Office of Equal Opportunity

This is in accordance with KRS 164, as amended by HB3, Section 19, and is a result of actions by the 2006 General Assembly. A link to the complete house bill 3 is provided:
http://www.lrc.ky.gov/RECORD/06RS/HB3.htm

Procedures to Hire Executive/Administrative/Managerial, Faculty and
Professional Non-Faculty Positions

Revision Date: 10/03/94

1. REQUEST TO HIRE: When a vacancy occurs, or a new position is established, the administrative head of the department will request, after consultation with the dean or other appropriate administrator, permission to fill the vacancy by: (A) a letter of justification to the dean or appropriate administrator, which must include the source of funds, and (B) a Position/Advertisement Request Form. The advertisement must be specific. The request must be approved at each administrative level.
2. ADVERTISEMENT PLACEMENT: Upon approval of the President to fill a position, job announcements are to be placed in appropriate publications, including those targeted for minorities. All advertisements must include the following non-discrimination statement:
   
   Murray State University is an equal education and employment opportunity, M/F/D, AA employer.
3. *ADDITIONAL CRITERIA: In addition to the job description, there are additional criteria on which an interviewee will be rated. These criteria must be reduced to writing and forwarded to the Office of Equal Opportunity within three working days after the Advertisement is approved (see #11).
4. SEARCH COMMITTEE: Search Committees, assembled to evaluate candidates, should attempt to represent a diversity of rank, tenure, sex, and race. The Office of Equal Opportunity will assign one member from the Affirmative Action Committee to the Search Committee. This member will attend the first and last Committee meetings.
5. APPLICATIONS: As letters of application and resumes/curriculum vitae are received, the administrative head of the department sends an acknowledgement letter and an Affirmative Action Card to the applicants. Evaluation procedures must follow the criteria listed in the job description.
6. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION REQUIREMENTS:
   
   1. Proper distribution of Affirmative Action Cards.
   2. Advertisements and professional contacts directed toward blacks, women, and other minority professionals.
   3. Compliance with requests from the Office of Equal Opportunity.
7. *REQUEST TO INTERVIEW: After receiving an adequate pool of applicants, the administrative head of the department processes the Interview Request Form. Minorities and women applicants are encouraged to be included in the pool. If minority/women applicants are not to be interviewed, specific reasons why they are not being interviewed must be stated on the form, the reasons must identify deficiencies related to the job description.
8. INVITATION TO CAMPUS: At such time as Affirmative Action and general hiring requirements have been met, and approval has been received from the Director of Equal Opportunity and the appropriate Vice President, the candidates may be invited to campus for an interview.
9. APPROVAL TO MAKE OFFER: After interviewing the candidates, the administrative head of the department must consult with the appropriate Dean or other administrative head, who in turn consults with the appropriate Vice President, prior to making an offer.
10. The written recommendation should contain starting date, recommended salary and rank, and other pertinent information including a statement that the candidate's proficiency in oral and written communication in the language in which the course(s) is being taught has been evaluated and that proficiency is such that the appointment is appropriate.
11. OFFER LETTER: Candidates will be recommended by the appropriate Vice President to the President. The President approves making an offer to employ, subject to Board of Regent's approval. Upon approval of a candidate by the president, a standardized written formal offer will be made by the appropriate Vice President.
12. *EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY AND PERSONNEL ACTION FORM: Following acceptance of the written offer, the hiring department processes the Employment Summary Form and the Notice of Personnel Action Form (PA #3) through the proper channels. These forms may be processed simultaneously. Minorities and women who were interviewed but did not receive a job offer must be listed on the Employment Summary Form along with the reason for not hiring. Those reasons are exclusively related to the additional criteria, EXCEPT in those unusual cases requiring reference back to job description.
13. FILES: Search files must be retained by the hiring unit and the Office of Equal Opportunity for three complete fiscal years (July 1 through June 30).
14. LATE HIRES - FACULTY ONLY: This process is only used when an unexpected resignation or retirement occurs: The following steps should be followed:
    
    1. Notify the appropriate Vice President
    2. Notify the Director of Equal Opportunity
    3. Process Position Advertisement Request Form. Include the following information: (1) length of appointment, (2) options available for filling position, and (3) long range intentions for the position.

It is important to work closely with the appropriate Vice President and the Director of Equal Opportunity throughout this process.

Note: The Director of Equal Opportunity, at any time prior to the President's approval of making a written formal offer, may interrupt the hiring process when compliance with affirmative action and/or desegregation goals are questioned. In such cases, no further action shall be taken until the Office of Equal Opportunity has completed its investigation and notification to proceed has been received by the appropriate Vice President.

Additional information and forms are available in the Office of Equal Opportunity, Room 103, Wells Hall, phone 3155.

* These procedures will be fully addressed by the Affirmative Action representative at the first Search Committee meeting.

Date Modified: November 1997.