Report 2020-104 Recommendation 3 Responses

Report 2020-104: Calbright College: It Must Take Immediate Corrective Action to Accomplish Its Mission to Provide Underserved Californians With Access to Higher Education (Release Date: May 2021)

Recommendation #3 To: Calbright College

To ensure that its hiring process is fair and results in the hiring of well-qualified staff, Calbright should, by November 2021, finalize its development of human resources policies and procedures for recruitment and hiring that comply with state law and regulation.

6-Month Agency Response

To ensure that Calbright's hiring process is fair, continues to align with state law and regulations, and results in the hiring of well-qualified staff, the College has strengthened its human resources policies and procedures. In accordance with Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 53003, all Calbright employees participate in an Equal Employment Opportunity and hiring process training which includes an overview of the education code as well as state and federal nondiscrimination laws; the educational benefits of workforce diversity; the elimination of bias in hiring decisions; a detailed review of the Calbright recruitment and hiring process; and best practices in serving on Calbright's hiring screening committees. To foster inclusion and to promote open positions, we advertise positions on our website and the community colleges' registry as well as external sites such as LinkedIn, Idealist, Higher Ed Jobs, and job boards that focus on reaching diverse audiences and candidates.

In accordance with Education Code section 87101 (subd.b) and (c), Calbright's Board of Trustees approved the College's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) plan in September 2021. Additionally, Administrative Procedure (AP) 7120 Recruitment and Hiring, which outlines Calbright's recruitment and hiring procedures, has been approved through the College's AP governance structure. In addition to AP 7120, we have also prioritized and approved nine HR related APs that have implications for fair treatment and equity in the hiring process. Human Resources has developed standard operating procedures based on the approved Administrative Procedures and will publicly post to Calbright's Boarddocs, and will continue to monitor and evaluate policies to reflect future changes in laws, regulations, and best practices.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

Calbright provided both its EEO plan and its formalized recruitment and hiring policy.

60-Day Agency Response

Calbright is in the process of further strengthening its hiring process and human resources policies and procedures in line with federal and state laws and regulations. In accordance with Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 53003, all Calbright employees participate in an Equal Employment Opportunity training which includes an overview of the education code as well as state and federal nondiscrimination laws; the educational benefits of workforce diversity; the elimination of bias in hiring decisions; a detailed review of the Calbright recruitment and hiring process, and best practices in serving on Calbright's screening committee. In accordance with Education Code section 87101 (subd. b) and (c) Calbright College has developed an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Plan which is going through legal review and will be presented to the Board of Trustees in October 2021. Draft Administrative Procedure (AP) 7120 Recruitment and Hiring outlines Calbright's recruitment and hiring procedure and is currently under legal review and will be ready for final approval in October 2021. Beyond AP 7120, we are identifying a list of priority HR related AP's that have implications for recruitment and hiring. Calbright recently revised our AP process to streamline, centralize, and strengthen our approach to ensure timely and thorough completion of the colleges AP's. We expect to finalize these AP's on time.

Currently, all screening committees consist of a committee chair, EEO representative, subject matter experts, and department members who review all applications to ensure applicants meet the minimum job qualifications (or its equivalent). The screening committees then interview the most qualified to make hiring recommendations. Guidelines to ensure a fair and equitable process are reviewed each time a committee convenes to start the screening and interview process.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2020-104

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.