Related Policies and Guidelines

TBR Policy 1.09.00.00 Diversity and Equity

TBR Policy 5.01.00.00 General Personnel Policy

TBR Policy 5.01.02.00 Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action

TBR Guideline P-010 Personnel Transactions & Recommended Forms

TBR Guideline P-080 Discrimination & Harassment - Complaint and Investigation Procedure

NeSCC Policy 05:07:04 Immigration Reform Act Requirements

Northeast State Community College undertakes a vigorous program of affirmative action recruitment for minority group members, women, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans in all job categories in which they are found to have been underutilized. In all positions, regardless of whether or not such underutilization currently exists, Northeast State Community College pursues a program of open recruitment to avoid the possible discriminatory effects of informal job networks and similar systems. 

Northeast State Community College has designed its Affirmative Action Plan to ensure equal treatment to all. All decisions regarding recruitment, employment, educational programs, and other related services are made without discrimination on grounds of race, color, religion, creed, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age, status as a covered veteran, genetic information, or any other factor which cannot be lawfully justified.

Northeast State Community College has taken an in-depth look into the employment procedure to assure that the recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion of persons in all job classifications is performed without discrimination. Northeast State Community College encourages employees to participate in institution sponsored training, training provided by other institutions, tuition assistance programs, and other related programs. Benefits such as retirement, life insurance, and health insurance are made available to all eligible employees without discrimination.

The Affirmative Action Officer is appointed by the President and is responsible for implementation of the affirmative action plan. The Affirmative Action Officer reviews all records at least annually to assure compliance with all aspects of the plan and prepares periodic reports for the President regarding compliance with the plan and progress toward its objectives. The periodic reports as may be deemed appropriate include recommendations for any changes the Affirmative Action Officer believes are necessary for the program to achieve its purposes.  

Through the policies and programs set forth in this plan, Northeast State Community College undertakes to comply fully with all federal, state, and local laws relating to equal opportunity, affirmative action, and equal educational opportunity.

This plan specifically addresses the obligations of Northeast State Community College under the following laws and regulations:

1. Titles VI and VII, Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended;
2. Executive Order 11246, as amended;
3. Revised Order No. 4;
4. The Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended;
5. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, and the Age Discrimination Act of1975;
6. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended;
7. Civil Rights Act of 1991;
8. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990;
9. The Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, as amended;
10. Titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act;
11. Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, as amended;
12. Pregnancy Discrimination Act;
13. TBR Policy 5.01.02.00 Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action;
14. TBR Guideline P-010 Personnel Transactions & Recommended Forms;
15. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

Hiring Procedures

Employment of staff and faculty at Northeast State Community College is administered through the Director of Human Resources in accordance with the College's Affirmative Action Plan. The following procedures are followed by the Office of Human Resources staff in carrying out the College's employment services.

