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Faculty Vacancies and Position Announcements

  1. The Division Chair notifies the Dean of Faculty of any impending vacancy as soon as it becomes evident. After discussion with the Dean of Faculty, the Division Chair, in collaboration with a department, oversees the writing of a position request and position announcement. The request and announcement are reviewed by the Division Council in light of other requests from all divisions. A Division Chair will need to plan for sufficient time for this review to occur. The deadline for new and returning/replacement position proposals is February 1 for the next academic year. The position announcement serves as the basis for advertising the vacancy. All full-time vacancies are advertised.

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  2. Natasha J. Baker, an employment attorney, suggests that departments think about the following before a position announcement is drafted:
    • "Consider the short-term and long-term needs for the position.
    • Will the position change over time?
    • Consider diversity goals.
    • Think about the qualifications of the ideal candidate.
    • State all requirements for the position, even the 'minor' ones."

    She also suggests considering the expectations of the institution. So, the announcement might include:

    The ideal candidate will contribute constructively to the Berea College community and will demonstrate a commitment to carrying out the mission of Berea College.

    Natasha J. Baker, "Managing the Hiring Process," Workshop for Department and Division Chairs, June 7, 2017, available at https://www.cic.edu/p/2017-Department-Chair-Phoenix/ResourceLibrary/2017PHXDDCW_CIC_Managing_the_Hiring_Practices.pdf.

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  3. Current boilerplate, always subject to change, is included here:

    Founded in 1855, Berea College achieved national distinction as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls 1,600 students from 43 states and U.S. territories and more than 70 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them a no-tuition promise, valued at more than $178,000. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and many are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only nine federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students are expected to work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus. Berea College was again named one of the nation’s “Best Institutions for Undergraduates to Earn their College Degree” in the 2022 edition of The Princeton Review’s book, The Best 387 Colleges. Berea also appeared on four other lists within the publication: Best Colleges in the Southeast; Best Value Colleges; Best Green Colleges; and Tuition Free Schools. Berea College is ranked #148 by The Princeton Review – the highest-ranked Kentucky college, and the #3 “Best Value College” in the nation. Berea is one of only two private institutions ranked in the Top 10 for Value in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education (THE) 2022 College Rankings. The Washington Monthly ranks Berea College #13 among the nation’s liberal arts colleges, recognizing Berea for maintaining “consistently high rankings thanks to their economic diversity, relatively strong graduation rates, and commitment to meeting students’ financial need.” U.S. News and World Report Rankings lists Berea as #30 among National Liberal Arts Colleges, including ranking Berea #1 in Service Learning, #2 for Most Innovative Schools, #3 in Co-ops/Internships, #4 in First-year Experiences, and tied for #13 in Best Undergraduate Teaching.

    Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu

    Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

     

  4. Write announcements that balance required and desired qualifications, so that the position attracts a wide range of qualified candidates. Announcements are approved by the Dean of Faculty before being released.

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  5. Include information about electronic submission of materials required for application.  For example: 

    Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, graduate and undergraduate academic transcripts, statement of teaching philosophy, description of research interests, and three letters of recommendation to: https://tinyurl.com/yxeqqlom. Review of applications will begin on November 1, and continue until the position is filled. Note that you will be asked to provide the email contact for three references after completing step one of the application process online.

     

  6. The Cornerstone software system is used for faculty application tracking and archival storage for all faculty searches. Upon the Dean of Faculty's approval of the position request, the search committee chair must work with the Office of Academic Affairs representative (currently Shannon Montross) to request the position be posted in Cornerstone, to learn how to approve the listing in Cornerstone when it is built, to learn how to access the applications once the posting is launched, and to learn how to manually request the recommendation letters.

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  7. All search documents will be available in Cornerstone. Some search committee chairs may decide to copy the applicant’s files into Box for easier access or for the ability to download large visual or audio files. The permanent record of the search files will remain in the Cornerstone system.

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  8. Other Protocol

(Academic Affairs Office Step): When the position description is approved by the Dean of Faculty, the Office of Academic Affairs staff support for faculty recruitment (currently Shannon Montross) will work with a search committee chair to create the posting in Cornerstone and get the unique URL for the position. The work of staff support includes granting all search committee members access to the posting on Cornerstone and sharing training information with all parties. The Office of Academic Affairs staff support will obtain from the search chair a list of advertising venues for the search (which includes additional diversity sites, websites, professional organizations, listservs, and professional journals), and then purchase these ads.

(Search Chair Step): The search chair or administrative assistant may opt to set up a Berea Box folder for management of the candidate files, but the permanent record of all search applications will be housed in the Cornerstone system. Training videos and personal assistance from the Office of Academic Affairs will be available to all parties who need access to the search materials.