Among the most crucial decisions made on college and university campuses are those that bear on the selection of new institutional leaders: presidents, vice presidents, deans, and department heads. Effective procedures for recruiting, screening, and nominating candidates for these positions are essential to the vitality and future of academia.…

Issues and steps in the search process for both faculty and administrators are considered, based on a review of the higher education literature, selected literature from the corporate and industrial personnel field, and conversations with personnel practitioners and consultants. After discussing organizational tasks for the search committee and…

A discussion of the faculty and administrator selection process looks at the function of search committees, the issue of confidentiality in records, and societal issues that need to be addressed. A number of factors in the effective use of search committees are outlined, including breadth of committee membership, quality of communication within…