A Selection Committee is a group that oversees the process of selecting honorees for awards, prizes and fellowships. The members of the committee are appointed by the unit, committee or other body that has oversight over the honor and are subject to verification of compliance with Honors Policies and Procedures by APS staff.
Choosing the right members for a Selection Committee is essential to ensure the best possible outcome. Ideally, the committee should represent a variety of perspectives within the organization. Moreover, committee members should be able to commit the time and enthusiasm necessary for an effective search process. It is also important to make sure that the members are willing to address the potential for bias in their decision-making.
While it may be tempting to select a friend or coworker for a committee, such a move can actually undermine the credibility and impartiality of the entire process. It is also a good idea to include people who have not worked directly with the candidate under consideration, as this helps prevent the risk of personal preferences and biases influencing the decision.
Selection committees are often tasked with addressing conflicts of interest. It is essential that members disclose any known conflicts before reviewing and assessing nominations. Committees should carefully consider whether a conflict of interest is sufficiently serious to require the member to recuse themselves from voting and deliberations on that nominee.
In addition to a full disclosure policy, committees should have a clear set of procedures for handling conflicts of interest. The chair of the committee is responsible for ensuring that all conflicts of interest are monitored and handled in accordance with policy. In some cases, committee members may need to recuse themselves from certain aspects of the review and selection process, such as meeting with candidates or assessing reference checks.
When a conflict of interest arises, committee members should discuss it with the chair and the appropriate human resource staff. Depending on the nature of the conflict, it may be appropriate for the chair to replace the member.
The selection committee should discuss the process and criteria for evaluation before beginning to review nominations. This is to ensure that everyone on the committee is aware of the criteria being used and to help avoid unintentional bias through “criteria-shifting” that can occur once nominees are discussed.
It is important that the committee meet frequently throughout the interviewing and assessment process to maintain continuity, transfer of information and institutional memory. For example, it is a good idea to hold one or more meetings after each round of interviews to decide on the choice of candidates who will advance to the next stage (e.g., reference checks) and to determine the committee’s top choices for nomination.
Finally, it is important to have a well-defined role for the Selection Committee chair, which may involve convening and leading discussions, scoring and ranking nominees, and/or serving as a tiebreaker. The chair is also responsible for implementing and documenting the review and selection process in compliance with the Society’s policies and procedures.