Recommendations for Implementation

The Administrative Committee and the Office of University Mission and Identity are pleased to present Mission-Centered Hiring, a resource guide to assist those responsible for hiring to consciously and deliberately consider Marquette's mission and its Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic identity in the selection process. The guide and accompanying resource materials have been developed and refined through discussions and ideas generated by many and varied community members, including chairs, deans, faculty, administrators and staff. Having reflected on these valuable ideas and incorporated it into the program, we are now ready for Mission-Centered Hiring to be presented to the wider Marquette community. During this time, we have also examined our thoughts as to how these materials should be presented so that they will be received and used in a true spirit of cooperation. Our recommendations are:

1. We believe that Mission-Centered Hiring should be presented to and officially endorsed by the University President and senior administration. This endorsement should be at the Administrative Committee's request, and then publicly stated in writing and widely disseminated throughout the University community. Because we desire that the program be viewed as a meaningful resource, we believe strong endorsement by administration will encourage the entire University community to voluntarily embrace Mission-Centered Hiring as critical to maintaining our mission and identity.

2. The Office of University Mission and Identity should consult Vice Presidents and Deans as to how the program should be presented to their respective chairs and directors. It is important that other constituents such as the Board of Trustees, receive the materials and be informed of the program's implementation throughout the University and have opportunities to dialog about mission.

3. All applicants, both faculty and non-faculty, should be required to receive during the application process documents which represent the importance of mission in the organization they aspire to become part of the Mission Statement, and any information augmenting our mission. Applicants should be asked in writing to review these materials so that they can discuss them should they be selected for an interview. To prepare those hiring for this discussion, all search committees and interviewers will be provided with the complete packet of Mission-Centered Hiring materials, and with an invitation from the Office of University Mission and Identity to assist them in examining the mission's particular relevance for them in their selection process.

4. We recommend that each area of the University engage in a process of reflection on its work and the connection of that work with the Mission Statement. This exercise might be used for and beyond the hiring process to strongly and concisely communicate our mission identity and the ways particular areas respond to that mission. We recommend that materials be generated by every area of Marquette to further elaborate our mission and the way it is lived in each part of the University.

5. Our hope and strong recommendation is that by the end of this academic year, Mission-Centered Hiring is fully incorporated into all faculty and staff hiring processes. Upon request, the Director of University Mission and Identity will serve as a consultant to search committees and interviewers before and during the selection process. We realize that some areas of the University hire frequently and others seldom. However, all faculty, staff and administrators should have an opportunity to review and discuss the materials. Administration should fund printing and distribution.

6. As implementation proceeds, the Office of University Mission and Identity will continue to be interested in how Mission-Centered Hiring is actually being used. We recommend that a formal evaluation, conducted by the Office of University Mission and Identity or a third party, occur after one year so that those who incorporated it into the hiring process have an opportunity to provide feedback on how it worked for them and to suggest any changes or additions to the materials. Mission-Centered Hiring should be a living, evolving program which reflects a continued commitment to mission while meeting the needs of those who use it.

We agree with these recommendations and ask the President and Central Administration to approve them on April 11, 2000.