By Melody Mendoza
Of 56 job openings at Texas A&M-San Antonio for fiscal year 2011-12, 38 positions have been posted online, comprised of 10 faculty and 46 staff.
Although 14 staff positions have already been filled, no full-time faculty positions have been filled becauseit’s a longer process.
Dianne Russell, director of human resources, said as the university grows, the human resources department evaluates which positions can be filled through budget planning and workforce planning.
Workforce planning is “a process we’re just beginning,” where HR employees can anticipate hiring needs in the future, Russell said.
Before, Russell said positions were filled through the budgeting process because the university had limited funds, therefore the hiring staff would go off of what funds were available.
This semester, there are 158 staff employees and 180 faculty members — 152 are full-time staff and 74 full-time faculty members.
This is a 17 percent increase from fall 2010, Russell said.
She said these numbers don’t include positions held by students but, “we generally have around 25 students workers.”
Bill Bush, head of the School of Arts and Science, said it’s a priority for the university to hire more tenure track faculty.
As for staff positions, which Russell said she can speak for, “there are more opportunities for advancements,” at this university. “There have been several student workers that are hired into full-time staff positions.”
Russell said HR writes the job description, roles, responsibilities and requirements for each position.
Russell said HR recruits staff employees and Provost Brent Snow, who oversees the academic affairs department, recruits faculty.
Academic hiring
For a faculty position, a faculty member from each department is designated hiring manager to create descriptions and process applications, Bush said.
“They are the expert on what we’re looking for,” Russell said.
Once the description is approved, Russell said it is posted online.
“We get an awful lot of applications just by posting it on our website,” she said.
Job postings can be found on the A&M-San Antonio website by clicking employment opportunities at the bottom. Available positions are also posted at Texas Workforce Commission and www.higheredjobs.com.
Once the description is posted, HR personnel help manage the applicant pool and give training and guidance for the selection process.
“HR assists, but the department is the one doing the hiring and interviewing,” Russell said. “They’re more familiar with the positions in academic affairs that they’re looking for.”
Bush said that the academic hiring process is a lot different than HR’s process of hiring staff.
“Any full time or tenure track that we hire is a big deal,” he said adding that it’s a big investment and commitment. “A lot of thought goes into it.”
Dr. Tracy Hurley, head of the School of Business, said it’s a lengthy process of about six to eight months.
Bush explained that when a department receives the budget for tenure track hires in the fall, a search committee is formed with three to five faculty members from the discipline or related programs. He said because the university doesn’t have many faculty members, a member from another discipline may sit on a search committee.
Hurley said because business is self-contained with different disciplines, a faculty member from a discipline within the department can sit on the committee if needed.
For example, she said if a marketing position was available, the committee would be made up of marketing faculty and possibly another business professor.
Search committee members then go through training with HR and receive information about federal and state compliance, Bush said.
Russell said to assist department heads and academic affairs administrators, there is a checklist, which includes “criminal background check, reference check, degree verification, screening and interviewing.”
In addition to the check list, she said HR provides a hiring matrix or ranking methods, which helps decide who is the closest fit after the interview process.
Bush said the first thing the committee looks for is that the applicant meets the academic requirements for a terminal degree.
“Almost without exception, they’ll need to have a doctorate in the field,” he said. But explained that an MFA, or masters of fine arts, also constitutes as a terminal degree.
On top of this qualification, Bush said the candidates have to submit a cover letter, resume, transcripts, writing samples, teaching evaluations and evidence of teaching experience. During the screening process, Bush said these credentials are evaluated and a criminal background check is completed.
“Basically, we have to review transcripts and course hours to make sure they’re qualified according to accreditation standards for them to teach,” he said.
He said the cycle for hiring tenure track faculty begins in early fall to be hired for the following fall semester. A secondary cycle of hires can be posted in the spring, but Bush said the bulk get posted in the fall.
Then, the interview process begins in November and the committee forms a list of semi finalists who are contacted and interviewed by phone.
On the basis of those interviews, the committee narrows to a shortlist of no more than three finalists who are brought to campus for a face-to-face interview with the committee and job talk.
Candidate job talks
Job talks include a public lecture by each candidate to an audience of usually faculty and some students, Bush said.
He said this is the last hurdle candidates have to face.
“When we do get students in the audience … the committee will seek out the students.”
Although student feedback is important, he said “We’ve had much challenge in the past getting students.”
Hurley agreed that it’s difficult getting students and said “we generally limit it to faculty that evaluate the job talks. I think the faculty have a pretty good idea if that was an adequate lecture,” she said.
She said job talks are usually on Fridays when most students are off campus.
But Bush said some professors take their classes to the talks, and sometimes send fliers via email.
After the job talk, the search committee will vote and write a recommendation letter to the provost and if everyone is in agreement, an offer will be made.
Hiring qualities
Bush said the university is looking for a person who is an excellent teacher with depth to their expertise. A candidate who can teach many courses would be more suitable because this is a growing university, he said.
Hurley said she looks for a candidate that will best fit with the personalities and meet the academic needs of the programs within the School of Business.
Also, the candidate should have industry experience outside their teaching expertise. “Half of the business faculty — this is their second job,” she said.
Adjunct hiring
As for adjunct faculty positions, or part-time professors, Bush said the process isn’t as elaborate.
He said adjuncts don’t have to undergo a job talk, but are interviewed via phone and then brought to campus for a second interview and tour. Also, they are required to submit all of the same printed application materials, he said.
Hurley said adjuncts have to have a minimum of a master’s degree and 18 hours in the field they’re applying to teach.
“We try really hard to get adjuncts that have relevant experience,” she said. “We have many that have owned their own business.”
“Every hire that we make is a significant impact on the university,” Bush said. “Especially because we are a start up university … we take it very seriously.”
For more information about HR visit the website at http://www.tamusa.tamus.edu/HR/index.html.
To see listings of job openings at this university, visit https://employment.tamusahr.com/applicants/jsp/shared/Welcome_css.jsp.
