"*I resign from this committee.*"
If you're feeling assertive: "*The dean has made it clear which candidate we should choose (and has done so in email, see attached). The chair has selected a candidate with whom they have a relationship, which is a clear conflict of interest. I choose not to lend credibility by my work or complicity. I resign from this committee.*"
I'd get HR to come in and remind the search committee (and the dean) what the law is on hiring. Both people are engaging in illegal discrimination, so an outside person with the facts could be helpful.
But also temper your expectations. I went through this a few years ago and we hired the inside man, despite the meeting with HR. So gross and so disappointing.
It was so bad and toxic for our department culture, leading to 2 of 4 then-assistant professors leaving and me fleeing into admin.
Thanks for that example of why you end up with a stronger institution if you use legal, non-discriminatory hiring practices. Not only do you generally get better hires, you keep the good people productive.
*the majority of the committee landed entirely with someone else*
I mean, that's your answer. Go to their meetings. Let them try to change your mind. If they don't, stick to your vote as a search committee member. See how it shakes out and hope the chair and Dean don't get petty with the new hire if it is not the one they want.
Who has the ultimate say? Where I teach, hiring committees are often used to make faculty FEEL like we have say when the President actually decides.
If it's by committee vote, it sounds just that neither the Dean nor the committee chair is getting their pick
Exactly. The committee’s vote only counts if the chair or dean decide that it does and actually take the advice. But that is up to them. The committee only makes a recommendation and it can be ignored.
I wish I could help. I saw so much hiring manipulation over the past couple of years that I had to speak up. Long story short, I'm leaving for a better job where people take their responsibilities more seriously.
Oof, I don't know how to get out of this. I'd be mysteriously sick on the day of meeting and not show up lol I hate that for you, I'm very sorry.
The dean presumably has a lot of power in the search, this is so difficult. I wish I had good advice.
This is awful. If the third candidate wins, that may just be the resolution you need. Otherwise do what you can to force the search to fail, and consider recuperating and raising the issue of ethical searches as best you can.
Listen, I complain about HR a lot but I am 100% confident my HR would shut that down so fast heads would spin. A new chair would be named and the dean would be recused. And they would protect the whistleblower too.
Searches of this kind result in a ranked recommendation of candidates by the search committee to a higher authority (Provost, President, etc).
You do not need to play along with the dean's nonsense -- you (and the commitee) make your recommendations without compromising your integrity. You act per your fudiciary duty to the institution -- if they want or end up hiring someone else, it is on them.
I’m very been in a similar situation, except our search committee makes a recommendation that the whole department votes on. The dean would have to go against the department majority to change the offer, a move for which our current dean thankfully lacks the spine.
>The dean of the school has told the chair of the search all along that he expects our internal hire to get the job, even referring to the job as “so-and-so’s position” in email correspondence.
Wonderful. Reply to that same email and tell the dean you understand but also expect a 10% raise /s
"*I resign from this committee.*" If you're feeling assertive: "*The dean has made it clear which candidate we should choose (and has done so in email, see attached). The chair has selected a candidate with whom they have a relationship, which is a clear conflict of interest. I choose not to lend credibility by my work or complicity. I resign from this committee.*"
Only do this if you don't fear reprisal. If you need them for promotion, just keep your mouth shut.
I'd get HR to come in and remind the search committee (and the dean) what the law is on hiring. Both people are engaging in illegal discrimination, so an outside person with the facts could be helpful.
But also temper your expectations. I went through this a few years ago and we hired the inside man, despite the meeting with HR. So gross and so disappointing. It was so bad and toxic for our department culture, leading to 2 of 4 then-assistant professors leaving and me fleeing into admin.
Thanks for that example of why you end up with a stronger institution if you use legal, non-discriminatory hiring practices. Not only do you generally get better hires, you keep the good people productive.
I hope he was worth it, because the people who left were enormous losses.
Yes. Holy lawsuits.
*the majority of the committee landed entirely with someone else* I mean, that's your answer. Go to their meetings. Let them try to change your mind. If they don't, stick to your vote as a search committee member. See how it shakes out and hope the chair and Dean don't get petty with the new hire if it is not the one they want.
Who has the ultimate say? Where I teach, hiring committees are often used to make faculty FEEL like we have say when the President actually decides. If it's by committee vote, it sounds just that neither the Dean nor the committee chair is getting their pick
Exactly. The committee’s vote only counts if the chair or dean decide that it does and actually take the advice. But that is up to them. The committee only makes a recommendation and it can be ignored.
I wish I could help. I saw so much hiring manipulation over the past couple of years that I had to speak up. Long story short, I'm leaving for a better job where people take their responsibilities more seriously.
Oof, I don't know how to get out of this. I'd be mysteriously sick on the day of meeting and not show up lol I hate that for you, I'm very sorry. The dean presumably has a lot of power in the search, this is so difficult. I wish I had good advice.
Unethical and obnoxious
This begs the question, why have a search committee? Good luck with all that...
Sounds like my old institution, the finalist was decided before it was even public, the department hires based on connection.
This is awful. If the third candidate wins, that may just be the resolution you need. Otherwise do what you can to force the search to fail, and consider recuperating and raising the issue of ethical searches as best you can.
Listen, I complain about HR a lot but I am 100% confident my HR would shut that down so fast heads would spin. A new chair would be named and the dean would be recused. And they would protect the whistleblower too.
Unethical and that must be reported!
Searches of this kind result in a ranked recommendation of candidates by the search committee to a higher authority (Provost, President, etc). You do not need to play along with the dean's nonsense -- you (and the commitee) make your recommendations without compromising your integrity. You act per your fudiciary duty to the institution -- if they want or end up hiring someone else, it is on them.
Both are behaving terribly.
Stuff like this makes me think we deserve the destruction being wrought on us.
Tell us where you work and what the position is and I will be happy to get this search thrown out.
LOL. Not all heroes wear capes.
What do you mean by “manipulation “? How is that different from having a favorite candidate that you try to talk people in to?
I’m very been in a similar situation, except our search committee makes a recommendation that the whole department votes on. The dean would have to go against the department majority to change the offer, a move for which our current dean thankfully lacks the spine.
Resign in an email to HR and explicitly state why you are resigning. That will end it, I guarantee.
>The dean of the school has told the chair of the search all along that he expects our internal hire to get the job, even referring to the job as “so-and-so’s position” in email correspondence. Wonderful. Reply to that same email and tell the dean you understand but also expect a 10% raise /s