Search Plans and Search Authorizations
The Provost carries the responsibility of authorizing schools and University Institutes and Centers (UICs) to conduct searches for the appointment of regular rank faculty. Deans and, in special cases, Institute Directors have the responsibility of authorizing searches for non-regular rank faculty.
At least annually, the Office of the Provost solicits schools for their regular-rank faculty search plans. That solicitation describes the information the Provost requires in order to authorize a search. Schools that have departments generally solicit departmental search plans that the Dean analyzes, combines, and prioritizes, submitting them to the Provost as a school plan.
**As of March 2025, all requests for new faculty positions, both regular rank and non-regular rank, require approval from the Office of the Provost. **
- The Ending Appointments Report in dFac will help to confirm recent or upcoming faculty departures.
- The Job Listings page in Academic Jobs Online will help to confirm the status of in-process searches
- Ad-hoc requests for faculty positions and/or abridged searches (also known as search waivers) are submitted by the dean's office to the Office of the Provost.
Upon receiving the Provost’s written authorization for faculty searches, the Dean or Institute Director undertakes the search or, in turn, sends written search authorizations to department chairs. A copy of the Authorization to Recruit (ATR) is shared with the Office of Institutional Equity.