Numerous academic departments at Monmouth College are currently in the process of finding temporary replacement staff and permanent staff members to join their programs. For each department, however, an entirely different set of search criteria may be applied when attempting to choose just the right candidates.

According to Jane Jakoubek, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, those departments which are seeking to fill tenure-track teaching positions at the moment include, but may not be limited to, the departments of accounting, education, history, art, political economy and commerce. Jakoubek defined a tenure-track position, stating it simply as, “Tenure-track jobs are permanent jobs at the College.”

Recently, the department of mathematics and computer science offered a tenure-track position to, then, visiting professor Michael Sostarecz, which Sostarecz accepted. On Wednesday, Feb. 27, Patrick Montgomery, the first potential candidate for the department of accounting, visited campus and participated in a reception hosted at the Weeks House. A second candidate for the department of accounting will be present on the Monmouth College campus on Tuesday, March 4.

Jakoubek claims that what differentiates the tenure-track position search from others is that of the broader national scale which the College utilizes in finding the most qualified applicants. Jakoubek does admit, however, that this method has not always been implemented to the fullest extent, stating, “I know there is some tradition here of doing some national searches…[but] I know some departments [have not].” Still, Jakoubek is optimistic that the national search approach may become the standard for all departments, remarking, “If it’s a tenure-track position, we are committed to doing a national search.”

Those Monmouth College departments looking to fill temporary and/or replacement positions were indicated by Jakoubek as consisting of, though not necessarily limited to, the departments of education, English, communication and theater arts (CATA), political economy and commerce, political science, psychology and sociology. Some departments in this search category may be aiming to fill spots which are to be left empty when certain professors affiliated with these departments are on sabbatical. These searches may be more localized and may entail contacting graduate schools in the area to find promising candidates or finding local individuals with the appropriate credentials.

Jakoubek commented that the final selections for the departments’ new staff could conclude as soon as March and could continue into the summer. As Jakoubek explained, “Departments set their own deadlines…It’s a very strategic thing [depending on] what the department needs and what are their options. Department chairs are the ones carrying the work.”

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