Academic Hiring Guidelines

In accordance with UIC’s equal opportunity and affirmative action obligations, all salaried Academic Professional and Faculty positions which are 50% time or greater, including Visiting Academic Professional Appointments must be filled via an open and competitive search process. This includes a public posting of the search for a minimum of two weeks. Postings can be online or in print.

Internal searches for administrative and faculty positions may be restricted to the University campus or even to the unit in which the position resides. These searches are exceptional and may be justified by the qualifications sought, e.g., direct experience with the University of Illinois system or tenured faculty at the UIC campus. Internal searches require a minimum of one week posting.

During the search process, search committee members may have access to confidential information, including, but not limited to, personal information, education history, and employment history of applicants. This information and all discussions must remain confidential both during the search and after the completion of the search process. Search committee members may discuss this information only with other members of the committee, as well as with the hiring officer, the search committee chair, Human Resources, and the Office for Access and Equity. Members must not permit any unauthorized person to access documents in their possession that contains applicant or search information. Any printed application materials, including interview notes and scoring sheets, must be maintained for three (3) years from the new hire’s start date.

The commitment of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to the most fundamental principles of academic freedom, equality of opportunity, and human dignity requires that decisions involving students and employees be based on individual merit and be free from invidious discrimination in all its forms.

“UIC will not engage in discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, genetic information, marital status, disability, sexual orientation including gender identity, unfavorable discharge from the military or status as a protected veteran and will comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action laws, orders and regulations. This nondiscrimination policy applies to admissions, employment, access to and treatment in the University’s programs and activities.”

• Interim or Acting appointments that are no more than 12 months. The unit is advised to complete an open search so that a hire can be made once the interim/acting appointment has concluded.
• Visiting Faculty or Academic Hourly appointments which are limited to a specific time or term lasting not longer than three years; this includes Retire/Rehire appointments
• Appointments for less than 50% time; appointment cannot be increased to 50% or greater time without a full search
• Continuing and intermittent appointments for academic employees who were originally hired as the result of a search and whose break or breaks in service have not exceeded the length of the original or previous contract
• Trainee and student appointments may be made without an open and competitive search process with the understanding that a department wishing to retain a trainee or student employee must post the opening and conduct a fair and equitable review of other comparably qualified candidates in accordance with University Academic Hiring guidelines. Trainee and student appointments include the following categories:
  • Post-Doctoral Research Associates
  • Post-Doctoral Fellows
  • Visiting Scholars
  • Interns
  • Residents
  • Pharmacy Externs
  • Fellows
  • Trainees
  • Teaching Assistants
  • Graduate Research Assistants
  • Undergraduate Research Assistants
  • Predoctoral Fellows
  • Graduate Trainees

Reminder: Individuals appointed to positions without a search being conducted must be informed that subsequent offers of employment will not be made unless they are selected as the result of an approved search.

Hires or appointment changes such as a title change or promotion may be granted without completing the search procedures.  Appointments may be eligible for search waiver or appointment change when (a) statutory or other policy guidelines governing the appointment or search process exist (i.e., Bridge to Faculty or UFRP); (b) unique talents and skills required for the position; or (c) an urgent departmental/unit teaching need arises that cannot be addressed through the normal search process (i.e., increased class enrollment at the beginning of a semester requiring an immediate teaching appointment).  Search waivers should be requested when appointing individuals who are not currently employed with the University (Chicago only). Appointment Changes should be requested when changing the appointment of a current University (Chicago only)  employee.

A search waiver or appointment change must include a justification detailing evidence for why a search cannot be completed, efforts made to seek underrepresented candidates, how the individual for whom the waiver is sought was identified, and confirmation of no others at the university with similar duties or titles eligible to compete for the position.

Note: The eligibility of a position for a search waiver or appointment change does not exempt said position from affirmative action requirements and equal employment opportunity regulations, including documenting good faith efforts to achieve diversity and ensuring non-discrimination.

A. Appointments eligible for Search Waivers or Appointment Changes based on statutory and campus policy objectives

1. Senior Faculty Administrative Positions that report to the following title:
   Dean or above
   1. *includes 0% appointments
2. Appointments included in Special Recruitments
   Under-Represented Faculty Recruitment Program (UFRP)
   Cluster Hire
   Partner Accommodation
3. Research Associate position under the following condition:
   In furtherance of the professional career development of postdoctoral associates and in support of the campus’ research mission, appointment changes may be requested for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to change their title to Research Associate

B. Appointments Eligible for a Search Waiver or Appointment Change based on urgent departmental/unit needs that cannot be addressed through the normal search process (i.e., increased class enrollment at the beginning of a semester requiring an immediate teaching appointment).
Note: These positions should generally be filled through an open and competitive process. When, however, urgent and unforeseen circumstances arise requiring the immediate filling of a vacancy to further the campus’ mission and objectives, a search waiver or appointment change may be requested. The request should generally be for a limited time (i.e., one semester) to address the immediate need.

