Hiring manager toolkit

• Welcome and Introduction to the Recruitment Process
• Email Check-In, at or around the first review date

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

Reasonable Accommodations
UWL provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodations for a qualified individual with a disability. If you need assistance or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact hrinfo@uwlax.edu or 608.785.8013. This job announcement and other material on this site will be made available in alternate formats upon request to an individual with a disability.

All position descriptions are required to provide physical demands and working conditions/environment and may not be published in the job announcement. For information on the physical demands and/or working conditions/environment for this position, please contact Human Resources at hrinfo@uwlax.edu or 608.785.8013.

Miscellaneous Information

Information about your benefits (FAASLI)

Your benefits add an additional 40%+ to the overall financial package from the university.

Highlights include:

• excellent flexible health insurance with low co-pays and good coverage.
• paid holidays and sick days.
• sick leave may be converted at retirement to pay for health insurance post-work at UWL.
• after 5 years of employment, you become vested in our retirement system which ensures income post-career.
• benefits at UWL are highly competitive with local industry and some of the strongest in state and nation.

Learn more at: https://www.uwlax.edu/globalassets/offices-services/human-resources/benefits-info/2022-quick-guide-faasli.pdf

Benefit eligibility is determined at the point of hire. This information is provided for illustrative purposes only. Benefits are also pro-rated based on the appointment percentage.

Information about UWL and the Surrounding Region

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UW–La Crosse) provides a challenging, dynamic, and diverse learning environment in which the entire university community is fully engaged in supporting student success. Grounded in the liberal arts, UW-La Crosse fosters curiosity and life-long learning through collaboration, innovation, and the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. Acknowledging and respecting the contributions of all, UW-La Crosse is a regional academic and cultural center that prepares students to take their place in a constantly changing world community.

For more than a decade, UW-La Crosse has been named one of Kiplinger’s 100 Best Values in Public Universities and has appeared prominently on the U.S. News & World Report list of “America’s Best Colleges” for more than 15 years, and is ranked #4 on its list of the Best Regional Public Universities in the Midwest.

With a student population of roughly 10,500, the university offers 91 undergraduate programs, 21 graduate programs, and 2 doctoral programs through the following three colleges, the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities, the College of Business Administration, and the College of Science and Health, as well as the School of Education. There are over 600 full-time faculty and instructional academic staff, 75 percent of whom hold terminal degrees. UW-La Crosse boasts a retention rate (freshmen returning as sophomores) of 84 percent, a graduation rate (degree within six years) of 70 percent, and is among only 12 institutions cited nationally by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities for its success in linking campus culture and university leadership to outstanding graduation rates.

UW-La Crosse’s strategic plan Sustaining Excellence continues to move our community forward through its four pillars: increasing community engagement, achieving excellence through equity and diversity, investing in our people, and advancing transformational education. More information about the ongoing work of Sustaining Excellence is available at www.uwlax.edu/info/strategic-plan.

The UW-La Crosse campus is in southwestern Wisconsin, nestled in a residential area of the City of La Crosse and positioned as part of a larger metro area with a population close to 140,000. The area, known as the 7 Rivers Region, is famous for its exceptional natural beauty which includes the Mississippi River on one side, majestic bluffs on the other, and views of rolling farmland and forested valleys in between. Abundant water, woodlands, and varying terrain provide ample opportunities for year-round outdoor recreation. Only a couple of hours from Minneapolis or Madison, La Crosse enjoys the affordability and charm of small-town living with larger city benefits. Three colleges, two world-class medical institutions, the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, a restored nineteenth-century downtown business district and a number of galleries and art centers have made La Crosse a regional center for culture, entertainment, medical care, shopping, sports, and recreation. More information about the La Crosse metro area can be found here: Choose La Crosse.

Learn more about UW-La Crosse here: https://www.uwlax.edu/human-resources/services/talent-acquisition-and-employment/finalist-welcome/

AA/EO Statement
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. We strongly encourage women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans to apply. UWL, in compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or protected veteran status.

