Faculty Hiring Manual 2023–24
Section 2: Getting Started
2.7 Training the Search Committee
Effective immediately, Hiring Units are responsible for ensuring that all search committee members receive implicit bias training prior to search committee members reviewing applications. Chairs of Hiring Units and search committee chairs should consult with their Dean and/or Provost of Faculty Affairs with any questions about how to fulfill training obligations. The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement (DICE) at Rutgers, New Brunswick, has helpful information about STRIDE (Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Excellence) workshops and other resources that can be used to train faculty search committees. RBHS search committees should consult this training presentation and the RBHS Faculty Affairs Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion resources page.
Pre-search training should include discussion of:
- Implicit bias and tools to minimize bias at all stages and in all aspects of the search;
- Illegal and inappropriate interview questions and comments (Additional information regarding interview questions is available in Appendix I);
- Appropriate and legally compliant use and evaluation of diversity and inclusion statements; and,
- Best practices for establishing diverse applicant pools and evaluating finalists.
Search committees must comply with all University Policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment and should be mindful of the Rutgers University Statement on Professional Ethics, as set out in University Policy 60.5.1 and incorporating the Statement on Professional Ethics adopted by the American Association of University Professors at its annual meeting in April 1966 (revised June 1987), including specifically that professors “avoid any exploitation, harassment, or discriminatory treatment of students” and “do not discriminate against or harass colleagues.”