Guidelines for Investigative Subcommittees

Investigative subcommittees for each candidate are chosen by the ARG. The responsibilities of the subcommittees are to evaluate the nomination with respect to the appointment criteria, evaluate the letters of recommendation received, and investigate specific issues and questions posed by the ARG.

Membership of Subcommittees

It is desirable that subcommittee chairs are selected from a pool of current ARG members with previous ARG experience. Each investigative subcommittee must have three members, two of whom are expected to be current ARG members. All subcommittee members must be NCAR Senior Scientists or voting members of the ARG, and none may be from the candidate's nominating management unit.

ARG members are not required to serve on more than one investigative subcommittee. If having two ARG members on each subcommittee would require multiple service, subcommittees may be formed with just one ARG member.

Resource Person:One resource person, selected by each candidate's nominating management unit, is appointed to provide expertise and assistance to the investigative subcommittee. The resource person is typically a senior scientist or senior research engineer of UCAR/NCAR/UOP, and shall abide by the confidentiality requirements of the ARG process. The resource person may be called upon, for example, to provide requested referee contact information, identify other NCAR personnel with relevant knowledge of the candidate, and clarify scientific issues related to the candidate's work.

Activities of the Subcommittee

The investigative subcommittee shall investigate in detail the qualifications of the nominee, covering all aspects of the nominee's work. Specific activities may include:

• Reading and discussion of nominee's scientific publications
• Speaking with colleagues at NCAR
• Interviewing the nominee
• Attending any seminars given by the nominee
• Carefully considering the opinions of the external referees
• Investigating any significant gaps in documentation with the nominator
• Investigating particular issues raised by the ARG

Seeking external oral advice and opinion: Consult first with Director's Office/Chair of the ARG.

Letters of recommendation are sought and received by the Director of NCAR, and copies distributed to the investigative committee members, who make any further investigations indicated, including asking the Director of NCAR to seek clarification or explanation from the referees. The investigative committee then makes a final written report that is distributed to the ARG, along with the letters of reference.

Reporting to the ARG

The investigative subcommittee should report in writing to the ARG in advance of the second meeting. The following should be included in the report:

• Description of the activities of the subcommittee
• A direct discussion of the issues and questions raised by the ARG
• Specific references to the subcommittee's investigation of the letters
• Address each of the appointments criteria specifically
• The subcommittee's appointed Resource Person should receive a draft of the subcommittee's report from the subcommittee chair before submission to the ARG. This review is to ensure factual accuracy.

The Subcommittee Chair will provide a copy of the report to the nominator. The nominator will review the draft subcommittee report before it is submitted to the ARG. This review is to ensure factual accuracy.

Conduct of the Investigation

The subcommittee should seek clarification of comments written by external referees, consult with colleagues in a nominee's division, and meet with the nominee as a group. Subcommittees will abide by Equal Opportunity rules. Please consult with Human Resources if you have any questions about these rules.

The subcommittee should not make personal contact with the external referees. The NCAR Director will make such contacts in response to requests.

The subcommittee should not make a formal recommendation on the appointment.

Subcommittee Attendance at the Second Meeting

Subcommittee members are invited to attend during discussion of their nominee's case at the second meeting to answer questions or provide clarification.

Disposition of Materials/Confidentiality

The reports of the investigative subcommittees are to be strictly confidential and are to be returned at the end of the process with all the other ARG materials.