CMU officials reevaluate hire checks
Faculty Personnel Services and Human Resources are reevaluating their supervision of qualifications for new hires.
The firing of former women's golf coach Tom Beidleman for not disclosing his college transcripts showed it is possible to slip through the cracks under the current protocols.
"In some cases, rare ones, you run into people that are adept at making things appear as they would like to," said Dennis Armistead, executive director of Faculty Personnel services. "To say we are disappointed is an understatement. To say we are fooled by one person is accurate, but it is our priority to fix that."
CMU's hiring handbook states that when a position becomes vacant or once a new one is created, the hiring manager creates a posting in the electronic personnel transaction system on CentralLink.
The creation of a search committee is not required but includes diverse representation to avoid prejudice. Human Resources works together with the hiring manager to develop staff advertisements that include both desired and required qualifications.
The hiring manager or chair of a search committee is responsible for screening resumes, generally beginning with comparing minimum qualifications for the position. The electronic system can be used to automatically screen out applicants who don't meet qualifications.
Once two or three top candidates are selected, Faculty Personnel Service does a double-check of their credentials. Armistead said the check is predicated on certification from the hiring area.
"We double check any justification," he said. "There is a long check-list of documents that are required to the degree that if they don’t do them, we follow up."
Prior to this incident, an email is sent to the party notifying them of the missing items after 30 days. After a few more notifications, supervisors are included to make it a priority.
Lori Hella, associate vice president of Human Resources, said HR employees have 10 days instead of 30; otherwise their hiring process is the same.
"What we have done now is the first email that is sent out will go to the senior officer and department chair for that employee's department, and we engage from there," Armistead said. "The other thing we'll do is an audit of recent hires checking their highest degree."
Armistead said a candidate without transcripts is "not unheard of but it also not frequent." He said in most cases, the situation is resolved after the candidate sends a transcript proving their highest degree earned.
Prior to interviewing candidates, HR is supposed to ensure candidates meet minimum qualifications.
Reference checks are required on the finalist before a job offer is made, and it is performed after the interview process. A minimum of three contacts is required.
If the finalist refuses to allow contact with one of their references, they are informed it may limit their consideration for the opening.
After HR approves the selection and a salary is agreed upon, the hiring manager may make an offer contingent on completion of a criminal history check. CMU uses I-Chat, an Internet criminal history access tool that allows the search of public criminal history record information maintained by the Michigan State Police.
If the candidate takes the offer, the process is essentially finished.
"The system works 99.9 percent of the time," said Steve Smith, director of public relations. "There are always people looking to beat the system, that is what we are faced with here."
