Asking Google AI: What are the Pitfalls of Hiring an Academic Dean when the Applicants' Names are Kept Confidential from the College's Faculty by the Search Firm and Hiring Committee?

It's Friday evening and you are probably sitting down with your favorite take-out meal or are preparing to go out for dinner. To add to the enjoyment of your end-of-week relaxation time, Turner Business is now providing a new occasional series for Friday evenings called Asking Google AI. Tonight we are asking Google AI the following question: What are the pitfalls of hiring an academic dean when the applicants' names are kept confidential from the college's faculty by the search firm and hiring committee? Below is an image of Google AI's thorough response.

A closed search for a new academic executive is often the default setting, particularly when search firms are involved. This type of search is usually treated as one with only upsides and no downsides. However, as Google AI indicates above, there are substantial pitfalls associated with relatively closed searches of this kind. For example, faculty networks are often the best source of information about the applicants. Closed searches typically involve committees with relatively few faculty. As such, closed searches tend to protect the candidates from the types of "whisper campaigns" that would otherwise prevent bad hires from occurring. It may be the case that the "finalists" for the position are made public. In such a case, the "whisper campaign" can begin when that announcement is made. However, that campaign might have shaped a better group of finalists had all the faculty been allowed to access to the comprehensive list of candidates over the entire course of the process. Additionally, there may not be enough time between the public announcement of finalists and the selection of the top candidate by the committee for the "whisper campaign" to play its role in the selection process. Committees also fail to capture issues related to "departmental context," particularly when entire departments aren't provided any representation. Lastly, these types of searches tend to chip away at the trust between the corps of instruction and the administration, leading to lower faculty morale.