Provost shares process, philosophy for institutional hiring plan

Jayanth Banavar, UO provost and senior vice president, is already looking forward to March 2018, when the University of Oregon will begin reviewing proposals for around 50 tenure-track faculty searches to be launched in 2018-19 as part of the new institutional hiring plan.

The 2018 hiring plan will be created through a collaborative proposal process that begins with faculty, involves discussion between the provost and individual deans and concludes with review by two collective advisory groups ‑ the Dean’s Council and a group of senior faculty members.

Complete details on the plan can be reviewed on the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs website.

Banavar encouraged deans to work with faculty members to develop proposals that reflect the strategic goals of the individual colleges, as well as the comprehensive vision of UO’s broad research and teaching mission.

“This process will help us to collectively and collaboratively improve the excellence of the university,” Banavar said.

Priority will be given to proposals that best meet the long-term goals for the excellence and overall health of the university. Criteria will include: 

  • Searches that leverage and expand on demonstrated research excellence.
  • Searches that will help create research excellence in new areas or areas on the cusp of excellence.
  • Growth of successful graduate programs, especially doctoral programs.
  • Searches with active recruitment plans that have the potential to contribute to the diversity of the faculty and their academic disciplines.
  • Searches that can be demonstrated to support student success.

Search proposal packets for the 2018 hiring plan are due March 9.

—By Tobin J. Klinger, University Communications