Dean of the Faculty
Background Check and Employment Verification
Faculty Background Checks at Brown
As part of its commitment to the advancement of knowledge in a safe and secure environment, Brown conducts employment and education verifications for finalists for faculty positions. In addition, since 2021, the University has conducted more thorough background checks for Associate and Full professorial positions. This web page describes the background check processes, mandated by the "Employment and Education Verification of Finalists for Faculty Positions" policy.
Employment and Education Verification:
Brown verifies the most recent professional position(s) and highest relevant degree for all faculty employees who:
• Will be teaching at Brown; and,
• Have a contract or anticipate continuing employment at the university of greater than six months.
Employment and education verification is conducted by the faculty affairs staff of the Dean of the Faculty's office, and any employment is conditional upon successful completion of the verification process.
Certification of Conduct
All new faculty will be asked to sign the following statement when they accept an offer of employment from Brown:
I hereby accept this appointment and certify that I have had no findings of misconduct at a previous academic institution and that my application materials for this position have been truthful, complete, and accurate.
- Not signing this attestation will not automatically rule out employment at Brown University.
- If you cannot sign this attestation please contact [relevant faculty affairs office].
In cases where a candidate has had a finding of misconduct at a prior institution, they will be contacted by the cognizant dean or delegate at Brown, and the dean or dean's designate, in consultation with the hiring department, will determine whether the finding is sufficient to retract the offer of employment.
Reference Check for Regular Faculty
For faculty to be hired into regular Associate or full professorial positions, Brown requires a somewhat different process. In this case, applicants or the finalists for faculty positions will be asked to sign a release, allowing their current academic institution to release information to Brown. Before an offer is finalized, the Dean of the Faculty will contact the Dean of the applicant's current institution to ask a series of questions outlined in section 3.3 of the Employment and Education Verification policy.