Search Equity Advisors Program
Welcome to the Search Equity Advisors Program!
The Search Equity Advisors Program pairs search committees with a neutral process
advisor (search equity advisor) external to the unit to offer national best practices
for promoting diversity, disrupting implicit bias, and ensuring an equitable faculty
search. Search equity advisors complete a 14 hour workshop that covers topics including:
recruiting a diverse applicant pool, writing a welcoming job advertisement, employing
evidence-based strategies to disrupt implicit bias in selection processes, interviewing
known candidates, legal context and compliance, and facilitating difficult committee
conversations. Advisors adopt a nonjudgmental approach that focuses on asking questions
to: sharpen search committee thinking, advocate for diversity and inclusive excellence,
attend to issues of equity in search processes, and facilitate constructive communication
based on best practices. Search equity advisors can be most helpful if they are included
from the inception of the position (or position approval) and drafting of the job
ad through all phases of the process, including the onboarding of the selected finalist.
The voting status of search equity advisors is determined by the hiring authority.
The SEA Program is tailored for UW, but based upon the model program at Oregon State
University. UW’s workshop adopts best practices from both recent national research
and multiple institutions including the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign,
University of Michigan, and University of California. A growing number of institutions
across the U.S. are adopting programs like this one and are creating a robust community
of practice.
Program Objectives:
- To build awareness of and adherence to best practices for inclusive excellence in
search and selection processes at UW
- To foster meaningful conversation and learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion
in search and selection processes
- To promote greater diversity in UW’s workforce
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and apply best practices for inclusive excellence in the search and selection
process
- Explain implicit and structural bias and their adverse impact on the search process
- Advocate for diversity and equity in the search and selection process
- Use nonjudgmental questions and other facilitative strategies designed to prompt search
committees to examine bias and assumptions
- Create a brief introduction to share with hiring officers, search chairs, search committees,
and candidates that explains your role and your approach to the role
Program Values:
- Inclusive
- Collaborative
- Excellence
- Equity
- Empathy
- Courage
- Curiosity
- Integrity
