Faculty Search Guidelines 

New Searches

Requests for new faculty (and chair) searches are permitted. We encourage colleges to consider delaying the search if possible while the university is under limited campus operations.

Be aware that should a search begin, candidates should not be brought to campus until further notice. The search process must be equal for candidates within a search even if normal operations resume during the process. All steps in the process must be conducted virtually until further notice. Please keep in mind that during the disruption in campus operations, training for search committees will be available on a limited basis and will need to be held virtually. You may send requests through the DDEI Training Service Form.

Ongoing searches

There are faculty (and chair) searches ongoing across campus. These may continue. Given the circumstances candidates should not be brought to campus. Assuming that searches are not postponed, we recommend the following procedures be followed:

In searches where some candidates have participated in on-campus interviews, the process for remaining candidates should be as parallel as possible, understanding that many aspects of an on-campus interview cannot be replicated in a virtual format.

1. Where possible, have finalists participate in virtual meetings with the same people they would have met with on campus (e.g., search committee, relevant unit and college leadership, etc).
    
2. Schedule a time when the candidate can give the presentation that would be expected to be given on-campus and set up a Zoom meeting. Where possible, a recording of the presentation should be made and a link for the meeting should remain active for others to review within a 24 hour period. Any recordings used by the search committee or others to evaluate the candidates must be retained with search documents.
   1. Those who have participated or reviewed the presentation should be provided an opportunity to provide feedback to the search committee using Qualtrics or whatever survey tool is currently in use.
       
   2. Give constituents a deadline to submit their feedback to the search committee as you would under usual circumstances.
3. Following the completion of the virtual visit, the search committee should meet virtually to discuss all finalists and develop their recommendation to the DEO or Dean.
   
   Reminder: Search committee members should not evaluate candidates via e-mail as these records are subject to disclosure under Iowa’s Open Records law.
   
   Job applicants who presently work at the University of Iowa, at another Regents institution in this state, or elsewhere within Iowa state government are advised in the job posting that their names and application materials are public records under the Iowa Open Records law.
    
4.  All other work can proceed virtually as it would in a traditional search.

In searches in which no finalists have participated in an on-campus interview, search committees may work with the dean or DEO to determine whether to change the format of the interview and document what those changes will be. If no changes are determined, the procedures above can be followed.

Staff Search Guidelines

Campus leadership has directed campus to not schedule any new non-essential meetings. Search meetings/interviews in most cases would be considered non-essential unless a case can be made that the position is critical to the ongoing functioning of the unit. For interviews that were already scheduled, please hold them virtually. Please refer to the guidelines above for ensuring that the virtual interviews mirror each other as well as any previous on-campus interviews. Otherwise, departments are encouraged to delay new searches and candidate interviews.