Even though the timetable for each search may be different, here are each of the steps constituted in the process of a search. Some steps will differ depending on whether the search is for a continuous, tenure-track appointment, or for a visiting instructor.
Development of Job Advertisement
From the point at which the search is authorized, the department should begin a conversation within the department, craft the job advertisement, and send the draft advertisement to the Associate Dean for DEI so that it can be reviewed and approved. All job ads must ask for the following: cover letter, CV, three brief statements – one addressing teaching philosophy and experience, one addressing scholarship including your future directions, and one addressing demonstrated ability to mentor a diverse student body, and three letters of recommendation. You may also request additional materials such as teaching evaluations, writing samples, transcripts, and any other materials that might help you assess the quality of your candidates. This may be done before Faculty Search Report I (see below) is submitted. For AY 2024-25, please send the draft ad to April J. Mayes, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (april.mayes@pomona.edu) and Sabina Klemm, Contracts and Hiring Specialist (sabina.klemm@pomona.edu).
Once the job ad has been approved, note that it must be placed in one printed journal as well as the most appropriate web-based venues. The Claremont Colleges collaborate to place one-line descriptions of all available positions in print in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Since the full ad will automatically be posted on the college's employment website, it is permissible and indeed preferable to use abbreviated language in the web-based ads, referring potential candidates to the Faculty Positions page.
Outreach for Diversity
From the point at which the search is authorized, the department should begin outreach efforts in order to create the most diverse candidate pool possible. Outreach efforts could include for example, reaching out to chairs of relevant departments at notable institutions, and to ethnic-specific associations of field specializations. Departments will be asked to report on their Outreach progress twice: (i) at the submission of Faculty Search Report I, and (ii) at the submission of Faculty Search Report II.
Striking a Search Committee
The search committee is constituted of departmental faculty, and includes two student members and one external faculty member.
Meeting with the Diversity Officer
Once the search committee has been struck, each search committee will meet with the Associate Dean/Diversity Officer to discuss search strategies and procedures. The search chair should contact the Associate Dean for DEI to arrange this meeting. The meeting is typically timed to coincide with a regular search committee/department meeting. The department's academic coordinator should be included in the discussion of procedures. It would be ideal (but not required) to have the student members and the external member also attend this meeting.
Faculty Search Report I & Search Budget Worksheet I
The department must submit Faculty Search Report I to the Dean and the Associate Dean for DEI before any candidate files are reviewed for the search. Faculty Search Report I asks for the following 8 items:
- ground rules for the search,
- a search timetable,
- text of the job advertisement,
- the constitution of the search committee (This includes two student members and one external faculty member), and the voting policy for the students (e.g., 1 vote for each student vs. 1 vote for both students together)
- an outreach, advertising plan and budget,
- a description of the screening process (i.e., The Matrix of weightings of Teaching, Research, Service and Mentoring Diversity),
- a general format for the campus visits,
- anticipated space needs
Once the Dean's Office informs the search committee chair that Search Report I has been approved, the department may begin evaluating candidate files. At this point the department should submit part one of the Search Budget Worksheet [Excel].
Initial Search Interviews
É«ÖÐÉ« adheres to all federal guidelines regarding recruitment and interviewing. We are referring to pp. 18-19 of Dartmouth's recruitment manual as a model. These pages, which list acceptable and unacceptable areas of inquiry, are posted for your reference as you conduct interim search interviews to determine your long short list of candidates.
Faculty Search Report II and Search Budget Worksheet II
The department must submit Faculty Search Report II to the Dean and the Associate Dean for DEI at the point at which a long, short list (10 top candidates), has been chosen. At the time that SRII is submitted, the chair or academic coordinator should also schedule meetings for each of the Top 3 candidates (even though their names will not yet be known) with the Dean and the President, given that both of their schedules tend to be impacted far in advance. Please contact Stephanie Navarro (stephanie.navarro@pomona.edu) and Kerry Roccia (kerry.roccia@pomona.edu) to check their calendars, respectively. Once they have confirmed the dates and times for their meetings with the candidate, it is the departmental administrative coordinator’s responsibility to set up Zoom links if needed, and to send these to Stephanie Navarro and Kerry Roccia.
Faculty Search Report II asks for diversity data, the composition of the candidate pool, and an annotated list of the top ten candidates. Each entry should include a brief justification for the candidate's position in the list of Top 10. Access to the dossiers of the top ten candidates must accompany Search Report II. Once Search Report II has been approved, the chair should schedule another meeting with the department to construct a recommended short list of three candidates. This short list should be sent via email to the Dean and Associate Dean for DEI, who must approve it in writing before candidates can be invited for campus interviews. Part two of the Search Budget Worksheet [Excel] must be submitted as soon as the travel arrangements have been made.
Finalist Interviews
After the Top 3 list is approved in writing (email or paper) by the Dean and the Diversity Officer, candidates may be invited for campus interviews (or Zoom if the pandemic dictates). During the interviews, the candidates must meet with the department, the student members of the search committee, the Associate Dean for DEI, the Dean and the President and other interested parties.
The chairs of Asian Studies, Asian American Studies, Africana Studies, Chicana/o/Latina/o Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, and the Queer Resource Center should also be contacted as appropriate to arrange meetings with candidates.
The department should make sure that all other interested parties are aware of the campus visit schedules and have an opportunity to see the candidates. This is especially important in the case of candidates with interdisciplinary interests. Please advertise your candidate lectures in .
Faculty Search Report III
Before any offers can be made, the department must submit Faculty Search Report III to the Associate Dean for DEI and the Dean for approval. Faculty Search Report III asks for a two-part recommendation, indicating
- which of the candidates who have visited campus are acceptable and how the department ranks them and,
- which candidates are not acceptable and why.
Making an Offer
After the Dean and the Associate Dean for DEI have approved Faculty Search Report III, the Dean discusses the recommendation with the President. If an offer is authorized, the Dean, in consultation with the department chair, will make an offer to the successful candidate and negotiate the terms of the appointment.
After the Search
- Keep all search applications/dossiers for at least one year.
- Keep the applications/dossiers of finalists for tenure-track positions (i.e., the two to four candidates who visited campus) for at least four years.
Keep the applications/dossiers of successful candidates for non-tenure-track positions (e.g., one-, two-, or three-year contracts) for at least four years.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Associate Dean for DEI/Diversity Officer should you have any questions or concerns.