EEO and Hiring Practices

NC State University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Recruitment and hiring of faculty and staff are critical activities at NC State.

As required by law, NC State complies with affirmative action activities and reporting as put forth in Executive Order 11246: Equal Employment Opportunity.

Affirmative action in employment involves the active recruitment of qualified underrepresented populations, including the public advertisement of jobs in non-traditional venues. Organizations may set goals to diversify their workforce by a certain date to encourage managers to make concerted efforts to cast a wide net in favor of qualified minorities and/or women. Although such measures are often confused with “quotas,” the “goals and timetables” specified in Executive Order 11246 do not mandate the hiring or promotion of a specific number of minority or female candidates. Quotas are not legal and are not part of affirmative action.

NC State recognizes that the recruitment, hiring and retention of a diverse workforce are essential to the university community.

EEODF

NC State Belltower with Kwanzan cherry tree

EEODF

The Equal Employment Opportunity & Diversity Fundamentals course (EEODF) provides managers, and supervisors with practical training that will assist them in becoming more effective in their positions in an increasingly diverse workforce.

Per N.C.G.S. 126-16.1, each State agency, department, and institution shall enroll each newly appointed supervisor or manager within one year of appointment in the Equal Employment Opportunity training offered or approved by the Office of State Human Resources.

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Equal Employment Opportunity at NC State

The development and implementation of NC State’s Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (also referred to as the Affirmative Action Plan) is vital for the equal opportunity for employment and inclusion at NC State. Beyond the legal obligation to develop an EEO Plan that includes workforce analysis, availability data and placement goals for women and minorities, an annual review of university hiring practices and processes is widely regarded as a best practice to ensure the recruitment and selection of diverse qualified individuals.

NC State EEO Plans

NC State 2024 EEO Plan
NC State 2023 EEO Plan
NC State 2022 EEO Plan
NC State 2021 EEO Plan
NC State 2020 EEO Plan

Unit EEO Action Plans and Progress Reports

It is the responsibility of the unit equity officer to develop and implement a Unit EEO Action Plan for the college, division or department to which they are assigned. These plans must be vetted through senior leadership within the college, division or department and reviewed and approved by the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Unit equity officers from each NC State college and division are assigned to submit an Affirmative Action Status Report on an annual basis to report on their unit’s action plan progress for the preceding year. Plans are due annually by June 1.

Unit Equity Officers

Unit equity officers are senior level faculty or administrators who regularly interact with other senior leadership within their division or department. The unit equity officers are leaders within their college or department who are or have access to the primary decision-makers and hiring officials and who influence the hiring and recruitment processes. The unit equity officers also communicate with hiring officials and search committee members regarding process requirements from an equal opportunity perspective and review and approve interim reports and hiring proposals in the PeopleAdmin system. The unit equity officers provide hiring officials and search committees with information, tools and document reviews to promote equal opportunity within the hiring process.

Recruitment and Hiring

Candidates selected for hire form the foundation and the future of our university. Every job on campus contributes to creating and maintaining an environment in which students and employees feel welcome to live, learn and work. Our success in maintaining an inclusive balance directly impacts our ability to retain the best students, faculty and staff.

Have a question about hiring practices? The Office of Equal Opportunity answers questions and provides search committee training designed to assist you.

Training

Search committees at NC State have the important responsibility of hiring talented individuals to join the university community. Search committee training is a tool for NC State faculty, staff and students who are members or chairs of a search committee.

The Office of Equal Opportunity offers live and online module training options. Either option enables NC State participants to learn more about how to conduct an equitable and inclusive hiring process. Participants who are active in the recruitment process should plan to take the online module once per year and attend an in-person training session once every three years. Registration for both training opportunities is available in the REPORTER system.

If you have questions about the hiring process or about how to register for a training opportunity, please contact us at equalopportunity@ncsu.edu or 919.513.0574.

Resources

Use the resources below to help guide you through a successful search process.

Guidelines: The guidelines assist you in helping to make NC State a great place to work through compliant employment practices. The guidelines discuss applicable federal and state laws plus applicable NC State policies.
Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines: Legal guidelines for permissible questions during the interview and recruitment phase as well as those that must be avoided to comply with anti-discrimination laws and to reduce legal liability.
Recruitment Resources: A list of resources for people who would like more information regarding available resources within the University and the state/federal level.
Search Committee Resources: These documents have been created by OEO and Human Resources to assist search committees.