Workshops for Faculty Search Committees
WISELI’s workshops for members of faculty search committees aim to help committees conduct effective searches and to recruit and hire excellent and diverse faculty. The workshop provides information, advice, and strategies for the following elements of a search:
- Running an effective and efficient committee
- Recruiting a highly qualified pool of diverse candidates
- Understanding the potential influence of unconscious bias on evaluation of candidates
- Ensuring a fair and thorough review of candidates
- Developing and implementing an effective interview process
- Successfully hiring selected candidates
Preworkshop Online Module
Prior to participating in the workshop, search committee members should complete the online module: Getting Started: A Supplement to Searching for Excellence & Diversity. It provides content on “Running an Effective and Efficient Search Committe” and on recruiting diverse and excellent applicants, including a tool for writing and assessing your job listing (PVL). If you need to launch your search and write your PVL prior to participating in the workshop, we strongly encourage you to use this tool during the writing process. Search committee members should receive a link to the online module when approval to conduct a search is provided and/or upon workshop registration. You can also contact WISELI to request the link.
Workshop Materials | Resources for search committees
Not at UW-Madison?
We’ve held Searching for Excellence & Diversity® workshops at dozens of colleges and universities, and can arrange to come to yours.
Workshop Schedule
Campus-wide Workshops — 2023
The schedule of Fall 2023 search workshops will be posted here in August, 2023 – please check back or contact WISELI for information.
Health Sciences Workshop — Spring 2023
for
Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine
April 20, 1:00-4:00pm, HSLC Room 3110 A&C | REGISTER by April 14
Refresher/Update — 2023
If you meet the prerequisite described below, please contact us to arrange for a refresher/update session
Prerequisite: Completion of at least two complete workshop series during previous years. Two complete workshop series means:
- Participating in both Session 1 & Session 2 of WISELI’s two-part workshop series at least twice in past years, or
- Participating in a combined three-hour workshop series at least twice in past years, or
- Participating in both Session 1 & Session 2 of WISELI’s two part workshop series at least once AND in a combined three-hour workshop at least once.
Workshop materials
Searching for Excellence and Diversity: A Guide for Search Committees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (PDF). Members of the UW–Madison community can contact WISELI to obtain hard copies of this guidebook.
Reviewing Applicants: Research on Bias and Assumptions (PDF). A brochure summarizing research on unintentional biases and assumptions and their potential influence on evaluation of faculty candidates. Members of the UW–Madison community can contact WISELI to obtain printed copies of this brochure.
Resources
WISELI Resources
- Recruiting resources for search committees
- BIBLIOGRAPHY of works related to the search process
- BIBLIOGRAPHY of references used in WISELI publications
- Benefits & Challenges of Diversity (PDF). A booklet summarizing research on the benefits and challenges of diversity.
UW-Madison Resources
Office of the Provost
- Cluster Hiring Initiative
- Dual-Career Couple Assistance Program
- Faculty Diversity Initiative
- Resources and information for new and prospective faculty and staff
- Strategic Hiring Initiative for Dual-Career Couples
Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement (DDEEA)
The DDEEA provides valuable resources that can assist with diversifying the workforce, including:
- Consulting with search committees about the search process and active recruiting:
- Luis Piñero, Sr. Special Assistant for Workforce Equity, Diversity Education, and Outreach, Deputy Title IX Coordinator
- Dadao Hou, Institutional Policy Analyst III and Affirmative Action Officer
- Advice and resources for accommodating the needs of faculty candidates with disabilities
- Barbara Lanser, Director, Employee Disability Resources
The Office of Human Resources (OHR)
The Office of Human Resources’ Talent Acquisition Team provides valuable information and resources for recruiting applicants.
Relevant Publications
Searching for Excellence & Diversity® Workshop: Improving Faculty Diversity by Educating Faculty Search Committees
Sheridan, Jennifer; Eve Fine; Molly Carnes; Amy Wendt; and Jo Handelsman. 2015. “Searching for Excellence & Diversity® Workshop: Improving Faculty Diversity by Educating Faculty Search Committees.” In Personalauswahl in der Wissenschaft (C. Peus et al., Eds.) Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
Minimizing the Influence of Gender Bias on the Faculty Search Process
Fine, Eve; Jennifer Sheridan; Molly Carnes; Jo Handelsman; Christine Pribbenow; Julia Savoy; and Amy Wendt. 2014. “Minimizing the Influence of Gender Bias on the Faculty Search Process.” In Advances in Gender Research: Gender Transformations in the Academy (Vasilikie Demos, Catherine White Berheide, and Marcia Texler Segal, Eds.) Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing.
Searching for Excellence & Diversity®: Workshops for Search Committees
Fine, Eve and Molly Carnes. “Searching for Excellence & Diversity®: Workshops for Search Committees. GWIMS Watch (Summer, 2013): 7-8.
Searching for Excellence & Diversity: Increasing the Hiring of Women Faculty at One Academic Medical Center
Sheridan, Jennifer; Eve Fine; Christine Maidl Pribbenow; Jo Handelsman; Molly Carnes. 2010. “Searching for Excellence & Diversity: Increasing the Hiring of Women Faculty at One Academic Medical Center.” Academic Medicine. 85(6):999-1007.
Interventions That Affect Gender Bias in Hiring: A Systematic Review
Isaac, Carol; Barbara Lee; and Molly Carnes. 2009. “Interventions That Affect Gender Bias in Hiring: A Systematic Review.” Academic Medicine. 84(10):1440-1446.
Searching for Excellence & Diversity: Does Training Faculty Search Committees Improve Hiring of Women?
Sheridan, Jennifer; Eve Fine; Jessica Winchell; Christine Maidl Pribbenow; Molly Carnes; and Jo Handelsman. 2007. “Searching for Excellence & Diversity: Does Training Faculty Search Committees Improve Hiring of Women?” American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) 2007 Conference Proceedings. June 2007.
Climate Change at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: What Changed, and Did ADVANCE Have an Impact?
Sheridan, Jennifer; Christine Maidl Pribbenow; Eve Fine; Jo Handelsman; and Molly Carnes. 2007. “Climate Change at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: What Changed, and Did ADVANCE Have an Impact?” Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network (WEPAN) 2007 Conference Proceedings. June 2007.
Media Coverage
With Recent Hires, Women in ECE Reach a New Milestone
The increase in women faculty is no accident; it’s the result of a commitment to diversity in the department. “When I was hired in 1998, I was one of two women in ECE,” says Philip …
Faculty Job Interviews Gone Bad
"Faculty Job Interviews Gone Bad." December 19, 2018. Kris Olds. Inside Higher Ed.
Gender Matters
“Gender Matters.” Jennifer Blue, Adrienne L. Traxler, and Ximena C. Cid. Physics Today 71/3/40. March 2018.
Stop Bias and Start Change in STEM
“Stop Bias and Start Change in STEM.” Beth Mitchneck. The Hill/Congress Blog. May 6, 2016.
Bias in Hiring
“Bias in Hiring.” Emily Auerbach. University of the Air, Wisconsin Public Radio. Madison, WI. September 20, 2015.
Reducing the Impact of Negative Stereotypes on the Careers of Minority and Women Scientists
“Reducing the Impact of Negative Stereotypes on the Careers of Minority and Women Scientists.” Daisy Grewal. Science Careers. October 26, 2010.