Tufts is recruiting individuals for 52 open positions across its three campuses this academic year, despite the economic downturn. As many other schools have instituted hiring freezes, administrators hope to capitalize on a pool of highly qualified applicants amid a shrinking university employment market.
Most of the new hires would serve as replacements of faculty members on the Grafton, Boston and Medford/Somerville campuses who have either retired or moved on to other institutions. Some of the positions to be filled are new, but they will be balanced by other open positions not being filled, meaning there will be no net increase in the faculty, according University Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha.
Although, according to Bharucha, the university's recruiting has been reduced to some extent, The Boston Globe recently reported that Tufts and other universities were going on a "hiring spree" despite the current economic situation.
Dean of Arts and Sciences Robert Sternberg called that description misleading, as all of Tufts' schools, including the School of Arts and Sciences had been forced to cut positions. "We're not doing a large amount of hiring," he said. "The article] didn't bother to say what kinds of people we were hiring [or] how many people we were originally planning to hire."
Although 52 searches are now underway, the university has ended around 17 faculty searches this year because of the financial crisis, according to Bharucha.
Still, Tufts may serve as an exception with regard to hiring during the current recession, according to Director of Public Relations Kim Thurler.
"While I would not characterize the hiring that Tufts is doing as a ‘hiring spree,' the Globe was certainly on target to point out that Tufts is continuing to recruit excellent faculty and is committed to maintaining our momentum and our academic strength at a time when many other institutions are unable to do so," she said.
And some of the job openings will actually benefit Tufts financially. Fifteen out of the 52 positions will entail clinical responsibilities, including several at the School of Dental Medicine. "It's important that we replace those positions because they generate revenue," Bharucha said.
According to Bharucha, a university of Tufts' size always has vacancies. "I'd say we're roughly on par, or maybe slightly behind, where we might otherwise have been … but fluctuations are considerable from year to year," he said.
The hiring process typically starts in the fall, when faculty committees make hiring decisions. From there, the requests are passed up the ladder until they reach Bharucha's office. The provost then hands them over to the Board of Trustees, which approves all new faculty, according to Sternberg.
As other schools in the country terminated their faculty searches, Tufts is reaping the benefit of a highly qualified applicant pool, according to Bharucha, who called this trend a "huge opportunity."
"I can tell you that the quality of the applicant pool is extremely high and we are finding that the top candidates have fewer other offers," he said.
Bharucha emphasized the need to focus on Tufts' educational and research mission when making hiring-related decision.
"We're focused like a laser beam on maintaining our academic excellence in the face of this financial crisis," Bharucha said. "It's important that we continue to do some faculty recruitment in order to bring professors here who can challenge our students."
