Process overview

1. Recruiting

Follow all steps at COE: Recruiting Process - Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty. Pay careful attention to any timeline details (for example, submitting required documentation at least three days in advance of meetings with the Dean).

2. Pre-review

See EVPP: Hiring Tenured & Tenure-Track Faculty > Candidate Pre-Review.

Effective August 2025, the Provost’s Office conducts a pre-review for all potential tenure-track and tenured faculty hires once a finalist has been identified. The review committee examines the candidate’s materials, provides feedback on areas needing clarification or additional information for the forthcoming PAR, and communicates any questions or issues to the Dean’s Office. For potential tenured hires, the Provost’s Office will also review the candidate’s materials to determine whether a tenure review is likely to be successful. Negotiations with the candidate may continue while the pre-review is in process. Questions identified in the pre-review must be clearly addressed in the PAR.

In COE, this step is initiated after both (a) the Hire Recommendation Summary Report has been submitted to the Dean and (b) the Dean has approved moving forward with a BC/EC discussion and vote on the finalist. For pre-review instructions and a list of materials to be submitted, see COE: Recruiting Process - Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty > tab Phase 4: Before BC/EC meets, step 5.

3. Background check

Per HOP 5-1140: Criminal Background Checks, VII.A.2: No applicant may start work for the University, formally or informally, before having a Criminal Background Check completed and being approved by the University’s central Human Resources office. An employee that authorizes an applicant to begin work in violation of this provision may be subject to discipline, including potential termination of their employment. 

Departments should initiate a background check for the finalist as soon as EVPP has indicated approval of the pre-review. Effective fall 2025, APS will not accept the PAR nor push the position into Workday until after the background check has been confirmed clear. Faculty must not begin working until after their background check has been confirmed clear; delays may also result in a postponed start date and impacts to employee benefits. See HR: How to Request a Background Check for more information.

A background check must be completed no more than six months before employment start date. If a PAR must be approved more than six months prior to employment start date, please contact APS for guidance.

4. Special circumstances

Review separate documentation for the following circumstances which may require completion of additional processes and approvals prior to moving forward with other hiring processes:

• Degrees and Contingencies

• International Hiring

• Joint hires

• Partner Hiring Program

• Posting Exemption Request

5. Job requisition

See COE: Job Requisitions in Workday - Faculty.

Once the rank of the hire has been determined, a job requisition can be created in Workday. Whereas an Interfolio job posting can include multiple ranks (e.g. Open Rank; Associate or Full Professor), the Workday job requisition must be for a single specific rank (e.g. Associate Professor or full Professor). Tenured and tenure-track faculty positions are always created in the PM sup org.

The job requisition number will be included in the PAR document.

Note that for joint hires, a separate job requisition must be created for each supervisory organization into which the faculty member will be hired. A faculty member who will work jointly in two departments, for example, will require a separate job requisition to be created and approved the appropriate sup org of each department. See COE: Hiring Joint Faculty.

6. Prior Approval Request (PAR)

See COE: Prior Approval Request (PAR).

The PAR can be begun as soon as a finalist is determined but should not be submitted until pre-review has been approved by EVPP, all supplementary documentation has been collected, and a draft offer letter has been created by COE Faculty Affairs and approved by the Dean/Dean Designate.

7. Offer letter

Tenured and tenure-track offer letters are drafted by Dean's Office Faculty Affairs and initiated by the department Administrative Manager's submission of the COE Faculty Hire Form.  All letters and revisions to letters must be reviewed and approved by the Associate Dean for Faculty Development. Draft versions of letters shared with faculty candidates must not be signed and should be clearly watermarked "Draft". All communications should explicitly indicate that they are draft versions only and do not represent an offer of employment. For tenure-track hires, offer letters may only be distributed to candidates after the PAR has been approved by the Senior Associate Dean, and with the permission of COE Faculty Affairs. For tenured hires, both the Senior Associate Dean and EVPP must approve both the tenure dossier and PAR before an offer letter can be sent to the finalist.

For tenured hires, departments may request a provisional offer letter from COE Faculty Affairs by submitting the COE Faculty Hire Form.

8. Close Interfolio position

See COE: Recruiting Process - Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty > tab After conclusion of search.

Immediately after the conclusion of a faculty search, once the finalist has signed their offer letter, the department AM should close the Interfolio position (archive) and indicate an outcome. For searches that did not result in selection of a candidate, add a note about why no selection was made (e.g., cancelled due to lack of funding, position no longer needed, lack of qualified applicants, etc.).

For tenured hires, approval of the hire by the Provost's Office is also required prior to extension of any offer.

9. PAR/Workday integration

After EVPP has received and processed both the PAR approved by the College and the new hire's signed offer letter, their office will initiate the integration of PAR information into Workday to create the faculty's appointment.

The unit Academic HR Partner should verify that all details in Workday are correct and process any necessary changes.

10. Onboarding

See COE: Onboarding New Faculty.

How to hire tenure-track faculty (includes tenure-track Associate/full Professor)

Before beginning, review EVPP: Hiring Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty. 

If the future faculty member will need PI status prior to their start date, see instructions at Requesting COE: PI Status Prior to New Faculty Start Date.

How to hire tenured faculty

Tenured faculty hires involve three subprocesses: (1) tenure review, (2) preparation and review of the PAR packet, and (3) negotiations and drafting of the offer letter. Each involves different individuals and offices and requires approvals from various College and University leaders. These subprocesses can begin in parallel; it is not necessary to wait for one to finish before starting another. However, completion of some steps may depend on progress made in others. Each subprocess is detailed below.

Before beginning, review EVPP: Hiring Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty. 

If the future faculty member will need PI status prior to their start date, see instructions at Requesting COE: PI Status Prior to New Faculty Start Date.