Conducting a successful search for new faculty requires a well-honed search committee. Key considerations for forming an effective committee include the size of the committee, the commitment of committee members to the work of the search process, the availability of their time to meet that commitment, and a carefully planned timeline to progress the search process to completion.1 Finding the right faculty in this era of nurse faculty shortages and projected faculty retirements may be difficult. The purpose of this article is to share a successful approach to forming and running an effective productive faculty search.

Search committee members need knowledge of human rights legislation regarding hiring practices and employment equity standards. Discrimination against an applicant because of that person's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information is illegal in the United States.2

Forming the Search Committee

Committee Makeup

Faculty needs may expand beyond education programs preparing students for nursing practice. Within many schools, a diversity of nursing programs is offered, including administration, health systems management, informatics, and nursing education. Schools of nursing may be housed in a health sciences college or offer programs outside nursing, such as exercise science, nutrition and dietetics, and public health. Thus, searches seeking to fill multiple positions or across disciplines often need to pursue a diverse pool of applicants. Bavier3 advised that a search committee should have broad representation of faculty across rank, programs, areas of expertise, and ethnic background.

Smaller search committees are able to progress more quickly than ones made up of large groups.1 Adding search committee members who incorporate the expertise needed to evaluate applicants for multiple positions may result in a large, unwieldy committee. One option is adding faculty with the necessary expertise as ad hoc committee members. These individuals can share greater detail of their particular discipline with the committee and applicants for positions in their field, as well as participate in the screening and initial interview processes.

The committee chair plays a vital role in keeping the search process moving forward. An ideal chair is a strong individual who is well organized and attentive to detail. Whether the chair is appointed by the dean or is elected by the committee, the chair must put aside personal biases for the greater good.4

Staff and Institutional Support

Staff support is critical. Staff can assist with a myriad of details such as keeping tabs on applications, scheduling committee meetings, arranging applicants' phone interviews, coordinating schedules for on-campus visits, and tabulating results from applicants' presentations. Ongoing staff assistance until all positions are filled can keep the search process moving forward.

Institutional support is also vital. Web-based application links need to be operational, visible, and accessible to potential applicants. Marketing materials suitable for print and Web-based use need to be developed and made available. These may include Encapsulated PostScript (eps), Joint Photographic Experts Group (jpeg), and/or Graphics Interchange Format (gif). Depending on the size of the school, the budget, and source of funds, this support may come from the nursing, marketing, faculty administration, or provost's offices.

Organizing the Search Process

Once the available number of approved positions is established and their rank and tenure/nontenure track status determined, the specific needs of the school need to be considered. What are the requirements for teaching, scholarly productivity, and clinical expertise? This may be a decision by the dean, senior administration, or department chairs.

The requirements for nurse faculty may be diverse and vary from teaching undergraduate adult health to teaching doctoral students qualitative research. If the search includes faculty for programs such as dietetics, exercise science, or other health science programs, the focus needs to be expanded. If positions include any administrative duties, what are the qualifications? What percent of the position will be allocated for administrative duties? Do these responsibilities include summer workload?

Job descriptions, duties, and qualifications for the open faculty positions need to be written and posted, internally and externally. Recruitment materials must be ready to use. Advertising information needs to be gathered (sources, cost, deadlines) and decisions made about where to spend funds. These activities may involve the human resources, faculty affairs, and marketing departments.

Timeline

After the committee is formed and the process is organized, the search for the best possible qualified applicants can be launched. It is never too early to start. Laying the groundwork can take 6 to 8 weeks or longer. Begin early, close to the start of fall semester.5 This allows time to schedule phone interviews in December, conduct on-campus interviews in January and February, and make hire offers in March. Delaying the start can lead to loss of qualified applicants.

Recruitment

Engaging faculty in recruitment can greatly enhance the yield of viable applicants. A personal invitation from faculty sends a strong welcome message to an applicant. Providing faculty with electronic links to the job postings, flyers to send via e-mail, and talking points about the open positions are all relatively simple and cost-effective means of recruitment. Consider sending flyers to faculty who are attending professional conferences to circulate among colleagues. For high-level administrative positions, the search committee may invite the dean and senior leadership to seek out applicants from their networks. Other sources to consider are job boards of professional associations and electronic job postings on higher-education sites. The specialty and background of the open positions can direct where advertising choices should be focused.6

Phases of the Search

Once the search has been organized, the search committee's work unfolds in 3 phases. Phase 1 includes developing tools, reviewing applicants' materials, conducting phone interviews, and deciding which applicants to invite for an on-campus interview. Phase 2 entails careful scheduling for a productive on-campus visit, preparing the applicant, and engaging faculty to participate in the activities associated with the interview and visit. Phase 3 is the postinterview process and decision making regarding a hire recommendation.

Phase 1

Phase 1 should be an efficient process to review applications and complete an initial screening of applicants so that only the most qualified and "best fit" are scheduled for a phone interview. The phone interview questions need to be developed and then used consistently for each applicant.

Technology resources can greatly enhance the search process. Use of a password-protected Web-based cloud to house applicants' materials is an expedient tool. Committee members can view files and share notes, allowing for review of applicants outside face-to-face meetings. When all members have reviewed the materials and contributed their assessment, selecting applicants for phone interviews can proceed quickly. Decision making about which applicants to bring in for on-campus visits can immediately follow the phone interviews.

Phase 2

Phase 2 focuses on the campus interview. Tools to be developed for this phase include questions for on-campus interviews and an evaluation tool for applicants' presentations. A good tool will collect both quantitative and qualitative data. It is essential to create equivalent experiences for every applicant to avoid bias.7 Scheduling consideration should take into account availability of key faculty and administrators for the open faculty position. Schedules often need to be modified, sometimes at the last minute.3

A successful on-campus visit necessitates a well-planned, well-timed agenda. Applicants should be briefed about what to include in the presentation and how long they will have to speak. Faculty participation is essential, and their role in the selection process is critical. Advanced notice to faculty with the applicant's curriculum vitae, followed by a reminder several days before the on-campus visit, is an effective way to boost faculty turnout. It is disconcerting to applicants and hurts the shared governance process when there are few faculty in attendance to listen to presentations, ask questions, and complete evaluations. Without faculty input, the committee is hindered with making a hire recommendation.

Phase 3

The postinterview process starts with collecting evaluations from faculty in a timely fashion and collating the data. Applicants anticipate follow-up from the search committee; communication about the process is important. A lengthy turnaround time does not bode well for securing desirable applicants. An effective search committee understands the need for a timely hire decision and formal recommendation to the dean.

Conclusion

Careful planning with attention to details is a key consideration for conducting a successful faculty search. Yet, even with an effective search committee and a well-organized and carefully planned process, filling faculty vacancies may not go according to plans. Life's changes are part of academic life. During an academic year, faculty may accept new positions elsewhere and decide it is time to retire. Newly created or expanded programs create new faculty positions. The search committee needs to be flexible and adjust its best-laid plans according to the needs of the school.

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