NAPA VALLEY COLLEGE EMPLOYMENT ISSUES TASK FORCE

Transcription

1 NAPA VALLEY COLLEGE EMPLOYMENT ISSUES TASK FORCE A JOINT TASK GROUP OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE AND THE DISTRICT Hiring of Contract (Tenure-Track), Full-Time Temporary, and Part-Time Hourly Faculty Policy This policy establishes criteria and procedures for hiring qualified contract (tenure-track), fulltime temporary, and part-time hourly faculty who meet the needs of Napa Valley College s students and of the district. The standards and practices set forth in this policy operate in concert with the district s policies on Faculty & Staff Diversity (BOT Policy D1130), Minimum Qualifications (BOT Policy H4445), and Equivalence to the Minimum Qualifications for Academic Personnel (BOT Policy H4446), and with applicable sections of Title 5 and the Education Code. This policy was developed in concert with the Education Code 1, which establishes that hiring criteria, policies, and procedures for new faculty members shall be developed and agreed upon jointly by representatives of the governing board, and the academic senate, and approved by the governing board, and with AB , which underscores the responsibility of faculty to ensure the quality of their peers. It is the policy of Napa Valley College to provide equal employment opportunity on the basis of merit and without unlawful discrimination in the hiring of contract (tenure-track), part-time hourly, and full time temporary faculty: who are highly qualified and committed to extending their expertise through professional development; who are expert in their subject areas and can stimulate interest in the discipline among community college students; who are skilled in teaching to multiple learning styles, employing technology, and serving the needs of a diverse student population, including the academic needs of individual students; who communicate effectively orally and in writing; who can foster overall college effectiveness; and who demonstrate an understanding of and sensitivity to community college students and their diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, sexual orientation, disability, and ethnic backgrounds. 1 Section 87360(b); et seq. 2 AB1725, 4(t)(1) Page 1 of 6

2 Napa Valley College faculty selection committees will perform their responsibilities in a manner that promotes and supports the college s commitment to equal employment opportunity and to a diverse faculty. Faculty selection committee members, in concert with the Office of Human Resources, will reinforce workforce diversity and equal employment opportunity principles in the following ways: by conveying a sense of the value of having a campus community that has a diverse variety of backgrounds and perspectives among its members by strengthening their understanding of cultural differences and inducing a positive appreciation of such differences by communicating clearly the legal and ethical injustice of discrimination based on cultural and racial differences, age, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and marital status by providing committee members with specific strategies and techniques for promoting inclusiveness in the application appraisal and interview process, as well as eliminating unintended exclusiveness This policy and its standards and procedures are subject to review and revision at the request of the Academic Senate or the Board of Trustees. Changes to this policy and administrative regulations shall be determined by mutual agreement of the Board of Trustees (or designee) and the Academic Senate, consistent with Napa Valley College's shared governance policy and with California law pertaining to shared governance. Administrative Regulations The Board of Trustees (BOT), represented by the Administration, has the principal legal and public responsibility for ensuring an effective hiring process. The faculty, represented by the Academic Senate, has an inherent professional responsibility to promote the quality and diversity of its faculty peers, through the development, implementation, and application of policies and procedures governing the hiring process. Essential to fulfill these responsibilities are clear, effective, and fair standards and practices that delineate the hiring process; these standards and practices are described below. Specific practices regarding hiring of faculty will be addressed in a memorandum of understanding agreed upon between the Academic Senate and the Office of Human Resources, representing the District. The practices delineated below constitute a process for recommending finalists to the Vice President (of Instruction or Student Services) and the President. The Vice President and the President will make final hiring recommendations to the Board of Trustees, as delineated below. Hiring Terminology As used in these administrative regulations, and as stated by the federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection, the term test is defined to mean any device that is used to assess the qualifications of a candidate. This can include but is not limited to the application form and process, supplemental application questions, initial appraisal (paper screening), interviews, teaching demonstrations, any other assessment of qualifications, reference checks, and the final evaluation of candidates. Hiring Roles & Responsibilities The Office of Human Resources (OHR) will administer the hiring process to ensure application of technically sound hiring practices and compliance with all legal mandates related to equal Page 2 of 6

