The University of North Texas System and its component institutions are committed to equal opportunity and comply with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University of North Texas System and its component institutions do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its application and admission processes, educational programs and activities, and employment practices.
Required Hiring Preferences
1) Veterans’ Preference
As a State University, we follow the Veteran’s Employment Preference statue (Texas Government Code), which states:
- An individual who qualifies for a veteran's employment preference is entitled to a preference in employment with or appointment to a state agency over other applicants for the same position who do not have a greater qualification.
- A state agency shall provide to an individual entitled to a veteran’s employment preference for employment or appointment over other applicants for the same position who do not have a greater qualification a veteran’s employment preference, in the following order of priority:
- veteran with a disability
- veteran
- veteran’s surviving spouse who has not remarried
- orphan of a veteran if the veteran was killed while on active duty.
The statute does not guarantee the veteran a job, and it does not apply to internal agency actions such as promotions, transfers, reassignments and reinstatements.
The Texas Government Code also states:
Each state agency shall establish a goal of hiring, in full-time positions at the agency, a number of veterans equal to at least 20 percent of the total number of employees of the state agency and outlines these requirements to interview qualified individuals who meet veteran’s preference eligibility when conducting interviews at state agencies for posted open positions:
- If interviewing six (6) applicants or less, and there are qualified job applicants who meet veteran’s preference eligibility, at least one applicant eligible for veteran’s preference must be interviewed.
- If interviewing more than six (6) applicants, and there are qualified job applicants who meet veteran’s preference eligibility, then at least 20 percent of applicants interviewed must be eligible for veteran’s preference.
- If the qualified applicant pool does not consist of any individuals who meet veteran’s preference eligibility under Section 657.003, there is no requirement.
| # of Individuals Selected for Interview | Minimum # of individuals to interview with Veterans Preference (required) |
|---|---|
| 1-6 | 1 |
| 7 | 1 (20% of 7 = 1.4, round down to 1) |
| 8 | 2 (20% of 8 = 1.6, round up to 2) |
| 9 | 2 |
| 10 | < 2 |
2) Former Foster Child Employment Preference
As authorized in Chapter 672 of the Texas Government Code, an individual who was under the permanent managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services on the day preceding the individual's 18th birthday is entitled to a preference in employment with a state agency over other applicants for the same position who do not have a greater qualification. An individual is entitled to an employment preference only if the individual is 25 years of age or younger.