Campus Visits: Best Practices
The campus visit is an important step in the faculty search process in that it serves two important roles. First, the faculty search committee will have an opportunity to further evaluate the applicant’s qualifications for the position as well as obtain input from a larger group of stakeholders (e.g., faculty who are not part of the committee, staff, deans). Second, the campus visit also serves as an opportunity to recruit our preferred applicants. This is an opportunity to help prospective faculty learn more about Wake Forest University as an institution and consider our university as their first choice, should they receive an offer.
For tenured and tenure-track faculty, the Faculty Handbook states that applicants invited for campus visits should be interviewed by at least the tenured faculty of the academic unit, and often by the entire faculty within the unit. In addition, the finalists should meet wtih the appropriate academic dean and the Office of the Provost. The Faculty Handbook also recommends including interviews with students, a scholarly presentation, and/or a teaching presentation.
The Faculty Handbook shares that for the hire of permanent, full-time non-tenure-track faculty, applicants are often interviewed by the Dean or the Dean’s designee. These applicants are not often interviewed by other levels of academic administration, with the exception of library faculty, who are interviewed by a designee of the Office of the Provost.
The following provides guidance of best practices associated with campus visits that should be considered before, during, and after the applicants visit Wake Forest University.
Before the Visit
After identifying the shortlist of applicants to invite for a campus visit, it is important to consider the academic unit’s processes. Some academic units require a hiring manager or Dean’s Office review of applicants before inviting applicants for a campus visit. The search committee chair is responsible for following the appropriate process for interviews as identified by their academic unit.
When planning for campus visits, please carefully consider the timing of the visits to ensure a positive experience for the applicants. Think about who the candidate needs to meet and develop an itinerary for each applicant.
Important Note: Individuals who are applying for tenure-track, tenured, or librarian positions must schedule a 30-minute interview with a representative from the Office of the Provost. Any applicant pursuing a position in which there could be an expedited tenure review process will need to meet with the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs. Applicants for tenure-track positions will meet with one of the Associate or Vice Provosts.
The search committee chair or individual who is planning the itinerary for each applicant should schedule the Office of the Provost interviews by contacting the Senior Coordinator for the Provost’s Office (Jen Haggas). It is highly recommended to make these requests at least 10 business days in advance of the campus visit.
Please provide the following information when scheduling:
- Department (and field of study if multiple positions within the same department)
- Position rank
- Search committee chair name and email
- Name of the faculty candidate(s)
- Desired meeting dates
- Candidate materials: CV, teaching/research statement and cover letter
- When communicating with each applicant about their campus visit, share information regarding how to make travel arrangements, any presentations they will need to make during their visit, and highlights of the itinerary.
Best Practice: Within at least 48 hours of the applicant’s visit to campus, share a full itinerary of their visit and a phone number of the search committee chair or another host that the applicant can contact should they experience delays or have issues during their visit.
Best Practice: If faculty will be giving a teaching presentation, the Center for Advancement of Teaching (cat@wfu.edu) is willing to offer guidance on this practice. - At least 48 hours prior to the campus visit, send the applicant’s schedule to the faculty and staff who are participating in the campus visit. If the candidate is giving a formal presentation, send information to interested individuals.
Important Note: Faculty and staff who are not part of the faculty search committee may not be aware that some questions cannot be asked during interviews or informal conversations. Send the Legal vs. Illegal Interview Questions document to all individuals participating in the campus visit process and encourage them to avoid asking illegal interview questions.
- The faculty search committee should identify how confidential feedback will be solicited from those who meet with the applicant or attend their presentation prior to the applicants’ campus visits. Some academic units may already have feedback forms, while others may need to create a form to obtain feedback.
Feedback Template: One option to collect confidential feedback from the search committee is to use or adapt this Candidate Feedback Form template.
The faculty search committee should develop a rubric or evaluation matrix to consistently evaluate candidates before applicants begin their campus visits (this sample rubric can be adapted for each stage of the evaluation process).
Best Practice: Human resources recommends that an interview guide is developed for meetings with finalists during the campus visit to ensure consistency. Search committees can work with the human resources recruiter to develop an interview guide for their finalists.
During the Visit
Ensure there is an individual who can accompany the applicant to and from appointments to assure that the schedule is maintained and the candidate does not get lost as they visit different offices or locations on campus.
Best Practice: When an applicant is an internal applicant (i.e., a former Wake Forest University student, a current or former faculty or staff member), it is still helpful to have someone accompany the applicant to each location. This ensures a more consistent interview process for each applicant.
During the visit, discuss with the candidate how to request reimbursement of travel expenses.
Interviewers should be encouraged to take detailed notes when meeting with candidates or listening to presentations. The search committee chair should ask for these notes to be archived as part of the faculty search process.
When engaging in interviews, avoid asking Illegal Interview Questions.
After the Visit
- Solicit feedback about the candidate from those who participated in interviews or attended presentations, and give a deadline to provide feedback to the search committee. Some academic units have a preferred form to request feedback. If your academic unit does not have a standard form to request feedback, adapt this Applicant Feedback Form Template from Human Resources to confidentially obtain feedback from those who met with finalists during the campus visit.
- Wait at least 48 hours after the last candidate leaves campus before meeting as faculty search committee. This gives time for those who participated in interviews time to provide feedback based on your academic unit’s process.
- Follow your academic unit’s process when making a final selection for the faculty position.
In this section:
Initial & Secondary Interviews:
Campus Visits:
Reference Checks and Letters of Recommendation