Faculty Hiring Manual 2023–24
Section 5: Offer, Pre-Employment Screenings, and Onboarding

5.3 UHR Background Checks

Individuals hired into any faculty position will be required to have a background check prior to the start of their employment. After the hiring committee has offered the position to the finalist, the Applicant Reviewer or Authorizer-Faculty must move the candidate to the Finalist workflow in ROCS. ROCS generates an email to the Background Check Team for Faculty positions. When applicable, the Background Check Team will send the candidate an invitation to complete a background check application. The background check will minimally include a criminal history check and may include verification of education, employment, license, and other checks, as determined by the BGC Package selected by the Authorizer in the position posting. The candidate will also receive notification of the background check. The background check requirement applies to:

• Individuals who have never been previously employed by the university in any capacity; 
• Individuals who have been previously employed by the university in any capacity but have never undergone a background check;
• Individuals who have been previously employed by the university and have undergone a background check but have had a break in service of over 365 days from their last date of pay listed in the university’s payroll system;
• Individuals who have previously held non-tenure-track positions and are applying for tenure-track positions; and/or
• Individuals who are currently employed by the university and are moving to a new position that requires a background check as per state or federal law and/or as a qualification for the position.

Absent an exception from the Senior Vice President for Human Resources or their designee, an offer of employment will not be final and employment shall not commence until the background check has been completed and results deemed acceptable or “cleared” by the university. Employment may be denied or rescinded based upon the results of the background check. All offer letters should include the following language: “This offer is contingent upon successful completion of all pre-employment screenings.” Where relevant, offer letters should include language about any required licensure and submission of proof of license.

If the background check results are cleared by the UHR Background Check Team, the candidate will advance to the “Background Check Cleared” state, and the Background Check Certificate will be emailed to the BGI Cert Recipient listed on the position posting. After all pre-employment screenings are complete and a start date is determined, the Authorizer may move the candidate to Hired and the ROCS Posting to Filled, or UHR will move at a later time. If Background Check results are not cleared, the candidate will be moved to the state “Background Check Failed” by the UHR Background Check team, and the candidate may be moved to the “Interviewed Not Selected” state.