Guidelines for Applications for Faculty Positions

  1. Each proposal should be designed to make its best case. The criteria outlined here may not be the only ones addressed in every proposal. It is crucial that the proposal be as complete as possible. Even though the committee may ask for clarifications in certain cases, it would be unrealistic to depend on future conversations with the committee for strengthening the proposal. 
  2. Programs or groups of faculty making independent proposals for a faculty position will be expected to address, in addition to the current FPAC guidelines, important issues such as the composition of the search committee; physical placement of a hire (with which department/s will the position be associated?); the relationship of the position to the curriculum of related departments and programs, both at Pomona and Claremont-wide; and intellectual support (how will the hire be mentored and acculturated into the College community?). 
  3. Both the committee and the proposers will have access to the same raw data. This data will include enrollment figures as well as information on the teaching responsibilities of the current faculty. It is up to the proposers to interpret the data and to provide the context. The existence of labs, team teaching, senior theses, independent studies, interdisciplinary and intercollegiate programs and programs/departments at the other Claremont Colleges, and the special pedagogical needs of different disciplines make it imperative that the proposers explain the data. Additional data or appropriate summaries of the raw data may be helpful. 
  4. The proposals should use the comparative data from comparable institutions provided by the Administration when appropriate. The material from self studies and outside reviews should be included when appropriate.  
  5. Departments and programs are encouraged to reconfigure old positions to meet new needs and new directions in their field. Those proposals will be considered replacement position proposals, not new position proposals.  
  6. The proposal should address each of the following criteria:
    • Curricular impact

How will the position affect the department's or program's curriculum? Will it strengthen a core part of a curriculum, or fill a gap there? What is its relevance to the College's general educational mission? How will it affect other departments and programs at the College? How does the proposed position fit with those already existing at the College and in Claremont generally?

  • Student demand and enrollment pressure.

What are the enrollment patterns in the proposer's department or program and how will the position affect them? How many students and how many majors will be served? What will the effect be on the number of part-time faculty, the number of closed sections, or the average class size in the department or program? The data for enrollments will come from the Registrar's office. The proposal should explain any special circumstances or anomalies.

  • Current use of faculty resources

What is the level of involvement of the existing faculty in the interdisciplinary programs, the freshman seminar, etc., and how will the proposed position affect such teaching? How does the mix of service courses, general education courses, courses required by the major, and electives compare with that of other departments in the College and that of departments in similar colleges? Will the position result in a more equitable distribution of faculty workload in the department and across the College? What are the teaching responsibilities of the current faculty? How are labs, senior theses, independent studies, and team-teaching counted when calculating the teaching load of the faculty?

  • Impact on the long range plans of the faculty

Does the position further the goals set in the Strategic Planning Document? Is the position configured in a way that allows for the possibility of furthering the Faculty Diversity Plan? As other long term plans are formulated