The committee should discuss the following early in the search process:

 

• Issues of diversity, research on differential evaluation and that diversity and excellence are full compatible goals and should be pursued simultaneously.

• The method to record committee discussions and decisions

• The way that decisions will be made.  By consensus?  By voting? It is important to determine this at the beginning and use it throughout the search.

• The rules of discussion, including how will disagreements be handled and whether candidates will be ranked.

• The evaluation criteria: It is important that the same evaluation criteria be applied to all candidates. Adding “special” or additional criteria for one candidate and not for another in the midst of the process is not equitable.