the Illinois State University Alumni Association Board of Directors after consulting with the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

F. College Deans

The search committee to screen candidates for a college dean position will be formed when the Provost, in consultation with the appropriate shared governance body, appoints:

• four T/TT faculty holding appointments within the college elected by the appropriate college;
• an NTT faculty member holding appointment within the college and elected by the NTT faculty of that same college;
• a civil service staff member from the same college chosen from a list of four names provided by the CS Council;
• an AP staff member from the same college chosen from a list of four names provided by the AP Council;
• two students majoring in programs within the college chosen from a list of up to ten provided jointly by the appropriate College Council and Student Government Association;
• an administrator selected by the Provost to serve as secretary;
• a chairperson selected from the Panel of Ten;
• a current or former department chairperson or school director from the same college; and
• two T/TT faculty-at-large who may or may not be from the college for which dean candidates are being screened.

G. Department/School Chairperson/Director

Searches for vacant department chairperson or school directors will begin when the Provost or Provost’s designee announces to the appropriate College Council/Coordinating Team that such a position is vacant or will become vacant at a specific date. The organization of such committees and their responsibilities shall be established by each College Council/Coordinating Team, and the search procedures shall be carried out by the Dean of the College in accordance with College rules.

Search committees should whenever possible have representation from constituencies including probationary and tenured faculty, NTT faculty, students, Administrative/Professional staff members and Civil Service employees. The final appointment of a Department/School Chairperson/Director is the responsibility of the Provost.

H. Director of the Graduate School

The search committee to screen candidates for the Director of the Graduate School position will be formed when the Provost or the Provost’s designee, in consultation with the appropriate shared governance body, appoints:

• a chairperson selected from the Panel of Ten;
• a department chairperson or school director from a different area (see list below) than the committee chairperson to serve as secretary
• six T/TT faculty elected by the Graduate Council and confirmed by the Faculty Caucus of the Academic Senate from the areas that remain in the following list and that are not already represented by the chairperson and the secretary:
• College of Applied Science and Technology
• College of Arts and Sciences—Humanities
• College of Arts and Sciences—Social Sciences
• College of Arts and Sciences—Sciences
• College of Business
• College of Education
• College of Fine Arts
• Mennonite College of Nursing

• an AP or CS employee from the Graduate School or who supports a graduate program on campus from a list of three names of CS employees  provided by the CS Council and a list of three names of AP employees  provided by the AP Council;
• two graduate students, preferably one at the master’s level and one at the doctoral level; and
• a third student, who may be an undergraduate.

I. Academic Affairs Administrator 

Searches to fill other academic administrator vacancies, such as those positions that report directly to the Provost and involve curriculum, faculty or staff evaluation or supervision for a number of colleges, may also require the participation of representatives of various constituencies.  Such a search may begin when the President or President's designee informs such a constituency that a vacancy has occurred or will occur. 

The search committee is formed when the President or the President’s designee, in consultation with the appropriate shared governance body, appoints:

• four T/TT faculty members, selected from a list of eight to ten names provided by the Faculty Caucus of the Academic Senate;
• a civil service staff member from a list of four names provided by the CS Council;
• an AP staff member from a list of four names provided by the AP Council;
• one or more students, when the Provost and the Academic Affairs Committee agree that students are an appropriate constituency and agree upon the number of student members;
• at the discretion of the appointing officer, one NTT faculty member
• at the discretion of the appointing officer, one chairperson/school director
• an administrator selected by the appointing officer to serve as secretary; and
• a chairperson selected from the Panel of Ten.

If in the judgment of the Provost and/or the appropriate shared governance body the numbers above need adjustment, an ad hoc committee structure may be arranged.  For all ad hoc committees, the structure must maintain a minimum of four T/TT faculty, of two staff, and of one student (when the Provost and the Academic Affairs Committee agree that students are an appropriate constituency), in addition to the committee secretary and chairperson chosen from the Panel of Ten.