Employee Recruitment and Direct Appointments

Policy Number: 8.2.25
Effective Date: January 31, 2025
Revision History: June 10, 2024
Policy Contact: Chief Human Resources Officer

I. Purpose and Policy Statement

Georgia Gwinnett College (“GGC”) adheres to the policies and procedures of the Board of Regents (“BOR”) on employee recruitment, including the BOR Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual (“HRAP”) Policy on Employee Recruitment and Direct Appointments. When beneficial, GGC develops College-specific policies and procedures on employee recruitment to supplement the content in the BOR Policy Manual and the BOR HRAP.

GGC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Recruitment for faculty and staff will comply with BOR, state, and federal policies, regulations, and laws. As required by the BOR HRAP Policy on Employee Recruitment and Direct Appointments, recruitment for faculty and staff at GGC should be completed in accordance with the procedures set forth by the Chief Human Resources Officer (“CHRO”), approved by the President in consultation with Legal Affairs and the appropriate leadership level.

Recruitment procedures include standards for recruitment screening and guidance as to who can make hiring and compensation decisions on behalf of GGC. These procedures must be adhered to by all hiring officials and those participating in the selection process. In accordance with the USG Statement of Principles Regarding Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression, GGC’s recruitment procedures shall be free of ideological tests, affirmations, and oaths (including diversity statements). The basis and determining factor for hiring and promotion should be that the individual possesses the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the role, and is believed to have the ability to successfully perform the essential functions, responsibilities, and duties associated with the position for which they are being considered. At the core of any hiring, or promotion decision is ensuring GGC’s ability to achieve its mission and strategic priorities in support of student success.

In accordance with USG policy, GGC will use a formal search process for all Senior Administrator hires including details surrounding the search process, priorities, the committee members, hiring criteria, and the use of search firms, if search firms are used.

The documented formal search process will be submitted to the Chancellor, or the Chancellor’s designee, annually for review and approval.

GGC will comply with records retention policy requirements related to all recruitment and hiring decisions and be able to produce documents related to hiring decisions.

II. Scope

This policy applies to all GGC employees. Human Resources staff, hiring managers, and employees within GGC should be familiar with this policy.

III. Definitions

Affirmations: The action or process of affirming a strongly held belief as a requirement for employment.

Ideological Tests: Tests or questions based on or relating to a system of ideas and ideals, especially concerning economic or political theory and policy.

Job Posting: Main posting that contains the required information about the job.

Job Announcement/Advertisement: Abbreviated version of the Job Posting - must link

back to main Job Posting.

Oaths: A solemn attestation of truth, adherence, or agreement to a belief system or structures unrelated to the standards required for employment. The State of Georgia Loyalty Oath is excluded from this definition and policy.

Senior Administrator(s): Provosts, vice presidents, vice provosts, deans, and similar level positions, i.e. directors, if considered a key leadership role.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. Section 2000e et seq.): As amended, this Act protects employees and job applicants from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. Section 1681 et seq.): Protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at Institutions that receive financial assistance.

Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection: In 1978, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) adopted the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures or “UGESP” under Title VII. See 29 C.F.R. Section 1607.1. UGESP provided uniform guidance for employers about how to determine if their tests and selection procedures were lawful for purposes of Title VII disparate impact theory.

IV. Roles and Responsibilities

1. Chief Human Resource Officer (“CHRO”): Ensure implementation of policy and development of institution level recruitment and selection procedures to include related training.
2. GGC  Legal Affairs: Provide consultation to Human Resources and hiring managers to ensure compliance with policy.

V. Recruitment Procedures

The following guidelines apply for the recruitment of GGC faculty and staff:

