Finding the Best Person for the Job: The Search Committee and Affirmative Action

The role of the search committee in the hiring process is ambiguous and as diverse as the institutions where it is employed. Those institutions using a search committee need to be aware of the expectations, proper functions, and limitations involved. Persons agreeing to serve on such a committee need to be properly educated and informed on specific aspects of the assignment that might present problems as the work progresses. This article attempts to delineate the duties of such a committee and raises questions that need to be considered before the committee is organized.