Administrative Procedures Handbook

Criteria for Search Waivers

A waiver may be granted if one or more of the following criteria are met:

    1. The appointment is temporary (e.g., one year or less) or is no greater than a 50% appointment. In these circumstances, a waiver will be valid for up to one year, or until a successful search is completed.
    2. The appointment is made on an unavoidably short notice (e.g., to replace a faculty member or administrator due to death, medical leave, resignation, or termination) which makes a search impossible or impractical to conduct due to time restrictions. In these circumstances, a waiver will be valid for up to one year, or until a successful search is completed.
    3. The appointment requires someone already familiar with the University operations and/or equipment. In these circumstances, a waiver will be valid for up to one year, or until a successful search is completed.
    4. For appointments funded predominantly by grants:
      1. The new appointee will be paid predominantly from grant funds awarded to the appointee; and/or,
      2. The appointee is named specifically in the grant(s) that predominantly funds the position.
      3. The waiver will be valid for the term of the grant.
    5. For the appointment of visiting professors that are limited to a specific term.
    6. Vacated administrative positions to be filled on a temporary basis with an individual serving as "Acting/Interim." An acting/interim appointment is a temporary assignment into a vacant position in which the appointee assumes additional or replacement duties and responsibilities, and for which a search for a permanent replacement is underway or has yet to commence. In these circumstances, a waiver will be valid for up to one year, or until a successful search is completed.
    7. In order to implement the University's affirmative action goals in a unit that has a pre-identified underutilization.
    8. For the appointment of dual career hires.
    9. Promotion of administrative staff when a position is redefined to a higher level with similar duties and responsibilities, the incumbent is well-qualified for the higher position, the incumbent (provided they were initially hired through an approved search) may be put in the position without conducting a search.

      A promotion may be appropriate under the following circumstances: (1) a University business need exists; (2) the employee's qualifications and job performance reflect their readiness to take on higher level duties and responsibilities; (3) the department has a need for higher level work to be performed; and/or (4) a vacancy has occurred within the department.

      It is presumed that there are no other qualified internal candidates for the position. In situations where there may be more than one person whose duties could be expanded and who possesses comparable skill levels, the hiring unit is required to go through a competitive selection process within the unit or University. If the promotion results in the creation of any vacancy, the vacancy created requires a full search.
    10. When a unit undergoes reorganization/title change, the filling of positions will be as outlined below. If during the reorganization a new position is created which is clearly the outgrowth of an existing position in a similar line of work, a qualified incumbent (provided they were initially hired through approved search procedures) may be reclassified to the equivalent or higher-level position without fulfilling search requirements. It is presumed that no vacancy will result in movement of the employee to the position and that there are no other qualified incumbents for the reclassified position. The existing organizational chart and proposed organization chart must be submitted with the waiver request.
    11. Reassignment or transfer of a qualified staff member (provided they were initially hired through approved search procedures) to another position at the same level and comparable rate of pay within the University.

Waiver Process

To obtain approval for a waiver, the hiring officer must submit: a completed Request to Fill requisition (select "waiver of search"), letter of justification for a waiver, job description, candidate's resume/vitae, and an unofficial copy of transcripts. The justification must be based on one or more of the criteria listed above.

View the official Search Waiver and Promotion Policy

Last reviewed: February 28, 2024

Office of the President
Sherman Hall 209
Telephone: (309) 298-1824
E-mail: President-g@wiu.edu