New Hiring Requirement – Effective January 1, 2025

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To: Faculty Administrators, Faculty, and Principal Investigators

Cc: Deans, DivCoords, Department Managers, College Academic Managers, Academic Senate, CPEVC, VPAA, VCR, Chancellor

From: Grace McClintock

Date: December 13, 2024

Subject: NEW HIRING REQUIREMENT – Effective January 1, 2025

Dear Faculty Administrators, Faculty, and Principal Investigators: 

Beginning January 1, 2025, UCSC will begin requiring finalists for academic positions to disclose whether they have been the subject of a finding of misconduct or are currently the subject of an investigation into various types of professional misconduct. Additionally, we are implementing an expanded reference check process for the Professor series (tenure track hires) and the Teaching Professor series. These new requirements are being instituted at all University of California campuses and sites, following two new bills that were signed into law by Governor Newsom (Senate Bill 791 and Assembly Bill 810). Given your role in the hiring of tenure track faculty, lecturers, researchers, postdocs, and academic student employees, it is imperative that you learn about these new requirements. 

Please read on for more information. 

Why do we require this misconduct disclosure from all proposed hires?

Required disclosure helps the institution identify individuals with a history of sexual harassment or other types of professional misconduct, thereby protecting the community and maintaining a professional and safe working and learning environment.

Who does this disclosure requirement apply to? All final candidates for academic and staff positions, including student employees, who accept a conditional offer of employment.

What are final candidates required to disclose? Final candidates must disclose any final administrative or judicial decisions issued within the last seven years finding that they committed sexual harassment. Additionally, candidates must disclose if they are currently being investigated for misconduct, have left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal of a misconduct decision.

What is the expanded reference check process for the Professor and Teaching Professor Series? In addition to disclosing findings or current investigations of misconduct, all proposed hires in the Professor series or Teaching Professor series are required to sign a form that authorizes the release of information by the proposed hire’s previous employers to the UC campus concerning any allegations of misconduct, in order to permit the UC campus to evaluate the released information with respect to the criteria for a potential job placement. 

Are potential applicants informed of this requirement before they apply? Yes, these requirements will be added to all job postings. 

When in the hiring process will this disclosure be requested and obtained? Disclosure will be required at the time a candidate becomes a finalist (in the case of senate faculty searches) and/or at the point that a conditional offer of employment is made. We cannot require this disclosure at the time that an applicant applies.

When does this go into effect? All academic recruitments opened on January 1, 2025, and thereafter, are subject to the misconduct disclosure requirements, and are required to authorize release and prior employer follow-up where applicable.

We are working on making the processes for implementing these new requirements as efficient and seamless as possible. We appreciate your patience and input as we strive to minimize the delay that these new requirements may have on closing searches. 

Additional details of how these requirements will be implemented will be forthcoming.

Sincerely, 

Grace McClintock

Assistant Vice Provost – Academic Personnel