C. Appointments Eligible for a Search Waiver or Appointment Change based on the unique talents, skills, and experience required for the position

1. Senior Faculty Administrative Positions that report to the following titles:
   Dean or above
   Note: For senior faculty administrative positions, good faith efforts should include notifying all tenured faculty of the position opening and encouraging those interested to contact the appropriate individual. See the OAE Search Manual for additional guidelines on these positions.
2. Promotion
   Promotion is any advancement in rank and/or salary. Faculty promotions along both tenurable and nontenurable tracks are considered non-competitive, insofar as they are not subject to a competitive external search process but are granted pursuant to the Promotion and Tenure Guidelines. The Office for Access and Equity (OAE) monitors promotion of faculty along both tracks. Faculty members who are not on the tenure track can be promoted into tenurable positions if they have undergone a search. Promotions of administrative staff are normally competitive, that is, they require a search. An academic professional is defined as an administrative staff position which has been exempted from the State Universities Civil Service System. When an academic professional or administrative staff position is redefined at a higher level with similar duties and responsibilities, and when the incumbent is well qualified for the higher position, the incumbent (provided he or she was initially hired through an approved search) may be put in the position without conducting a search. Any vacancy created as a result of the promotion will require a full search. It is assumed that there are not other internal candidates qualified for the position. In situations where there may be more than one person whose duties could be expanded and who possesses comparable skill levels, the hiring unit is advised to go through a competitive selection process within the unit. If the promotion results in the creation of any vacancy, the vacancy created requires a full search. A search is required if the promotion is being sought due to the addition of substantially new and/or higher-graded duties or when there are other employees serving in similar or identical positions within the department to whom the new duties could have been assigned. Support Staff (employees holding a position in the State Universities Civil Service System) positions which become Academic Professional positions are treated as a change in employment group and require searches.
3. Reorganization
   Other requests to OAE to waive search procedures or changes to an current appointment can be based upon administrative reorganization or reassignment. When a unit undergoes reorganization, the filling of positions will be as outlined above. If during the reorganization a new position is created which is clearly the outgrowth of an existing position in a similar line of work, a qualified incumbent (provided he or she was initially hired through approved search procedures) may be reclassified to the equivalent or higher level position without fulfilling search requirements. It is assumed that no vacancy will result in movement of the employee to the position and that there are no other incumbents qualified for the reclassified position.
4. Reassignment/Transfer
   Reassignment of a qualified staff member (provided he or she was initially hired through approved search procedures) to another position at the same level and comparable rate of pay within the University may be done without announcing the position.
5. Special circumstances at the discretion of OAE

There are a few concretely defined circumstances under which search waivers or appointment changes are routinely allowed. Examples are:

1. An individual named in an externally funded grant award by a member of the UIC faculty or staff,
2. An Academic employee accommodated under Involuntary Termination Polcy,
3. A faculty member changing from a tenurable to a nontenurable or staff position,
4. Groups of employees who join the campus work force by institutional decision, e.g., a previous state program becomes a UIC program, and
5. Occasional special appointments and changes recommended by the Chancellor

To obtain a search waiver or appointment change, an Appointment Change form must be submitted to OAE via UIC Formbuilder along with supporting documentation:

• CV or Resume
• Approved Job Description
• Reason for Request/Justification

OAE will review search waivers and appointment changes on a case-by-case basis with consideration of several factors (as appropriate):

a) Whether an internal search within the unit may be appropriate to allow other potentially interested and qualified individuals to apply, particularly if there are other employees within the department/unit with similar titles, qualifications, and/or job titles

b) Whether the proposed change is consistent with the principles of affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, and diversity

c) Whether there is an Affirmative Action goal for the position’s job group; whether the unit has undertaken a comprehensive review of their current employment workforce to ensure fairness and equity in promotion opportunities, particularly with respect to traditionally underrepresented groups

d) Whether the change will create the opportunity for a vacancy to be filled through a competitive search

Note: Requests for appointment changes and search waivers must be accompanied by appropriate justification and documentation. The requests must include the resume/vita of the individual; a discussion of the individual’s qualifications for the position; and an explanation of the justification for not conducting an open and competitive process. The request should indicate how the individual was identified and should indicate efforts undertaken to identify underrepresented individuals, particularly if the position is part of the campus’ affirmative action plan. If the request is based upon reorganization or promotion, the existing organizational chart and proposed organizational chart should be submitted. Neither an informal verbal offer nor a formal written offer can be extended until the search waiver or appointment change is approved by OAE.