Background Checks

Procedure Administrator: Associate Vice President for Human Resources
Authority:
Effective Date: July 24, 2012; August 15, 2019
Index Cross-References: 1600
Procedure File Number: 6100
Approved By: Harvey Kesselman, President

Stockton University strives to provide a safe environment for students, visitors, faculty and staff conducive to academic and administrative pursuits. To accomplish this goal, the University conducts a series of background checks on prospective new hires and from time to time on current employees as permitted by law.

These background checks are applicable to all full-time and part-time faculty and staff, adjunct faculty, temporary employees, and volunteer positions. The Office of Human Resources is responsible for initiating and overseeing the background check process. Background checks include social security number trace, employment verification, criminal background checks, national sexual offender registry, credit check, degree verification, drug and alcohol testing, medical examination, and driver’s abstract. The type of background checks performed are dependent on the University position. Information collected in these background checks will be kept confidential to the extent required by law.

Conditional offers of employment may be extended pending the successful completion of the background check. New hire letters will include language that employment is contingent upon successful completion of background checks and degree verification where applicable. A candidate subject to this process should not begin employment until all checks have been received and cleared by the Office of Human Resources. In rare instances, operational or business necessity may require a candidate to start prior to the completion of the background checks due to delays in reporting from the background check vendor. These situations will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Office of Human Resources.

Background information that is falsely reported may be cause for withdrawal of an offer of employment and/or cause for termination of employment. If an unacceptable report is received, the Office of Human Resources will inform the Office of General Counsel, and/or the New Jersey Attorney General’s office (except where employment is expressly prohibited by law), where each case will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Prior to taking any adverse employment action based on information contained in the background check, the Office of Human Resources will provide the employee or candidate a copy of the report and a notice summarizing the individual’s rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. A reasonable opportunity to dispute the accuracy or completeness of the report will be provided.
Employees, including temporary, adjuncts, and volunteers that have a break in service for a period of one or more years or for whom there is no record of a completed background check shall be subject to a full pre-employment background check.

In accordance with the University’s Protection of Minors Procedure, employees who have direct contact with a minor in University-sponsored programs will be required to complete a background check every three years.

For all positions where the essential functions of the job require driving, driver’s license checks will be performed at the time of hire and from time to time during employment. Employees in these positions are required to notify their supervisor and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources if their driver’s license is ever suspended or revoked, or if they should, either permanently or temporarily, lose their driving privilege in the State of New Jersey. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action.

Review History:
Associate VP for Human Resources 06/26/2019
General Counsel 08/01/2019
Cabinet 08/01/2019
President 08/15/2019