Faculty Recruitment and Appointment
1. Kent Campus Tenure-track Faculty
a. Criteria for Appointment
The regular full-time academic ranks include Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor. The Faculty Advisory Committee of the Department should be consulted by the Chair prior to determining the appropriate rank for a potential new faculty member. The following represent minimum qualifications for employment pertaining to each academic rank:
1. Instructor
To be appointed as an Instructor, a candidate must have at least a Master’s degree with recent relevant academic or professional experience in the appropriate discipline. In exceptional cases, an individual not having the required degree or not having the required degree in a field relating to the Department assignment, but who has outstanding experience in a field, may be considered for a faculty appointment.
2. Assistant/Associate/Professor
a. For appointment to the rank of Assistant Professor, a candidate must minimally possess the terminal degree required in the field.
b. For appointment to the ranks of Associate Professor and Professor, the candidate must possess the terminal degree in the appropriate field and meet the criteria for each rank as specified in Section III on Promotion in this Handbook.
In exceptional cases, an individual not having the required degree or not having the required degree in a field relating to the Department assignment, but who has outstanding experience in a field, may be considered for a faculty appointment.
b. Recruitment Process
The Department of Finance supports equal opportunity and affirmative action in its recruiting efforts. Full-time, tenure-track faculty positions are advertised nationally. A Department Search Committee, consisting of all Faculty shall be constituted by the Chair. The Search Committee shall be chaired by the Department Chair, or Chair designate, who serves as a non-voting, ex-officio member. The Search Committee evaluates applicants for full-time faculty positions, and then recommends candidates to the Department Chair for interviews. The Chair may conduct a series of screening interviews, usually at professional meetings. Following preliminary review of candidate files and screening interviews, the Search Committee will recommend several candidates to the Chair to be invited to visit the campus for in-depth interviews. When the interview process is complete, the Department Faculty votes on the acceptability of the candidates and on the rank-ordered preference of candidates found to be acceptable. This vote is advisory to the Chair who must ultimately recommend any appointment to the Dean of the College.
2. Full-time, Non-Tenure-track Faculty
a. Criteria for Appointment
Normally, the requirements for appointment to any rank in this category are the same as for tenure-track positions outlined above. The Faculty Advisory Committee of the Department should be consulted by the Chair prior to determining the appropriate rank for a potential new faculty member. In exceptional cases, an individual not having the required degree or not having the required degree in a field relating to the Department assignment, but who has outstanding experience in a field, may be considered for a faculty appointment.
In cases where new candidates have been hired for tenure-track positions but have failed to meet the minimal requirements, these candidates may be appointed as non-tenure-track faculty.
b. Recruitment Process
In recruiting for a full-time, non-tenure-track faculty position, the Department Chair, in consultation with the Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC), shall institute such procedures and processes for recruitment as may be deemed appropriate, on a case-by-case basis.
3. Part-time, Non-tenure-track Faculty
a. Criteria for Appointment
It is the Department Chair’s responsibility to recruit and select part-time faculty. In the event of a vacancy to be filled by a temporary part-time appointment, the Chair seeks to meet the need by offering the position to a qualified person chosen from an established pool of applicants maintained for this purpose.
b. Recruitment Process
Applications for part-time pool positions are solicited once each year through advertising as required by the University. Minimum qualification requires that the applicant hold a Master’s degree or the equivalent, and demonstrate recent relevant academic or professional experience in the discipline in which he/she is required to teach. Normally, for the initial employment of a part-time faculty member, the Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) shall review candidates and make recommendations to the Chair prior to initial hiring and inclusion in the pool.
4. Regional Campus Faculty
a. Criteria for Appointment
The criteria for appointment to a full-time tenure-track, full-time non-tenure-track, and part-time non-tenure-track position are identical to those outlined above for Kent faculty.
b. Recruitment Process
1. Advertisement must be approved prior to placement by the Department Chair, in consultation with the FAC.
2. A Departmental representative will be selected by the Department Chair in consultation with the FAC to serve on the search committee at the regional campus.
3. After the search committee reviews applicant files and selects those they wish to consider further, those applicant files which are to receive further consideration are sent to the Department Chair for approval/disapproval screening by the FAC. Applicants not approved receive no further consideration.
4. As part of the interview schedule, candidates will be interviewed at the Kent Campus by members of the FAC.
5. After the campus visits by all the candidates, the Department Chair, in consultation with the FAC, will report to the search committee which of the candidates are acceptable and which are unacceptable. The FAC may rank order acceptable candidates if they wish. As stipulated as part of the Faculty Position Application and Interview Process in “Guidelines for Academic Search Committees,” СƬƵ, Regional Campuses, the Regional Campus Dean will confer with the Department Chair. The FAC will not approve rank in the Department of Finance for a candidate the FAC finds unacceptable.