FAS Search and Recruitment Expense Guidelines

Last updated: November 3, 2023

The purpose of these guidelines is to assist FAS departments and programs in maintaining appropriate control over the expenses associated with faculty search and recruitment efforts so that resources can be devoted to the core academic mission.

• The department or program conducting the search is expected to follow Yale policies and procedures on travel (e.g., economy travel, per diem allowances) and to conduct each search in a cost-effective manner.
• Because Yale’s faculty search process is international in scope, special needs may arise in travel and accommodations, and unforeseen circumstances may increase individual search costs. In such cases, exceptions to these guidelines may be requested for approval by the FAS Dean’s Office.
  • Requests for exceptions should be sent to fas.dean@yale.edu with a copy to John Mangan (john.mangan@yale.edu) for Humanities departments, or Bob Burger (robert.burger@yale.edu) and Dorottya Noble (dorottya.noble@yale.edu) for Social Science and Science departments.
  • All such exceptions must be pre-approved by the FAS Dean’s Office.

Search authorization and advertising

• Authorization: Searches must be authorized by the FAS Dean, as Chair of the Faculty Resource Committee (FRC). Searches should be conducted in accord with FAS guidelines.
• Advertisements: To limit costs while reaching a broad and diverse audience, departments and programs are encouraged to advertise their positions in online publications. Departments or programs with special cases for advertising in print publications may request permission from the FAS Dean’s Office. The FAS Dean’s Office will typically cover advertising costs up to $2,000. Exception requests up to $2,500 should be directed to fasdo.finops@yale.edu. For advertising expenses over $2,500, an exception from the relevant Senior Associate or Assistant Dean (John Mangan, Bob Burger, or Dorottya Noble) is required.

Conference interview and on-campus visits

• Conference interviews: For departments or programs that conduct initial interviews at annual conferences, the FAS Dean’s Office is typically prepared to reimburse the cost of conference fees, economy transportation, hotel at the conference rates, and per diem meals for up to two members of the Search Committee who might not otherwise attend the conference and who devote a major proportion of their time at the conference to interviewing. Exceptions to this policy should be explicitly pre-approved by the FAS Dean’s Office.
• On-campus visits: Typically up to four candidates may be invited to campus for each junior-level tenure-track search, and up to five candidates may be invited for each senior-level search. (Note that when possible and appropriate, departments and programs should use their colloquium series as an opportunity to meet senior candidates.) Invitations for campus visits for candidates for multi-year, non-ladder appointments are not supported without explicit prior approval from the FAS Dean’s Office. The proposed list of candidates for on-campus interviews must be approved via the Faculty Search Reporting Process before candidates are invited to campus.
• On-campus visit travel expenses: The University will cover candidates’ air and travel expenses according to Yale travel policy (e.g., economy airfare, mileage reimbursement). When possible, tickets should be purchased early enough to obtain the most competitive fares.
• On-campus on site expenses: For each search, the host department or program will be permitted a base budget of up to $1,500 per candidate (up to $2,250 if with a spouse or partner) to cover meals, lodging, entertainment, and all other expenses beyond the cost of transportation to and from campus. Exception requests up to $2,000 should be directed to fasdo.finops@yale.edu. For on-campus on site expenses over $2,000, an exception from the relevant Senior Associate or Assistant Dean (John Mangan, Bob Burger, or Dorottya Noble) is required.
• For search dinners, the following guidelines apply:
  • ​Normally, spouses or partners of local faculty would not be included, because the purpose of the dinner is to give members of the search committee an opportunity to interact with the candidate and discuss his or her background and work in an informal setting.
  • A maximum of six people from the department or program (i.e., in addition to the candidate) should attend any restaurant meal.
  • A maximum of $125 per person, total (including beverages and gratuities) should be spent on dining costs. Catered events may be organized instead of dining in a restaurant, but the total cost of the event should not exceed the maximum meal allowance for six faculty members plus the candidate ($875).
• General principle: When possible and appropriate, expenses should be kept considerably below maximum levels, so that resources can be devoted to core mission.

Recruitment

Formal recruitment begins after the applicable Tenure and Appointments Committee has voted affirmatively (for tenure candidates) or the FAS Dean and the appropriate Divisional Dean have approved (for non-tenure candidates) the offer. The costs of recruitment visits by non-ladder candidates are not covered by the University.

Formal offer letters will be prepared by the FAS Dean’s office and will go out over the signature of the department or program chair, and the appropriate Divisional Dean.

• Recruitment travel expenses: Recruitment travel includes one trip, which may include a spouse or partner, with a base budget of $1,500 (up to $2,250 when including a spouse or partner) beyond the cost of transportation to and from campus. The FAS Dean’s office must grant prior approval to cover the cost of child travel or additional trips.
• Recruitment dinners: Up to two departmental dinners are acceptable, with a maximum of eight people including the candidate and spouse or partner. As with search dinners, a maximum of $125 per person, total (including beverages and gratuities), will be reimbursed, and a catered event of up to $875 ($1000 if the candidate is accompanied by a partner) may be substituted for a restaurant dinner.
• Tax status: Travel expenses incurred by and reimbursed to a candidate before the candidate has accepted Yale’s offer are not taxable to the candidate.