A Re-examination of Faculty Hiring Processes and Procedures

Spring
2018
Topic
Diversity and Equity
Committee
Equity and Diversity Action Committee

The hiring of faculty is at the heart of developing and maintaining programs, as well as the success and achievement of students, in all educational systems, and the California Community College System is no exception. While hiring practices may vary in terms of specifics in the 72 community college districts in California, basic principles and tenets of faculty hiring are consistent across the state. In recent years, a focus on diversifying the faculty that are hired at community colleges has increased in intensity, and both the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) have responded in a range of ways. This paper, in response to Academic Senate Resolution 3.01 (S17), is one of the various avenues through which the ASCCC has responded to the interest in diversifying community college faculty.

Recommendations

  1. All campus personnel involved in hiring should be familiar with the CCCCO’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Best Practices Handbook (2016) and any subsequent updates from the Chancellor’s Office regarding the requirements for use of the EEO measures while hiring.
  2. Processes and procedures within colleges and districts should be as consistent as possible and should involve the academic senate in the development and implementation of those processes and procedures, as required by Education Code.
  3. Faculty should consider a variety of options in hiring both full-time and part-time faculty in an attempt to diversify the faculty ranks at their colleges. For specific suggestions, see the Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Best Practices Handbook (2016).
  4. In accordance with local policies, hiring committees should be actively involved in as many aspects of faculty hiring as possible, from the creation of the job description to the forwarding of finalists. If committees are not involved in all areas of the hiring process, consideration should be brought to the local academic senate to discuss these processes and determine whether changes should be suggested.
  5. Processes for hiring part-time faculty should, to the greatest extent possible, mirror the processes for hiring full-time faculty and should, ideally, be as consistent as possible.
  6. Committees should be familiar with the role of equivalency and should exercise caution when recommending equivalency while also recognizing that the granting of equivalency in some cases may result in a more diverse pool of applicants. Equivalency information should be made clear to applicants through information included in the college’s application as well as in the job announcement.
  7. Local academic senates and faculty should be involved in the district or college Equal Opportunity Committee and any other shared governance groups that are involved in hiring processes for faculty.