DEI Statement
UW-La Crosse’s diversity and inclusion efforts are guided by our adherence to Inclusive Excellence. We define Inclusive Excellence as “… our active, intentional and ongoing commitment to bridge differences with understanding and respect so all can thrive." The goals of Inclusive Excellence are to increase the retention of diverse faculty, staff, and students while encouraging a campus climate that is inviting and welcoming to all. UW-La Crosse strives to promote acceptance of all facets of diversity from racial/ethnic diversity to diversity of thought and experience. UW-La Crosse ranks 6th nationally among the Top LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges for 2018-19 by AffordableCollegesOnline.org (ACO).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (Clery Act)
For the UWL Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports (i.e., Clery Report), which includes statistics about reported crimes and information about campus security policies, see https://www.uwlax.edu/police/annual-security-report/ or contact the University Police Department at 608.785.9000. 

Special Instructions

Application deadlines

TO ENSURE CONSIDERATION: Priority consideration is given to those candidates who apply by the listed ‘First Review Date’. Applications received after that date may be given consideration at the discretion of the search committee. Application materials will be evaluated, and the most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process. Incomplete and/or late application materials may not receive consideration. If you have questions regarding this recruitment, or if you are not able to complete the application online due to a disability or system problem, please contact the Office of Human Resources.

Confidentiality of Applicant Materials
UWL is a state agency and is subject to Wisconsin's Open Records Law. UWL will not, however, reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing except as may be required by Wisconsin's Open Records law. In certain circumstances, the identities of "final candidates" and/or the identity of the appointed applicant must be revealed upon request.

CBC & Reference Check Policy
All candidates for employment are subject to a pre-employment screening which includes a criminal background check, work authorization, and verification of education. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

• Brief guide for contemporary interviewing 
  
• Behavioral interviewing guide 
  
• Confidentiality statement and guidelines for interviewing 
  
• Interview question bank 
• Approved office support interview questions 
• Approved reference question samples 
• Tips on preparing for interviews 
  
• Conducting due diligence - internal candidates 
• Recruitment Questions from previous searches

Interview Schedule Templates

• On-campus interview schedule template for faculty/instructional
• On-campus interview schedule template for instructional academic staff
• On-campus interview schedule template for staff (full time, professional)
• On-campus interview schedule template for Director or Administrative positions
• On-campus interview schedule template for staff (part-time or para-professional)

Group Forum Qualtrics Survey

• Template for Director or Administrative & Staff positions

For departments that are requesting an on-site interview, panels/committees may reserve a temporary parking pass through the Parking Services online form. Departments will be billed for the temporary parking pass. 

The campus visit is a critical part of the interview process, both of the interview committee/panel and for the candidate.  Use the following link to provide in your confirmation of interview email to candidates to let them know more about UWL.

• UW-La Crosse information for finalist candidates

For some recruitments, committees/panels may want to consider the following: 

• The La Crosse Chamber First Friend
• Realtor connections

The First Friend program provides insights into local schools, housing, child care, hobbies/interest, and more.  For more information, contact hrinfo@uwlax.edu 

• How to arrange and pay for interview candidate travel
• Travel information and news
• Hosted meals for interview candidates

There are TWO separate approval processes that must occur in order to have an appointment document created.  The first is the "recommend to hire".  This workflow formally documents the Level 2 and Level 3 (if needed) approval for hiring an employee.  

Recommending to Hire Workflow

This phase will involve verbal, outside of PeopleAdmin, conversations between the hiring officials.  The terms of the offer will be established and then the formal mechanism to document the approval will be recorded in PeopleAdmin by initiating this workflow.

Hiring Details Workflow

After you have received notification that the candidate has been moved to the "recommend for hire approved" stage, Level 2 or a Business Manager must begin the hiring details immediately.  The results of this workflow will allow HR to be notified of the hiring details to create the appointment document. 

A thumbnail overview of hiring related issues for tenure-track (ranked faculty).

