Each faculty member shall have experience and training to maximize teaching effectiveness. This means a minimum of a master’s degree in the discipline or 18 hours of graduate work in the subfield in which they teach.  

The exception to this qualification may be in the areas of occupational education and applied science, where experience may be accepted as the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree for the purposes of initial appointment. Faculty members teaching in occupational education and applied sciences must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in the discipline or subfield in which they teach, in addition to relevant experience in the content area. The Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee in consultation with the appropriate Division Chair and program faculty will evaluate the credentials and experience for prospective faculty.

Beginning in FY 2020, appointees without a bachelor’s degree shall be offered a fixed-term contract. Any applied science appointee who wishes to seek tenure must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

II. Appointment of Fixed-Term and Tenure Track Positions

1. Requests for Existing or New Fixed-Term and Tenure-Track Faculty Positions
   The Vice President for Academic Affairs, after consultation with the Academic Advisory Council and the Faculty Senate, shall recommend faculty positions to the President.
   
   
2. Fixed-Term Appointments
   When faculty positions are approved to be filled by fixed-term appointment, the Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with appropriate program faculty and Division Chair shall identify qualified candidates and recommend a candidate for appointment. 
   
   
3. Publication of Openings and Receipt of Applications
   Recruiting and selection of faculty members shall conform to the letter and spirit of the Equal Opportunity policies as required by Wyoming and United States law. The President, or designee, authorizes the formal announcement and advertisement of all faculty positions and vacancies. The Vice President for Academic Affairs reviews and approves all documents related to faculty searches. In the absence of the President, following the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Administrative Services and Finance approves position announcements, advertisements, position descriptions, confirmation of search committee appointments, and other miscellaneous items related to the initiation of a search. Permanent tenure track positions shall be nationally advertised. The Human Resources Director attends to the mechanics of advertising positions, receiving applications, and acknowledging applications. After acknowledgment of applications, the Human Resources Office retains the applications for review. The President, or designee, informs candidates of the final decision.
   
   
4. Candidate Review and Selection
   The Vice President for Academic Affairs, after consultation with the appropriate Division Chair, shall recommend a Faculty Search Committee to the President for approval.  This committee shall consist of representation from Academic Affairs, Student Services, and Administrative Services. The Search Committee shall consist of
   
   
   • at least three faculty members, including at least one faculty member credentialed in a relevant content area, 
   • one professional staff member,
   • one classified staff member, and
   • the Vice President for Academic Affairs or a designee at the dean level (who serves as an ex officio member). 

The Search Committee Chair shall be the Division Chair, the Chair-elect, or some other faculty member selected in consultation with Division Chair and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Vice President for Academic Affairs may add an outside expert in the appropriate field to the Search Committee serving in an advisory capacity. In the case of a search for nursing faculty, the Director of Nursing shall act as Search Committee Chair.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with the appropriate Division Chair and program faculty shall evaluate the needs of the teaching area and finalize a position description. The Search Committee, utilizing the approved position description and with the assistance of the Human Resources Director, shall evaluate and finalize search procedures and the criteria for analysis of the candidate's credentials. The Search Committee shall analyze and consider the credentials of all candidates and advise the Vice President for Academic Affairs concerning choice of finalists. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the Search Committee Chair, shall determine the top-ranked candidate(s) to be invited to campus for interviews. 

The on-site interview process shall include interviews with the President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee, and the Search Committee, and a demonstration of the candidate’s teaching ability, open to the campus community. The Search Committee Chair shall provide a recommendation along with the committee’s determination of the strengths and weakness of the finalists to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and provide Human Resources with supporting documentation including professional references.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall consider the recommendation of the Search Committee and make a recommendation to the President for appointment. In the event that the Vice President for Academic Affairs’ recommendation differs from that of the Search Committee, the Vice President shall discuss the basis for their recommendation with the Search Committee. The President shall make the final decision regarding an offer of appointment. In the event that the President’s decision differs from that of the recommendation received, the President shall provide the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Faculty Search Committee with a rationale for that decision.

5. Nursing Faculty
   Position descriptions and searches for nursing faculty shall be completed in accordance with the standards for Nursing Education Programs section as contained in the Rules and Regulations of the Wyoming State Board of Nursing and the Board Policy Manual. In the case of nursing faculty searches, the Director of Nursing shall chair the search committee and assume all search roles completed by Division Chairs (see Section D. above).
   
   
6. Appointment
   The President shall approve final commitments to all prospective appointees.
   

II. Appointment of Adjunct Positions

The Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee in consultation with program faculty and Division Chair shall appoint adjunct faculty as necessary and approve candidates for adjunct assignment. The Office of Academic Affairs shall conduct professional reference checks on the prospective adjunct faculty prior to assignment. Adjunct faculty shall be compensated based on credit hours assigned.

Revised & Adopted 04/10/2017
Revised & Adopted 11/12/2018
Revised & Adopted 01/21/2019
Revised & Adopted 12/09/2019
Revised & Adopted 03/09/2020