Each year, Lehigh provides several opportunities for faculty leading and serving on search committees to attend the required workshop to prepare for hiring an excellent and diverse faculty. Staff members supporting the search have the option to join.
Faculty leading and serving on search committees as well as the department chairs and staff members supporting the recruitment process can now register for one of the four workshops. Based on the hiring schedule, we are now offering a session in July.
Participation in the “Best Practices” provides an opportunity to collectively explore ways you can ensure recruitment success is required for all members of the search committee.
Search chairs should ensure our staff colleagues are prepared for and supported for their roles. The “Best Practices for Equitable Faculty Recruitment” workshops are distinct from the “nuts and bolts’ sessions from the Provost Office which targets search committee chairs.
Monday, July 25, 1-3pm, Zoom RSVP by Jul 21, 2022
Tuesday, August 30, 9-11 am- Zoom
Wednesday, August 31- 12-2pm- In person, HST Forum Rm 100, TBC
Wednesday, September 21- 9-11-in person, HST Forum Rm 100 TBC
Colleagues only need to join one session. While reminders will go out as more search committee memberships are completed, we hope you will also ensure everyone has details to register for a session. When you register, you will have the option to describe a recruitment related scenario or practice you would like to explore at the workshop.
In addition to reviewing the current expectations and data, the program will build off of the recent Lessons Learned feedback to:
· Update colleagues on hiring outcome demographics and how to understand the diversity in their disciplines
· Highlight the evidence about evaluation and decision-making biases, consider the impact of the pandemic, and provide strategies to mitigate the impacts of those biases
· Support healthy committee dynamics and responding to bias during decision making
· Help search committees activate a robust recruitment outreach plan to create a diverse applicant and candidate pool
· Share recommendations for conducting interviews of semi-finalists and finalists (in person or remotely)
· Share the latest expectations for reference checks, googling/using other academic information, screening for sexual harassment/research misconduct
· Discuss tips for evaluating applicant statements about commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion
· Provide ample time for discussing your ideas and questions, learn from one another
Please reach out to Marci Levine (mjl410@lehigh.edu) if you have any questions.
Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs
Jackie Krasas, Professor Sociology and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Office of Diversity, Inclusion & Equity
Henry Odi, Deputy Vice President for Equity & Community and Associate Provost for Academic Diversity
ADVANCE Center for Women STEM Faculty
Joan Ramage Faculty Director, ADVANCE Center for Women in STEM Associate Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Marci Levine, Staff Director ADVANCE Center for Women in STEM
*: With the endorsement of the Provost and Deans, there are two reasons to require workshop attendance. First, empirical research that shows the importance of having all committee members in attendance at such workshops. Second, equitable practices are best maintained when all search committee members attend each time they serve and not simply once or every couple of years.
