Gertrude J. Fraser
Contact Us
P.O. Box 400308
Booker House
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4308
- Phone:
- 434-924-6865
- Fax:
- 434-982-2920
- Email:
- prov-fa@virginia.edu
Search Committee Support
Your work as search committee members and chairs is a valuable service to the university. Faculty excellence is foundational to organizational excellence and is rooted in the dedicated work of individual search committee members and chairs, and the committee as a whole, to attract the best possible applicant pool.
“It is shocking that we spend so little time or money learning to do [academic searches] well. NO corporation would allow such waste….in the 15 years since…[finishing my Ph.D.] I have spent—are you ready?—not one hour of formal training in the best practices for hiring in academe."
Dettmar, Kevin. 2004. What We Waste When Faculty Hiring Goes Wrong. The Chronicle of Higher Education
We have put together a collection of resources here that we hope will be of use to you in your search. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.
Faculty Search Committee Tutorial
Partnership between the VPFRR and the EOP
The Office of Equal Opportunity Programs (EOP) is separate from, but works closely with, the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Recruitment and Retention (VPFRR) to support search committees. EOP focuses on eliminating discrimination and advancing equal access in all opportunities, programs, and facilities of the University in accordance with applicable federal laws, state laws, and University policy
EOP and the VPFRR share a common mission:
- encouraging the creation of diverse applicant pools
- promoting equitable hiring procedures university-wide
- conducting search committee training.
- required for all members of search committees seeking to fill any academic, research and administrative positions
- focuses on compliance and legal issues
More information about EOP training and education
Search Committee Consultation: A Joint Venture of the VPFRR and the EOP
Any faculty search committee can request a face-to-face consultation on best practices for recruiting a diverse applicant pool, or any other aspects of how to hire well at the University of Virginia. Call 924-6865 or email the office of the VPFRR to schedule a meeting.
Topics may include:
- information and resources for dual career couples
- how to diversify the applicant pool
- how to recognize and deal with implicit bias in oneself and in colleagues
- best practices for conducting a legal and effective search
- other issues or questions relevant to your search(es)
Legal Resources to Help Promote Effective Diversity Programs in the Sciences and Other Disciplines
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Association of American Universities jointly published a first-of-its-kind handbook in the spring of 2010, Navigating a Complex Landscape to Foster Greater Faculty and Student Diversity in Higher Education. "The guide offers 'replicable, effective, and lawful' practices for increasing student and faculty diversity. It also builds a compelling case for vigorously developing diversity in the science and technology fields as a national asset."
Download handbook: Navigating a Complex Landscape to Foster Greater Faculty and Student Diversity in Higher Education large (2.86 MB) .pdf file
Hiring International Faculty
U.Va.'s office of Compliance and Immigration Services in Human Resources (HR-CIS) is the best source of information and assistance for departments and search committees at U.Va.that are thinking about hiring a foreign national. It is important to contact Compliance and Immigration Services as early as possible in the process.
The Center for American English Language and Culture (CAELC) "provides an array of services to help members of the University of Virginia comunity attain the level of linguistic and cultural proficiency required for success at a research university in the United States."
Other Resources for Search Committees
- Thoughts On Creativity, Diversity and Innovation in Science & Education, S. James Gates, Jr., J. S. Toll Professor of Physics and Center for Particle & String Theory Director at the University of Maryland, College Park (material is relevant to all disciplines)
- A fresh take on diversity Making the Difference: Applying a Logic of Diversity, Scott E. Page, Leonid Hurwicz Collegiate Professor of Complex Systems, Political Science, and Economics, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Play Gender Bias Bingo! part of the Gender Bias Learning Project, "a zany, brainy look at a serious subject" from the Center for WorkLife Law, University of California Hastings College of the Law
- Searching for Excellence and Diversity: A Guide for Search Committee Chairs Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI), University of Wisconsin-Madison (material is relevant to hiring both genders in all disciplines, not just women in science and engineering)
- Hiring Process bibliography WISELI, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Faculty Recruitment Toolkit University of Washington
- Checklist of Best Practices University of Washington
- Faculty Search Reading Materials Iowa State University