3 employment opportunity, uniform employee selection, and non-discrimination. OHR will carry out this role through extensive consultation with and the concurrence of the Academic Senate, Vice President, division chair, discipline faculty, and selection committee members. The faculty selection committee will be responsible for establishing the qualifications criteria for the assessment of all candidates, including minimum qualification equivalency; determining the standards necessary to advance at each successive step in the selection process; the assessment of all candidates in each test; and recommending finalists to the final selection committee. The faculty selection committee will determine minimum qualifications and equivalencies in concert with Napa Valley College policies H4445 and H4446 covering these matters. For the hiring of part-time hourly faculty, the Vice President and division chair will fulfill selection committee responsibilities, in concert with subject matter faculty, as delineated below. Hiring of Part-Time Hourly faculty will apply the same principles as those for full-time faculty, though the practices may be abbreviated. All hiring processes are confidential, without time limit, and all parties involved shall be required to keep that confidence. The Dean, Human Resources, will monitor all hiring standards, procedures, and outcomes, and may with reasonable cause recommend that the President suspend or terminate the hiring process as defined in the Faculty and Staff Diversity Policy (BOT Policy D1130). Decision to Establish a Faculty Position The need for contract faculty positions shall be determined cooperatively through a planning process involving college administrators, the Academic Senate, and faculty in the subject area programs. Decision-making factors at all stages of the process shall include: subject area needs for new or replacement faculty; demonstrated community need; full-time/part-time faculty ratios within subject areas and their relationships to those in other areas and the college; the college s commitment to achieving and sustaining a diverse workforce reflective of equal opportunity employment principles; relationship to the planning and budget process; and the overriding matter of the best interests of students. A joint administrative and Academic Senate recommendation on contract (tenure-track) and full-time temporary positions to be filled shall be presented by the President to the Board of Trustees. Part-time hourly faculty positions shall be established through the Office of Instruction or Office of Student Services and appropriate divisions. The Board of Trustees is responsible for approving all faculty positions and for the concomitant decision to hire. Faculty Selection Committee Composition & Appointment Each faculty selection committee will be composed of trained individuals committed to equal employment opportunity principles; the committee will include representation of subject matter expertise and demonstrated experience in serving on selection committees. The Dean, Human Resources will facilitate the appointment and operation of selection committees, consistent with the provisions below. Faculty selection committee members must commit to serve through all activities involved in the phase(s) of the hiring process to which they are appointed. All committee members must be trained in implementing the hiring process and its philosophy; training will be provided by the Office of Human Resources. 1. CONTRACT AND FULL-TIME TEMPORARY FACULTY SELECTION COMMITTEE COMPOSITION The majority membership of all faculty selection committees shall be faculty. Contract (tenure-track) and full-time temporary selection committees shall be composed of the: Committee Chair: Vice President, Instruction (or, when apt, Vice President, Student Services) or designee. Appointment made by the Vice President. Page 3 of 6

4 Division Chair/Dean: Chair or dean of the hiring division or, when the division chair or dean serves as committee chair, designee. Appointment made by the Vice President. If the division is administered by a dean, who is thus designated management, the Academic Senate shall appoint an additional faculty representative. Academic Senate Representatives: At least four tenured or, if necessary, tenure-track faculty, two in or as close to the discipline as possible and one from outside the division, recommended by the hiring division to the Academic Senate. Appointment made by the Academic Senate after review by the Dean, Human Resources. Classified Representative: One full-time Classified employee, whenever possible working in a job related as closely as possible to the faculty subject area, appointed by the Classified Association after review by the Dean, Human Resources. Student/Community Representative: One student representative, whenever possible pursuing a course of study related as closely as possible to the faculty subject area, appointed by the Student Government after review by the Dean, Human Resources; or one community representative with expertise in an area as close to the discipline as possible, appointed by the committee chair after review by the Dean, Human Resources. Equal Employment Opportunity Representative: To support, facilitate, and monitor the process, the Dean, Human Resources shall appoint to each selection committee from a list of trained volunteers a nonvoting Equal Employment Opportunity Representative. The committee may be augmented, so long as faculty comprise the majority of members; possible additional members may include program coordinators or deans. 2. PART-TIME HOURLY FACULTY SELECTION COMMITTEE COMPOSITION The Division Chair or Dean, and a tenured or, if necessary, tenure-track faculty member in the subject matter (or, if necessary, as close to the subject matter as possible) shall comprise the selection committee, which may be augmented by additional faculty. Job Analysis The Office of Human Resources will work with the Vice President, the division chair, the faculty selection committee chair, and interested selection committee members and division faculty to develop a job analysis to determine the job duties, responsibilities, and required and desired performance qualifications. Job Announcement & Recruitment Materials The Office of Human Resources will work with the Vice President, the division chair, the faculty selection committee chair, and interested selection committee members and division faculty to develop the job announcement and recruitment materials. Advertising & Recruiting Following the Faculty and Staff Diversity Plan (BOT Policy D1130), the Office of Human Resources will work with the Vice President, the division chair, the faculty selection committee chair, and interested selection committee members and division faculty to develop the recruitment strategy, including all advertising, to be implemented by the Office of Human Resources. Advertising and recruitment shall occur broadly in both internal and external venues, and the entire college community shall be encouraged to recruit candidates. The Office of Human Resources will distribute all job announcement material and will place all advertising. Page 4 of 6