• RANK - unless specifically indicated otherwise in the advertisement for the position, UWL hires at the rank of assistant professor. When a faculty member is hired into a tenure-track position but is not yet tenured, they are referred to as "probationary" and/or "junior" faculty.
• OFFER - in most cases the offer is made by the Dean (occasionally by the department chair after the Dean has confirmed the details of the offer). The offer will include the salary, the length of the tenure clock, and the number of years of service granted towards promotion.
• SALARY - starting salaries for all positions at UWL are based on CUPA data and reflect rank and discipline as benchmarked by peer institutions.
  • Faculty contracts are traditionally 9-month contracts starting one week prior to the start of classes and ending when grades are due after the Spring semester. J-term (wintersession) and summer teaching is optional and reflected in overload pay. 
  • Faculty members who are ABD traditionally are hired at a salary 90% of the target salary. The salary is adjusted upon completion of the degree (contact HR).
• TENURE & PROMOTION - it is crucial for hires to understand that tenure and promotion are separate processes at UWL. 
  • Tenure is a decision of the department and the Chancellor with a recommendation from the Dean and the Provost serving as the Chancellor's designee. The UW System Board of Regents approves the final list. There is no salary adjustment associated with tenure. 
  • Promotion is a decision of the department, a campus-wide committee, and the Chancellor. A base-salary increase is associated with successful promotion.
• TENURE - the vast majority of faculty at UWL are hired with a "7-year tenure clock." A 7-year clock actually indicates that if awarded, tenure will go into effect in the faculty member's seventh year at the university.
  • A seven-year clock means that faculty will be reviewed by their department in their sixth year of service (usually in the Fall and no later than early Spring semester) on the 5 years of service completed at UWL. 
  • Generally speaking, it is best for the candidate and the department for the tenure-clock to be 7-years as it allows for an appropriate amount of time to review faculty progress in the position in terms of teaching, scholarship, and service. If a faculty member comes to UWL with a substantial level of previous higher education experience, the Dean (with approval from the Provost) may offer a shorter tenure clock. 
  • Faculty are traditionally hired with a 2 year contract, receive a review at the end of the first year, a formal contract-review in their second year and 1 or 2 year contracts until the time of the tenure review. The formal contract reviews are referred to as retention reviews and are based on departmental, school/college, and university criteria.
  • Although a department can request an early tenure decision for a candidate, it is very unusual and will only be considered by the provost under extraordinary circumstances.
• PROMOTION - at the time of offer, the Dean will indicate the number of years the candidate has been granted towards promotion. The number of years of service is determined by these guidelines. All promotion candidates for associate professor must have completed 3 years at UWL and 5 years of service overall (including the time at UWL). Unlike tenure, promotion eligibility merely indicates the "earliest" that a faculty member may be considered for promotion. In addition, if a faculty member is unsuccessful at promotion, there is no limit on the number of attempts. Complete information about promotion is available here; however, generally speaking, the Provost recommends that most junior faculty do not need to familiarize themselves with the criteria or process until after their first formal retention review within their departments.
• Additional contract information for most new faculty hires will include start-up costs (if applicable) and any arrangements associated with completion of the doctorate (if not yet completed).

For the purposes of medical leave (e.g., FMLA) during the ~30 weeks associated with the academic terms (15 for Fall and 15 for Spring), teaching is calculated as 60% of the overall workload; scholarship 30% and service 10%. The teaching percentage could be lower as determined by the Dean if the faculty member has a reduced teaching load from the 12 credits based on department or college workload reassignments. Scholarship range is generally 10-30% and service 10-20%. There are nine weeks of the ~39 week contract year outside of the standard 14 week semester (+ one week of finals) where 100% of the faculty member’s time could be considered scholarship and/or service.

Onboarding is a critical part of welcoming a new employee.  Learn more at our onboarding center: https://www.uwlax.edu/human-resources/services/onboarding-center/onboarding/.  Here you will learn about what the employee receives, and what your responsibilities will be to help transition the new employee to UWL.

• How to arrange and pay for interview candidate travel
• Travel information and news
• Hosted meals for interview candidates