The following process is designed to ensure a selection committee that is diverse, and has the necessary experience and expertise. It aims to ensure that the selection committee is composed in such a way as to ensure, as far as is possible, diversity in terms of race, gender and discipline.

Introduction

1. The goal of these procedures is to ensure that the University attracts candidates who identify with the University's Mission and meet the criteria for the position and that the University selects the best of the candidates who do so.

2. A key criterion is a candidate's fit in the Vice-Chancellor's executive team; i.e. that he/she will enjoy the confidence of the Vice-Chancellor (VC) or (VC-designate).

3. Subject to the criteria for each position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor will be set by the Council on the advice of the Vice-Chancellor, after consultation with the Senate and after having taken and considered the advice of the Institutional Forum (IF).

4. Unless this document provides to the contrary, UCT's standard policies and procedures for staff recruitment and selection will apply. Key among these are employment equity policies and procedures.

The Selection Committee

5. The Selection Committee will be constituted by the Chair of Council in consultation with the VC (or VC designate) as set out below. In choosing members they must have regard to the need for diversity, experience and expertise.

   Four members of the Council (one of whom they will designate to chair the committee) appointed by the Council. These four may include a DVC, but will otherwise be drawn from the lay membership of Council.

   The Vice Chancellor (or Vice-Chancellor-designate);

   Two deans;

   Three academic members of the Senate, chosen from a panel of five members of the Senate who may not be deans, elected by the Senate as being people in whom the Senate would have confidence;

   Two members of the academic staff chosen from a panel of four academic staff who are not members of Senate elected by these academic staff;

   Two students nominated by the Students' Representative Council;

   Two members of the professional, administrative, support and service (PASS) staff chosen from a panel of four PASS staff elected by the PASS staff; and

   Plus up to two people (staff, students or Council members) nominated by the Vice-Chancellor (or the Vice-Chancellor designate) on grounds of diversity, or experience or expertise.

6. After the Chair of Council and the Vice-Chancellor (or Vice-Chancellor-designate) have constituted the selection committee they must:

   • Report on the process involved in doing so to the IF and invite the IF to advise Council as to whether the selection committee has been constituted in terms of these rules and as to whether diversity, experience and expertise have been provided for in the selection committee's composition; and
   • Put the composition and the IF's advice to Council for ratification.

7. No member of the Selection Committee may be a candidate (whether by application or nomination) for the position.

8. The terms of reference for the Selection Committee are:

   1. to search for, and garner, a pool of candidates who identify with the University's mission and meet the criteria for the position;
   2. to produce a short-list of candidates who identify with the University's mission and who meet the criteria for the position;
   3. to choose from this pool of candidates the best candidate and submit a proposal for his or her appointment, with reasons for its choice.

9. The Selection Committee must attempt to reach consensus on a short-list, and then on a recommended candidate. Where consensus is not achieved, decisions will require a two-thirds majority of those voting.

10. The Chair will convene meetings of the Selection Committee, and may nominate one of its members to do so in his/her absence.

11. The quorum of the Selection Committee is half its membership.

12. No member of the Selection Committee may vote on the final candidate if he or she was not present at the final interview of all the candidates who are considered in that vote.

The recruitment and selection process

13. The Selection Committee must as early as possible:

    1. be briefed on the criteria for the position, and ensure that it has a shared understanding of the criteria; and
    2. determine how it will search and advertise, having regard to the time-frame it has for filling the post.

14. The Selection Committee must as soon after the closing date as possible:

    1. consider the applications and nominations; and
    2. evaluate the applications and nominations.

15. The Selection Committee may require short-listed candidates to meet and engage with members, or groups of members of the University on a strictly confidential basis. It will be guided in this by the Vice-Chancellor (or Vice-Chancellor-designate). There will be no public announcement of the short-list.

16. The Selection Committee will meet to make a recommendation.

17. The Selection Committee will provide a report to the Institutional Forum on the process followed, and request the IF to advise the Council as to whether it is satisfied that the approved process has thus far been properly implemented.

18. The Selection Committee will submit the name and full curriculum vitae of the recommended candidate to a meeting of the Senate, and present to Senate the reasons for its recommendation.

19. If in a secret ballot at least two-thirds of the members of Senate present and voting express confidence in the candidate, and provided that the members present at the meeting of Senate constitute a quorum, the Selection Committee will forward its recommendation to Council.

20. If the candidate fails to gain this level of confidence in the Senate, the Selection Committee must meet a committee elected by the Senate to discuss Senate's response. After considering Senate's view, and after giving due weight to the importance of ensuring that the new Deputy Vice-Chancellor has the support of Senate, the Selection Committee will decide whether to submit its recommendation to Council, or to continue the selection process, or to submit a report to Council and request Council to make a decision as to the way forward. If the Selection Committee decides to submit its recommendation to Council, the Senate will be entitled to submit a report on its views direct to Council.

21. Council will be provided with a full report on the recruitment and selection process. The report will contain the curriculum vitae of the recommended and short-listed candidates, and the Selection Committee's reasons for recommending the candidate. Every Council member will have the right to inspect the full Selection committee records (including applications and referees' reports). The report of the Selection Committee will be submitted to the Council along with the reports of the Senate and Institutional Forum. The Council may choose to meet the candidate, on a formal or informal basis, prior to making its decision.

22. In making its decision, Council will attempt to reach consensus. Council is entitled to take a decision in this matter by simple majority; it may determine that a greater majority is required with respect to this particular matter.

Approved by the Senate meeting of 21 November 2007
Approved with amendments by the Council 5 December 2007

Appendix

All applications are confidential to the selection committee. As explained in section 15 of the above procedures, the selection committee may require short-listed candidates to participate in interviews with various stakeholder groups within the University, such as the Senate, student representatives, and staff groupings. The candidate who wishes to maintain the confidentiality of their application will understandably not wish to participate in such interviews. The selection committee may then decide to forgo such interviews for all candidates, or to proceed with interviews, in which case the candidate concerned is free to withdraw his/her application.

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