Institutional Reference Check Pilot
Frequently Asked Questions
Technical Details
Who is the institutional sponsor for this project?
The Provost Office, Office of the General Counsel and Academic Human Resources
What are the issues that this project/process is attempting to address?
The intent of the IR process is to provide hiring units any available information about a candidate’s reported misconduct while employed at previous institutions.
What is the timeframe for this pilot?
The pilot will run from March 11, 2024 through Spring 2026
Are peer institutions engaging in institutional reference checks?
Yes.
Did we benchmark peer institutions to learn how they are conducting institutional reference checks?
Yes, administrators at the University of California - San Diego, University of Wisconsin - Madison, and Johns Hopkins University, who are engaging in similar processes provided input into the development of this process plan.
Which employee groups are included in this pilot?
During the pilot phase only Associate Professors and Professors with tenure
Who will decide if the pilot is to be extended or ended?
The Provost in consultation with UM Leadership
Posting/Search/Selection Phase
Where can I locate required language for job postings and contingent offer letters?
Employment Contingency Language at Academic Human Resources
Where can I locate the candidate outreach authorization forms?
Self Disclosure Form
Information Release Authorization Form at Academic Human Resources
Where can I see what is being asked of the former employers?
Letter to External Institution for IRC at Academic Human Resources
Contingent Offer Letter Phase
Who is responsible for collecting the CV’s and authorization forms?
The academic unit seeking to hire a candidate will be responsible for collecting and sharing the required information with Academic Human Resources.
Who will conduct the institutional outreach for each candidate?
Staff at Academic Human Resources will oversee the outreach and collection process.
How will the required materials be provided to AHR?
The academic unit will complete the AHR Ticket in TdX which asks for the Candidate information needed to complete the process. During the Pilot Phase - where needed - the candidate may send release and self disclosure forms to AHR directly.
What is the anticipated timeline for an IRC process?
The IR process will be initiated within 2 business days of materials submission to AHR. The employers will be asked to respond within 7 business days. A report of the results of the outreach will be shared with the academic unit within 4 business days of receipt of the completed package of findings.
Why can’t this process be rolled into the Criminal Background Check Process?
HireRight, our criminal background check vendor, collects the necessary information directly from the candidate and works with crime reporting agencies. This process seeks information from former employers about misconduct rather than criminal activity.
Post Institutional Reference Check for an individual candidate
How will AHR follow up with the hiring unit?
AHR staff will notify the academic unit of neutral or no information reports via email.
If the reports provide information that requires further review, the academic unit leadership will be notified and attend a meeting with AHR, ECRT, OGC staff.