Employment & Procedures Manual

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Lee College shall not fail or refuse to hire or discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of the individual's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability. Nor shall Lee College limit, segregate, or classify its employees or applicants for employment in any way that would deprive or tend to deprive an individual of employment opportunities or adversely affect the status as an employee because of the individual's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability.

Lee College shall not discriminate in employment as set out above because an individual is age 40 or above.

Lee College shall not discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, or other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment. Discrimination includes not making reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability, unless Lee College can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the college.

In addition to the above, Lee College's Equal Employment Opportunity policy includes the following items: ADA and Title IX compliance coordinator, notice under the Americans with Disabilities Act, definitions related to individuals with disabilities, reasonable accommodation, and undue hardship.  

Authority To Hire:

The Board of Regents has the legal authority and duty to appoint or employ agents, employees, and officials as deemed necessary or advisable to carry out any duty, power, or function of the Board; to employ a president, deans, and other administrative officers; and, upon the President's recommendation, to employ faculty and other employees of the college. The President shall recommend to the Board faculty and other contract personnel to be employed. The appropriate dean shall recommend the best candidates for a position to the President.
 

The Screening Committee As A Hiring Practice:

Screening committees shall be used for faculty, administrative, and administrative support positions. Screening committees are not required for other types of positions. The appropriate deans are responsible for the selection and recommendation to the President for secretarial/clerical/technical positions. In some instances, however, the appropriate dean may use a screening committee for secretarial/clerical/technical positions. In these instances, the same committee process will be followed.

The screening process involves evaluating applicants and determining which applicants best meet the requirements of a position. The decision is based upon a set of objective criteria which the appropriate dean and/or the President believe must be present in order for the job to be performed satisfactorily. The chance of making a poor hiring decision is greatly reduced when appropriate methods of evaluation and selection are utilized.

Where applicable, when a vacancy arises that requires the use of a screening committee and the time for selection is critically short, the appropriate dean may recommend a Letter of Appointment until the screening/selection process can be completed. A Letter of Appointment does not give the individual preference toward any regular, full-time position.  

The Screening Committee Process:
Major Steps

(1) Notification of Available Position:

The process of selecting faculty or staff begins once a personnel need and the budgetary support to fill an existing or newly created position has been determined by the appropriate dean and/or the President. The division chair, in consultation with the appropriate dean, prepares a "Notification of Available Position." Once the "Notification" is approved by the appropriate dean, the President, and the Dean of Financial Services, the Personnel Office is authorized to post and advertise the position.

(2) Appointment of the Committee:

The President, in consultation with the appropriate dean, will appoint members of the screening committee and its chair in writing. Screening committees should be made up of 5 to 7 members with the option of additional members being included where deemed appropriate. Screening committees for faculty and administrative positions will be comprised of professional (faculty and/or administrative) employees. In addition, in an effort to promote diversity among Lee College employees, every screening committee will include at least one ethnic minority, and every faculty screening committee will include a member from the opposite instructional area. Every effort should be made to increase diversity on the committee by considering such factors as gender, age, and disability. Individuals who are not Lee College employees shall not serve on committees.

The screening committee should be formed and charged prior to the closing date for applications.

(3) Position Announcement:

The Personnel Office will prepare and post the "Position Announcement." Employment criteria shall be clearly defined in the position announcement and must be objective and directly related to the job to be performed and to essential duties related to the position. The announcement must distinguish between requirements and preferences. The announcement will identify the required application materials to be submitted, including a cover letter, resume, copies of transcripts, contact information on three (3) professional references, foreign transcripts evaluation and, where desired, a statement of teaching philosophy. The announcement will also contain information concerning the starting date and information on beginning compensation. A closing date, a statement that the closing date is to be determined, or a statement that the vacancy shall remain open until the position is filled will be included.

The position announcement shall reflect the institution's commitment to equal employment opportunity to encourage a diverse applicant pool. The Personnel Office may advertise in appropriate local, national, and professional publications to enlarge the pool of candidates.

Once a position is advertised, it should be acted on in a timely fashion.

(4) The Applicant Pool:

Applications shall be reviewed by the Personnel Officer to ensure that the individuals included for interview meet the minimum advertised criteria for the position in terms of education and applicable work experience. If questions arise regarding course and/or degree equivalence or other questions of interpretation, the appropriate dean should be consulted. The Personnel Officer will verify compliance with college, state, and federal requirements.

In screening and selecting applicants, screening committees should look at the total person and what he or she has to offer regarding knowledge, skills, and abilities. Qualifications for the job should be the determining factors throughout the process.

(5) Screening Committee:

The screening committee will act on behalf of the institution to evaluate credentials, conduct employment interviews, and recommend candidates to the appropriate dean and the President. All work of the committee must be conducted in strictest confidence. However, screening committees may choose to allow access to teaching demonstrations, but not interviews or committee meetings, to Lee College employees not serving on screening committees.

(6) Recommendation for employment:

Upon the final decision of the President to recommend a prospective employee to the Board, the appropriate dean should initiate the "Faculty/Administrative Recommendation" form. The appropriate dean will sign the form as "Recommending;" the President will sign the form "Approving;" and the Personnel Officer will sign the form, signifying that the proper salary grade and step has been assigned. This form, along with the "President's Check-Off List for New Hires" and the prospective employee's credentials will be forwarded to the President for inclusion in the Board packet.  

Verification Of Credentials, References, And Past Employment

Previous employment references are checked a total of three (3) times.

(1) The screening committee initiates the process by checking references prior to submitting the finalistsÁ names for the position to the appropriate dean. This check ensures that each candidate sent forward for an interview with the appropriate dean is a viable applicant. Credentials and transcripts should be evaluated to ensure that the individual meets the minimum SACS educational requirements. If questions come up in this regard, the appropriate dean should be consulted.

(2) The appropriate dean, once his/her interviews are complete, shall check the employment references of the candidate(s) being recommended to the President. This check will include evaluation and verification of the individual's academic credentials. This check allows the dean the opportunity to learn valuable information about the candidate(s) to support the recommendation of the finalist(s).

(3) The Personnel Officer makes a final reference check. Employment history and credentials are checked in addition to a criminal history check and verification of the accreditation of the institution from which the highest degree is attained.  

Approval For Employment:

Once the documentation for employment recommendations are completed and signed, the candidate's name shall be placed on the next Agenda for Board approval. Candidates for Faculty, Administrative, or Administrative Support positions shall not start to work without Board approval.

Candidates for secretarial/clerical/technical or classified staff positions shall not start to work without the President's signature on the "Approval to Hire" form.

Employee Starting Date:

The Personnel Office shall notify the appropriate dean or his/her designee once the recommended new employee has been approved for employment. The appropriate dean shall determine a start date which will be noted on the "Approval to Hire" or on the "Faculty/Administrative Recommendation."
 

New Employee Orientation:

After employment has been approved, and the prospective new employee accepts the employment offer, the new employee shall be placed on the payroll and provided orientation on benefits and policies by the Personnel Office staff.
 

Travel/Relocation Reimbursement:

Lee College will reimburse a maximum of $350 of actual documented travel expenses to a maximum of five (5) candidates per job position who travel from at least 250 miles away for an initial job interview. The college will reimburse 100% of documented travel expenses for subsequent interview trips requested by the college.

Lee College does not reimburse relocation expenses for new employees.