Faculty Hiring

Building an Intellectually Vibrant Community of Teacher-Scholars

Faculty hiring is among the most important forms of academic work we undertake at the university. Our teacher-scholar model — grounded in small classes, close mentoring, and sustained engagement — depends on thoughtful hiring that shapes the student experience, our community of scholars, and, by extension, the intellectual life of the institution. Through successful faculty hiring, we build an academically vibrant and inclusive community that values curiosity, prepares students to meet the challenges of a complex world, and invests in colleagues across the career cycle.

How to Use These Resources

This site is designed to support schools, departments, and search committees as they lead faculty searches. It offers a shared framework, resources, and guidance grounded in best practices, while recognizing that schools and departments retain primary responsibility and discretion over their searches. Institutional partners — including the Provost’s Office, Faculty Search Partners (FSPs), Human Resources, Office of Inclusion & Belonging, and the Faculty Hub — provide support to strengthen clarity, care, and consistency across the process.

The Arc of Faculty Hiring

Faculty hiring is more than the process of identifying a candidate to fill a position. It is a long-term investment in a future colleague whose teaching, scholarship, and service will shape the academic community over time. While searches move through distinct phases, the arc of hiring is rarely linear.

Taken together, the phases below reflect a commitment to setting new faculty up for success from the outset: through intentional framing of positions, thoughtful recruitment, careful evaluation, transparent decision-making, and sustained support that extends beyond the offer and into onboarding and professional development.

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  • Framing the Position

    This phase spans the period from a school’s/department’s request for a position through the early work that follows approval. Departments clarify academic priorities, curricular needs, and future directions, articulating how the position will strengthen the department and the broader academic community. As part of this work, the department forms the search committee and search chair to lead the process. Once the committee is constituted, this information is shared with the Provost’s Office so a Faculty Search Partner (FSP) can be assigned to support the search from its outset.

    Learn more about Phase 1: Framing the Position.

  • Designing the Search

    The search committee, working in collaboration with the FSP, translates departmental priorities into an intentional recruitment and evaluation framework. This includes shaping job ad language, determining application materials, developing outreach strategies, and establishing shared expectations for review and deliberation within the search committee and across the school/department.

    Learn more about Phase 2: Designing the Search.

  • Reviewing Applications

    Application review is where school/departmental priorities and evaluation criteria meet individual candidate materials. Committees engage in careful, criteria-informed reading of materials, as patterns and possibilities emerge within the pool.

    Learn more about Phase 3: Reviewing Applications.

  • Interviews & Campus Visits

    Interviews and campus visits function as both in terms of candidate evaluation and recruitment. Through conversations, presentations, and informal interactions, departments and candidates engage one another as scholars, teachers, and colleagues. At the same time, the institution communicates its academic culture and commitment to faculty success.

    Learn more about Phase 4: Interviews & Campus Visits.

  • Deliberation & Recommendation

    During deliberation, committees synthesize evidence, discussion, and feedback to arrive at recommendations grounded in academic priorities and agreed-upon criteria. This phase involves careful articulation of rationales, attention to fairness, and clear communication with institutional partners.

    Learn more about Phase 5: Deliberation & Recommendation. 

  • Transition & Onboarding

    Transition and onboarding mark the continuation — rather than the conclusion — of the faculty hiring process. Following acceptance of an offer, schools/departments focus on welcoming the new colleague and supporting their integration into the life of the UR community.

    While the formal work of the search committee concludes, insights gained during the search help inform a thoughtful transition. The FSP supports continuity by helping ensure that relevant context is shared as the search gives way to onboarding. The Faculty Hub plays a central role in this phase, offering resources and programming that support teaching, mentoring, scholarly and creative work, leadership, and professional growth across the career cycle.

    By treating transition and onboarding as part of the hiring arc, the institution affirms that faculty hiring is a long-term investment — one that begins with recruitment and continues through sustained support and engagement over time.

    Learn more about Phase 6: Transition & Onboarding.