Prepare the Search

This section discusses getting approval to search, forming the search committee, and creating the position announcement.

Run the Search

This section covers recruiting a diverse pool of applicants and procedures for screening and selecting candidates.

Run the Search

Close the Search

This section provides details for making an offer and closing the search.

Close the Search

Position Approval

Filling regular faculty positions should focus on department and college needs for teaching expertise and opportunities to build on research/scholarship/creative activity strengths within the departments and colleges. Deans will determine how to best fill vacant positions and submit these requests for Provost approval.

Procedures for submitting a Regular Faculty Hiring Request are outlined in the Request for Regular Faculty Searches memo template (PDF). The request must include information about the incumbent (if applicable), purpose of the requested line, faculty rank, salary, start-up and relocation costs and funding sources, and affirmation by the college of the ability to cover all costs.

Information about filling an endowed chair or professorship internally or conducting other types of specialized searches can be found in the Specialized Searches section of the website.

All requests for regular faculty positions must be approved by the college dean and sent to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost (facultyaffairs@ou.edu) for final approval.

Prepare for the Search

Form the Search Committee

In consultation with the dean of the college, the chair or director of the unit is responsible for forming the search committee.

When considering the size and composition of your search committee, keep these guidelines mind:

The Provost’s Office expects that all search committees include at least one member from outside the academic unit.
Ensure that the search committee is comprehensive (gender, discipline as appropriate, perspectives, time in rank, background) and includes members with a demonstrated commitment to belonging and community.
Research has indicated that including a graduate student in the search committee promotes consideration of access and opportunity and an important additional perspective.

Read best practices and resources for faculty search committees before selecting members of the search committee.

Develop Criteria and Draft the Job Advertisement

IMPORTANT NOTE: All job advertisements must be posted to Interfolio.
Review the Provost’s memorandum on Faculty Job Postings and Faculty Job Postings Example Template.
Develop evaluation criteria for the initial and secondary screening processes at the time of developing the job ad, as this information provides insight about the appropriate qualifications to include in the ad.
Consider the importance of achieving aspects of the Lead On strategic plan when determining initial and secondary screening criteria.

Route for Approval

Submit the job ad and list of search committee members through Interfolio for approval and assignment of an IEO search number.
Once the ad and committee have been approved by the Provost’s Office and IEO, the IEO will issue a search number and packet for the search committee to the Provost’s Office. The Provost’s Office will send an approval email to the unit forwarding the IEO information and indicating that the job ad can be posted externally.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Once the position ad is approved by IEO, the ad CANNOT be altered.