5 Examination Plan The Office of Human Resources will work with the Vice President, the division chair, the faculty selection committee chair, and interested selection committee members and division faculty to develop the examination plan, including the design and construction of all tests and the processes for the appraisal and evaluation of candidates. Criteria for Appraisal & Evaluation of Candidates Before reviewing any applicant materials, the faculty selection committee will, in concert with the Office of Human Resources, establish the criteria for appraisal and evaluation of candidates, including the qualification standards necessary to advance, for each successive step in the selection process. The committee will determine minimum qualifications and equivalency in concert with Napa Valley College policies H4445 and H4446 covering these matters. Initial Qualifications Appraisal (Paper Screening) Process Following identification by the Dean, Human Resources of a viable initial applicant pool of appropriate size and diversity representation, the initial qualifications appraisal (paper screening) process shall determine which applicants will be invited for further tests. The committee shall include a system to evaluate applications as objectively as possible. All parties involved shall follow procedures designed to ensure equal employment opportunity. The Dean, Human Resources, will monitor all hiring standards, procedures, and outcomes, and may with reasonable cause recommend that the President suspend or terminate the hiring process, as defined in the Faculty and Staff Diversity Policy (BOT Policy D1130). Faculty Selection Committee Process The faculty selection committee shall conduct an interview and/or other tests and, based on the results of these tests, make decisions to advance candidates to each successive test, up to the recommendation of finalists to the final selection committee for contract (tenure-track) and fulltime temporary positions, or to the Vice President for part-time temporary positions. Tests, as noted in the Hiring Terminology section above, may include interview questions; a demonstration of teaching, counseling, or library services; and/or other performance indicators directly related to the position. The committee shall utilize job-related tests and processes to evaluate candidate responses and performance. The committee shall submit its written recommendations of candidates, including its findings and analyses, to the final selection committee; the committee may wish to meet with the Vice President to discuss their recommendations. All parties involved shall follow procedures designed to ensure equal employment opportunity. The Dean, Human Resources, will monitor all hiring standards, procedures, and outcomes, and may with reasonable cause recommend that the President suspend or terminate the hiring process, as defined in the Faculty and Staff Diversity Policy (BOT Policy D1130). Reference Checks For contract and full-time temporary faculty positions, the Vice President and/or the President shall conduct confidential reference checks, which can include questions and/or recommendations on individuals or programs to be contacted submitted by the faculty selection committee chair on behalf of the committee and developed in consultation with the Dean, Human Resources. After references are checked, the faculty selection committee s recommendations shall be forwarded to the final selection committee for the final selection process. The Dean, Human Resources will review reference checks with the final selection Page 5 of 6

6 committee. If the reference checks raise issues, the Dean may pursue additional reference checks, and forward information gleaned to the final selection committee. For part-time temporary faculty positions, the division chair or dean shall conduct confidential reference checks, using standard district questions and additional questions submitted by the selection committee chair on behalf of the committee and developed in consultation with the Dean, Human Resources. Final Selection Process for Contract & Full-Time Temporary Positions The final selection committee shall thoroughly assess the candidate s qualifications, based upon the criteria noted in the job analysis and job announcement. The President will chair the committee and, in order to be fully informed of the faculty selection committee s rationale and recommendations, include the Vice President and a representative chosen by the faculty selection committee. The President shall make the final decision on the candidate(s) to be recommended to the Board of Trustees. The final selection committee shall include a system to evaluate responses and performance as objectively as possible. All parties involved shall follow procedures designed to ensure equal employment opportunity. Following the final selection process, the President will inform the faculty selection committee of the recommendation to be presented to the Board of Trustees. If exceptional circumstances and compelling reasons exist why the President cannot choose any of the recommended candidates, the President shall discuss these issues with the faculty selection committee. The faculty selection committee and Dean, Human Resources may convene to determine the process for considering and, if possible, recommending additional candidates for the final selection process. If it is not possible to recommend additional candidates, the position shall be reopened. The Dean, Human Resources, will monitor all hiring standards, procedures, and outcomes, and may with reasonable cause recommend that the President suspend or terminate the hiring process, as defined in the Faculty and Staff Diversity Policy (BOT Policy D1130). Recommendation to the Board of Trustees The President or designee and the Dean, Human Resources shall review the hiring procedures to determine that district policies, applicable sections of Title 5 and the Education Code, and the legal obligations of the district have been met. The President will make the final hiring recommendation to the Board of Trustees for the employment of Contract (tenure-track) and Full-Time Temporary faculty members. The Vice President will recommend the hiring of Part- Time Hourly faculty members, through the Office of Human Resources, to the Board of Trustees. Page 6 of 6