Professional Development

Search Advocates are collaborative process experts who work with search committees to enhance the quality of university search and selection efforts.  The 2-part Search Advocate workshop series provides theory, research, and practical strategies that advocates can use to help search committees test their thinking, address complex process concerns, improve search validity and fairness, understand/promote diversity, and anticipate/address potential bias risks.

Participants who complete Sessions I and II are eligible to serve as search advocates on OSU search committees.  Search advocates are required for Provost's Initiative and Tenured Faculty Diversity Initiative tenure-track search committees, beginning with the development/review/revision of final position descriptions before they are approved for positing.

Session I
Session I of the Search Advocate Workshop Series introduces the search advocate role, provides foundation concepts (legal framework, diversity, cognitive and structural biases), explores potential bias risks that can arise even before the search opens, and recommends strategies to address those risks.

Session II typically held the same week as Session I. Please register for each session separately.

Continental breakfast and light lunch will be provided.

Brief pre-readings will be sent to participants a few days in advance.

Please register for Session II as soon as possible after Session I--the program is most effective when participants complete both sessions  within the same week.