1. Job Postings, Screening Requirements, and Data Collection:
   1. Faculty and staff recruitment at GGC should be based on institutional need and the availability of resources to fulfill the stated mission of GGC. The BOR HRAP Policy on Employment Applications governs the requisite data collection process for employment candidates. GGC has established a screening and selection framework to effectively assess the qualifications, knowledge, and skills of candidates. This process is relegated to determining whether candidates can perform the stated duties of the role. The screening process may not extend beyond the stated mission and values of GGC and the functional expectations of the departmental unit. Likewise, departmental units should not develop or institute mission or value statements that are not aligned with and in support of the overall GGC mission and values.
   2. A standard job posting template will be developed and used for each job posting. GGC’s template will include the USG Statement of Core Values: “The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning, as well the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct. Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.”
   3. GGC’s standard job posting template must be approved by the CHRO and President and will be used for all job postings. The approved job posting language will also be used for outside recruitments/search firm recruitments. The CHRO or their designee must review and approve all job postings prior to posting to ensure compliance with BOR and HR policy.
   4. All screening tools must be approved by the CHRO or their designee. The use of affirmations, ideological tests, and oaths (including diversity statements) are expressly prohibited and should not be utilized for recruitment and selection purposes. An appendix document with appropriate screening questions to ask during the screening and selection process is included in the BOR HRAP Policy on Employee Recruitment.
   5. Hiring managers should follow the GGC-specific guidance and should work closely with their direct supervisor and Human Resources or Academic Affairs to ensure adherence to any associated policies, guidelines, rules, or laws. Job requirements, such as minimum and preferred qualifications, must be validated by human resources to ensure they are job-related and consistent with business necessity and comply with State law regarding certain educational requirements. Candidates shall not be required to submit any political litmus tests or ideological oaths, including personal statements related to diversity or supporting specific populations, as part of the employment process. The hiring manager and the appropriate Human Resources and/or Academic Affairs official will collaborate to develop an appropriate offer of employment (including position title, compensation, hire date, etc.).
2. Georgia New Hire Reporting Program: Federal and State law requires employers to report newly hired and re-hired employees in Georgia to the Georgia New Hire Reporting Center. Human Resources oversees the process for all hires and transfers to be reported to the Georgia New Hire Reporting Program https://ga-newhire.com/.

VI. Direct Appointment Rules and Permissibility

1. Per the BOR HRAP Policy on Employee Recruitment and Direct Appointments, a direct appointment is a regular appointment of a person, where the normal advertising and competitive selection process is not applied, for an appointee whose unique skills and qualifications are documented. These direct appointment rules are not applicable to acting/interim appointments, reclassifications, or position changes that are due to reorganization. Direct appointments must be used judiciously in support of a specific business need.
2. Direct appointments may be considered for one of the following reasons:
   1. Appoint an internal candidate who uniquely meets the requirements and criteria for the role specified in the position description;
   2. Appoint an external candidate with significant leading status or international recognition in their field or a rare, exceptional skillset; or,
   3. Appoint a candidate who was a previous applicant for the same or similar position within the past 12 months.
3. Recommendations for Direct Appointment: Recommendations for direct appointment can only be made by a Vice President and above and require completion and full approval of the Notice of Direct Appointment Recommendation Form (available from HR).
   1. Recommendations shall contain the following information:
      1. Written rationale for the appointment, explain why a direct appointment process is preferable to a standard competitive recruitment process;
      2. Satisfactory evidence of how the proposed appointee meets the qualification and possess the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities as delineated within the position description; and,
      3. Candidate’s CV/resume, qualifications, appropriate references, and details of their current position (if applicable) within another organization or Institution.
   2. Direct appointment recommendations must be approved by each of the following prior to directly appointing a candidate:
      1. Faculty Appointments: Dean, Provost, Chief Financial Officer, President, Chief Human Resources Officer, USG (if joint reporting relationship)
      2. Non-Faculty Appointments: Area VP, Chief Financial Officer, President, Chief Human Resources Officer, USG (if joint reporting relationship)
   3. Prior to approval of the direct appointment, all information and supporting documentation as referenced above must be submitted to the Office of Human Resources. For direct appointment of candidates with faculty rank, all faculty appointment and credentialing requirements must be followed prior to approval to direct hire.
4. Upon full approval, HR will ensure all requirements are met and will subsequently issue an offer of employment to the appointee. In accordance with USG HRAP policy on Background Investigations, the appointee may be subject to Background investigation, to include criminal history, credit check, and/or education verification.

VII. Related Regulations, Statutes, Policies, and Procedures

BOR Policy Manual 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom
BOR Policy Manual 8.2.1 Equal Employment Opportunity
BOR Policy Manual 8.2.18.1.2 Statement of Core Values
BOR Policy Manual 8.2.18.2 Conflicts of Interest, Conflicts of Commitment, and Outside Activities
BOR Policy Manual 8.3.3.1 Intrasystem Recruitment
BOR Policy Manual 8.3.1 Faculty Employment
BOR HRAP Policy on Employee Recruitment and Direct Appointments
BOR HRAP Policy on Employment Applications
BOR HRAP Policy on Eligibility for Rehire
BOR HRAP Policy on Equal Employment Opportunity
BOR HRAP Policy on General Criteria for Employment and Mandatory Employee Training
Appendix I and II - USG Recruitment HRAP Appendix Document Regarding Appropriate Screening Questions