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Faculty Hiring & Qualifications

Faculty and staff hiring at Ohio University follows a similar process designed to promote collaboration, compliance, consistency, active recruitment, and best practices in diversity, access, and inclusion.

For information related to hiring practices and policies, please refer to:

Qualification Verifications

Per University Policy 18.001: Faculty Credentials and Tested Experience, all OHIO faculty/instructional staff teaching courses or developing courses for college credit at Ohio, including part-time, adjunct, dual-credit, temporary, non-tenure track, and those involved in consortial or contractual programs and independent of delivery mode, are expected to be minimally qualified to serve in an instructional capacity.

University Policy 18.001: Faculty Credentials and Tested Experience details the two pathways through which faculty and instructional staff may be minimally qualified: academic credentials or equivalent/tested experience.

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of prospective full-time or part-time faculty/instructional staff to provide the university with all documentation needed to demonstrate qualifications. The documentation includes, but is not limited to, a curriculum vita, official transcripts, and information regarding training/certification to teach online courses submitted directly to hiring department/college from the issuing institution; appropriate licenses or certifications; and verification of work experience related to teaching experience (as needed).

It is the responsibility of the academic unit (department/school or college) to ensure all faculty/instructional staff are qualified to teach each of the courses to which they are assigned. Documents needed to demonstrate qualifications (e.g., vitas, official transcripts, certifications/licensures, etc.) should be verified and reviewed prior to hire.

It is the responsibility of the Office of the Provost to verify/validate faculty/instructional staff qualifications and to coordinate with University Human Resources (UHR) to maintain documents.

Process

To collect and report qualifications is as follows:

Before making an offer of employment or after making an offer of employment contingent upon verification of requirements of employment:

  1. Communicate requirements of employment (e.g., qualifications, background check, etc.) to the prospective full-time or part-time faculty/instructional staff.
  2. Collect documentation needed to demonstrate qualifications from the prospective full-time or part-time faculty/instructional staff.
    1. If faculty/instructional staff are qualified using the academic credentials pathway, documentation typically includes official transcripts (sent by the granting institution to the department/school or college) and curriculum vita.
    2. When faculty/instructional staff are qualified using equivalent or tested experience, additional information (e.g., work experience related to teaching) is required. For guidelines, please refer to University Policy 18.001: Faculty Credentials and Tested Experience.
  3. Review and verify qualifications using one of the two qualification pathways.
  4. Submit the offer letter and an explanation of qualification basis to the Office of the Provost.
    1. When faculty/instructional staff are qualified using the academic credentials pathway, a statement affirming the academic unit’s review and verification of documentation is sufficient.
    2. When faculty/instructional staff are qualified using equivalent or tested experience, an explanation of the rationale for qualifications is necessary.

After qualifications have been established and verified, academic units may make an offer of employment (or confirm a contingent offer of employment).

Within 90 days following the start date:

  1. Academic unit administrators should create a new user in Faculty Success Watermark and upload documentation. (Alternatively, administrators may request for a new user to be created.)
  2. Faculty should complete the General Information sections in Faculty Success Watermark.
  3. Department chairs, school directors, program directors (or designee) should verify qualifications for each course taught.

New Faculty Offer Letter Components

The following provide recommendations for components in an offer letter.

  • The components noted with an asterisk (*) are specified as required by the Ohio University Faculty Handbook.
  • The components noted with a carrot (^) are specified as required by the Ohio University Administrative Policy Manual.
Recommended and Required Components
 Language stating that the letter is a confirmation of the oral agreement and/or a statement that the letter serves as a firm commitment on the part of the University.
 Faculty rank at hire
 Primary campus affiliation
*Full-time equivalence (FT)
*Initial Teaching: Research: Service (T:R:S) distributions and expectations of employment, including responsibilities associated with the specified T:R:S distribution. (Note: The letter should explain that T:R:S distributions may change on annual review in accordance with department and college policies.)
*Starting date and end dates of the initial contract (month, day, and year)
*Starting annual salary – including 9 and 12 month pay options.
*Other compensation arrangements, as negotiated and if appropriate (e.g., start-up funds, moving expenses (paid/not paid, maximum), facilities, teaching releases, etc.).
*Information about the need to attend both Office of the Provost New Faculty Welcome and University Human Resource New Employee Orientation, including date, time, and location (if available).
*Summary of employment benefits information and/or a link to the benefits information contained on the Human Resources website, including major medical insurance, group life insurance benefits, retirement benefits, tax deferred annuities, travel accident insurance, and other.
 Criteria for promotion (as attachment or reference)
 Length of probationary period (tenure-track only)
*Tenure decision deadline date and penultimate year (tenure-track only)
 (If applicable) Reference to credit for years of previous teaching experience
 (If applicable) Conditions regarding degree completion or other conditions of employment (e.g., required training)
 (If applicable) Information regarding summer teaching/summer teaching salary
 Deadline for accepting the position. (Note: formal acceptance must be in writing.)
^

Completing new hire paperwork. See below for sample I-9 language.

  • In accordance with federal law, the University requires you to verify your eligibility to work in the United States.  In order to comply with federal law, you are required to have completed your employment eligibility forms within the first 72 hours of employment.   A list of acceptable documents may be found at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.
  • Please plan to visit University Human Resources with your employment eligibility paperwork on your first day of employment.  Prior to your arrival, please have Section 1 of the Form I-9 completed by visiting (insert planning unit link to electronic I-9).
^

Information about background checks and pre-employment verification (per University Policy 40.125). See below for sample background check language.

In accordance with OHIO Policy 40.125, this appointment is contingent upon successful completion of any background check that may be conducted.  

^

Information about faculty qualifications (per University Policy 40.125). See below for sample language:

  • In accordance with OHIO Policy 18.001, this appointment is contingent upon successful verification of faculty qualifications. It is the responsibility of prospective full-time or part-time faculty to provide the university with all of the documentation needed to verify credentials.  To remain in compliance with this policy, you will be asked by your department to supply an official copy of a transcript for the highest degree earned, as well as a current curriculum vita by xxxxx date.  

Optional Components

  • Initial teaching assignments
  • Initial research responsibilities
  • Initial office/lab space and equipment
  • Initial advising assignments
  • Initial committee assignments

 

Note: Do not include language in the offer letter that might change in the future, e.g., specific teaching load, teaching schedule.