1. To fill a vacancy created by a resignation or the creation of a new position, the appropriate administrator completes a Personnel Requisition Request and forwards the request to Human Resources along with a copy of the job description for the position to be filled.
2. The Office of Human Resources, with the assistance of the appropriate administrator, develops and submits a Position Announcement and the Personnel Requisition, names of search committee members, and recruitment plan to the Affirmative Action Officer, supervising vice president, CFO, and president for approval.
3. Following approval by the Affirmative Action Officer, the Office of Human Resources shall advertise or announce the position in a manner consistent with the College Affirmative Action Plan. HR staff will post the Position Announcement on the TBR/College’s Web Page. Announcements for administrative and faculty positions will be posted to regional, national, and diversity job boards.
4. The Position Announcement contains an application deadline. No formal interviews are scheduled prior to this date. When positions are posted as open until filled, hiring managers may begin reviewing applications immediately, and formal interviews will be scheduled after the Affirmative Action Officer determines that a diverse pool of candidates is present. Applications will be accepted and reviewed until the position is filled.
5. The hiring manager and/or search committee, if applicable, reviews the applications of qualified candidates and completes an Applicant Rating Sheet. The hiring manager or search committee chair will recommend the best-qualified applicants for a personal interview. The Affirmative Action Officer completes an EEO review and may make further recommendations. The hiring manager, search committee, or designee completes Initial reference on candidates recommended for interview. The Office of Human Resources may conduct follow-up reference checks.
6. Once the interview pool is approved by the Affirmative Action Officer, the hiring manger, search committee, or designee will contact selected candidates for the purpose of scheduling personal interviews. Upon request, the Office of Human Resources will assist with scheduling interviews.
7. The hiring manager and search committee will interview selected candidates for professional, administrative, faculty, and support positions.  Every effort is made to ensure search committees are as diverse as possible.
8. The Search Committee will use Interview Guides throughout the interview process to ask job-related competency-based questions and to rate each candidate using a Confidential Rating Form. After all interviews, the hiring manager will recommend a candidate for the position and forward all documentation of interview ratings to the Office of Human Resources for filing.
9. All candidates for appointment as faculty members require the validation of official transcripts by the vice president for Academic Affairs, a determination that the appointee meets the current SACSCOC professional and scholarly preparation criteria, and a certification that the appointee can communicate effectively with students in the English language.
10. The conditions of the offer of the recommendation for employment will be reviewed by the Affirmative Action Officer and upon approval will be forwarded to the president for review and approval. For all positions, the president may interview the candidate to be recommended by the committee, before supporting documents are submitted to Human resources. No offers of employment shall be made until written approval has been obtained from the president or their designee.
11. The appropriate administrator then informs the Assistant Director of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness of the choice and the necessary paperwork is completed. The hiring manager and Human Resources staff will work together to determine an equitable starting salary for the candidate based upon the candidate’s education and directly-related experience.
12. The Director of Human Resources, or designee, is responsible for ensuring the completion of the eligibility/identification certification, prior to completion of the hiring process, as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
13. The offer letter/contract is electronically approved by the Director of Human Resources, Affirmative Action Officer, and President. It is then forwarded to the new employee for signature.
14. The hiring manager or search committee chair forwards all paperwork to the Office of Human Resources to be kept in the employee's personnel file. HR staff will distribute copies as appropriate. Upon hiring, all personnel information, including the application, will be retained in the Office of Human Resources.
15. The staff in the Office of Human Resources will be responsible for ensuring that all unsuccessful candidates are notified and that all files of unsuccessful candidates are kept for future reference. The hiring manager, search committee, or designee will call or email the candidates who were interviewed but not selected to notify them that the position has been filled.
16. Once an offer of employment is accepted, all new faculty and staff employees shall report to the Office of Human Resources to complete the necessary employment documents. Within the first two weeks of employment, all new hires attend New Employee Orientation, which includes information on employee benefits and policies and procedures of the College. Employment processing for full-time employees includes:

Completion and signing of Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) as required by the Immigration Control and Reform Act of 1986. See NeSCC Policy 05:07:04 Immigration Reform Act Requirements. 

• Authorization to complete a background check.
• Signing of employment contract/offer letter.
• Completion of Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate (Form W-4).
• Completion and signing of enrollment form for membership in the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) or the Optional Retirement Program, as appropriate.
• Completion and signing of State Insurance Plan Enrollment Form electing or refusing group health/life insurance coverage.
• Completion of other employment documents as required, i.e., Transcript Request Form, Certification of Faculty Proficiency in Oral English, beneficiary forms, optional insurance enrollment forms, etc.

Search Procedure to Ensure a Representative Applicant Pool

The goal in every search is to create a pool of qualified candidates in which minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans are represented and each administrator is charged with the responsibility for ensuring a representative pool. In the employment process, “extraordinary effort” to ensure a representative applicant pool must be made by advertising in both traditional and nontraditional publications, communicating with persons in institutions and agencies through which potential candidates may be identified, making direct personal contact by calling and writing to potential candidates or referral sources or by personal contact at professional meetings, and networking through leads for these sources and others.

In addition to the requirement that traditional and nontraditional means of identifying potential candidates be made, “extraordinary effort” means that each step of the recruitment process must be thoroughly documented, reviewed, and approved to ensure that aggressive measures have been taken. This review/approval process serves as a measure to assess compliance with the stipulation and provides an opportunity to identify additional sources through which qualified candidates may be identified.

The college recognizes “extraordinary effort” is a time intensive process that necessitates substantial commitment. The college is fully committed to aggressive efforts not only as a matter of compliance with external regulations, policies, and procedures but also in pursuit of inclusive excellence.