III.A.1. The institution assures the integrity and quality of its programs and services by employing administrators, faculty and staff who are qualified by appropriate education, training, and experience to provide and support these programs and services.  Criteria, qualifications, and procedures for selection of personnel are clearly and publicly stated and address the needs of the institution in service its student population.  Job descriptions are directly related to institutional mission and goals and accurately reflect position duties, responsibilities, and authority.

ASCC systematically conducts institutional program review based on their programmatic needs.  These are based on their divisional goals, objectives, and mission.  The analysis and discussion of programmatic needs are part of the Program and Institutional Review process. 

Each ASCC division is responsible for working with Human Resources (HR) to establish positions descriptions that outline hiring criteria for each position. In 2012, HR created a Position Review, Classification and Compensation form that provided for more details to be added to a position’s documentation. There are two parts to this form. Part I is the position review portion of the form, and this is to be completed by the hiring division, usually the division head (Dean, Director, Officer, VP or President). For faculty positions, this is usually done by the Department Chair. Part II is the Position Classification and Compensation portion of the form which is completed by HR, using information on Part I of the form.¹

Information on Part I of this form includes position budget, place in organizational chart, duties and responsibilities, contacts and communications, supervisory responsibilities, independent action / judgment, budget responsibilities, consequences of errors, access to sensitive information, work environment, and work experience and educational background. When this is completed, it is reviewed and approved by the hiring Division Head and respective Vice President (or President for the division directly under the President), according to the organizational chart.² This form is then submitted to HR for review and initiation of Part II of the form.

Part II is the Position Classification and Compensation of the form, which requires Part I of the form to be completed. HR uses information from Part I to complete Part II and provide a recommendation of Position Classification Range. Part II of this form is completed and submitted to be reviewed and approved by the hiring Division Head and respective Vice President (or President for the division directly under the President), according to the organizational chart.³ This form is then submitted back to HR for review. This completes the establishment of hiring criteria for a position.

HR performs its reviews and ensures that processes performed in establishing hiring criteria adhere to policies provided in the Governance Policy Manual, specifically Policy 4000.2 Personnel Administration⁴, Policy 4003.1 General Requirements of Recruitment and Placement⁵, Policy 4005.1 Employee Recruitment and Hiring⁶, and Policy 4006 Academic and Professional Credentials for Faculty⁷.

Faculty have an opportunity to be involved in the selection of new faculty, first by participating in the screening of applications for vacant positions within their respective departments, and second by serving on the interview committees for potential hires. The hiring Department Chairperson (DC), who is a faculty member, performs the screening and recommends faculty members to be on the interview panel. All other faculty may be selected by the DC to be on the interview panel.

When current faculty serve as application screeners and interviewers of candidates, they bring with them a prior knowledge of program curriculum, core competencies, student learning outcomes, related experience and pedagogical approach. 

Positions are advertised through internal posting or external posting in accordance with Policy 4005 Job Posting⁸. Divisions use the Personnel Action Request (PAR) Form to request the advertisement of a position and to specify whether it should be internal or external⁹.

The Job Announcement Form used to advertise a position is completed by HR, using information from the Position Review Form for the position. The Job Announcement includes position information such as position title, employment status, position description, job responsibilities, job qualifications, and salary information¹⁰.

In order to advertise a position, the requesting division forwards the completed and approved Personnel Action Form with an updated Position Review Form. HR completes the Job Announcement for the position and the Public Information Release (PIR) Form¹¹ to be submitted to Institutional Effectiveness (IE) Division for review. Once this is approved from the IE Division, the Job Announcement is sent for posting. External postings are done using local news media, ASCC Website, Higher Ed Jobs online posting, and local bulletin postings. Internal postings are done using ASCC Email Dissemination and Divisional bulletin board postings.

The advertisement process is detailed in the HR Job Announcement & Advertisement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)¹² The advertisement process is the same for full-time and part-time positions, including adjunct faculty.

Human Resource (HR) performs background checks to determine the validity of the candidate’s application. Background checks include verifying degrees as being from United States (US) accredited, or equivalent, institutions, as well as reviewing certifying documents, including official transcripts and reference letters. Applicants with degrees from non-US accredited institutions are required to provide proof of equivalency that is recognized and verified by a third party evaluator that ensures the equivalent qualifications ¹³ ASCC has accepted equivalency certifications from organizations such as Educational Credential Evaluators.

Newly hired personnel are required to provide clearances before starting employment with ASCC. These clearances are medical clearance from the Public Health Division of American Samoa, and a Security Background clearance from the Department of Public Safety (DPS). For non-residents, immigration clearance is required.¹⁴

The analysis and discussion of programmatic needs are part of the Program and Institutional Review. A continual analysis and discussion of programmatic needs takes place among a number of ASCC committees, which include Curriculum, Assessment Planning, Data, Institutional Planning Executive Core, Faculty Senate, Leadership Team and the Board of Higher Education.  Individual departments and divisions routinely meet to discuss their particular needs and how to fulfill them.

The Institutional Strategic Plan is one example of how discussion and analysis inform all stages of the institutional planning process at ASCC.  All institutional needs and plans are part of an on-going process of analysis and discussion towards the goal of supporting student learning programs and services.

The Human Resource (HR) Division coordinates the recruitment and hiring process in accordance with ASCC policies and State and Federal regulations pertaining to employment.  HR also has Standard Operating Procedures in place for hiring so that a standard process is assured.¹⁵ During the interview process, an HR representative is required to be present to ensure “uniformity in personnel practices and compliance with local and federal laws concerned with employment practices”¹⁶ and ensure employee code of conduct.¹⁷ For candidates who feel they have not been treated equitably and fairly, a process for appeal and grievance is in place.¹⁸

The Human Resources Division coordinates the recruitment and hiring process, in accordance with College policies. The Human Resources, in cooperation with directors, deans, managers, officers and supervisors, establish qualification requirements and evaluation methods for positions. Job descriptions are created based on position reviews created by divisions based on their needs and tied to divisional goals and objectives.

1 - Position Review Form
2 - ASCC Organizational Chart
3 - ASCC Organizational Chart
4 - Governance Policy Manual, Policy 4000.2 Personnel Administration
5 - Governance Policy Manual, Policy 4003.1 General Requirements of  Recruitment and Placement
6 - Governance Policy Manual, Policy 4005.1 Employee Recruitment and Hiring
7 - Governance Policy Manual, Policy 4006 Academic and Professional Credentials for Faculty
8 - Governance Policy Manual, Policy 4005 Job Posting
9 - Personnel Action Request Form
10 - Job Announcement Form and Position Review Form
11 - Public Information Release Form
12 - Human Resources Standard of Operating Procedures
13 - Governance Policy Manual, Policy 4006 Academic and Professional Credentials for Faculty