At the start of every fall semester, the Office of Human Resources starts collecting applications to fill faculty positions for the next fall semester. Around 30 full-time faculty members are needed in order to keep up with enrollment demands. The number of full antd part-time faculty hired is based on the ACC District Master Plan which is reviewed yearly and revised on a rolling three year schedule.
“We expect that number to increase for both full-time and part-time adjunct faculty within the next year because of the Round Rock campus,” Erica Breedlove, human resources Employment Manager said.
The Round Rock campus is scheduled to open in fall of 2010 and initially will accommodate 5000 students. Most of the current openings are for the same semester, but do not reflect the increase for the new campus. Other openings in the Health Sciences department need to be filled by start of the spring 2009 semester. Breedlove said there isn’t a fear these positions won’t be filled.
The current openings are based on positions approved in the summer of 2009. After completing the review and approval process they were posted in September and will close in January. Decisions are scheduled to be made by the hiring committee by February 19 and offer letters are sent in April.
Breedlove said that they aim for a diverse applicant pool in order to mimic student demographics.
In order to accomplish this, human resources advertises positions in a variety of places including higher education publications and those geared towards a specific group such as minorities. The end goal is to have a group of applicants diverse in employment background as well as gender and ethnic. Requirements include having a passion for teaching and education.
These are goals and requirements also expressed by students.
“I like older professors because they’re the most experienced and women. That sounds sexist, but it’s not. Women make the best teachers; men do not,” said Daniel Janeaux, a Biology major.
Janeaux added that he looks for a teacher who goes the extent to help students instead of only expecting them to go to the Learning Lab or to tutors.
“I want [teachers] to be knowledgeable, flexible and creative. I like a good, down-to-earth teacher so when I go up to them I don’t feel intimidated and don’t feel stupid for asking a question,” said LaRonda Lewis, Education major.
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