Daemen College : Offices & Services : Career Services : Information for Faculty : Credential Forms and Information
Credential Forms and Information
Credential Information
Opening a File:
Fill out and return the Credential Request
Credential (Form A). This immediately opens your file. When reference letters are received, they will be dated and placed in your file.
File Contents:
A file contains references written by persons who have supervised you in either work or academic settings. You may have as many references kept in a file as you desire. Resumes and Transcripts are not housed in the file. This information is provided to employers by the job candidate. For education majors you need to include student teaching evaluations, which are obtained from the Teaching Resource Center (TRC).
Reference Letters:
All reference letters housed in your credential file are considered confidential or non-confidential.
Confidential letters of recommendation are letters that you no longer have access to once they are submitted to the Co-op & Career Development Center. To be considered confidential, references written on the referee's letterhead must be attached to Reference Letter (Form B) and you have signed the Waiver of Access on Form B. The letter and Form B must be mailed or hand delivered to the Co-op and Career Development Center by the person writing the reference. If you are submitting the reference, it must be in a sealed envelope with the signature of the author written across the seal. If you waive the right to access, the contents of the letter cannot be read or given to you at any time.
Non-confidential letters of recommendation are letters that you may access after they have been submitted for your file to the Co-op & Career Development Center. These letters should also be on the referee's letterhead, but Form B is not necessary.
The Buckley Amendment and your Letters of Recommendation:
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 states that candidates have the right of access to any references filed for them after January 1, 1975. This includes seeing them or having copies. This law also provides for WAIVER of this right by offering the option of having confidential references if a candidate so desires. All references written before January 1975 by law are considered confidential.
Checking On File Contents:
All materials submitted to our office will be recorded and dated when received. You may check the contents of your file at any time during operating hours of the office by calling or stopping in. You may read any of the non-confidential letters in your file by stopping in the office. You must show identification. No letters will be read over the phone. References submitted to our office are owned by the college and cannot be removed. You do, however, have complete control over how your file is utilized. You may add reference letters at any time. If you wish to remove a reference, you must do so in writing and it will become inactive but still remain in your file.
Sending Files:
Fill out the Credential Release (Form C) or submit the request in writing. Phone requests will not be taken. You may send a maximum of eight (8) documents which may be a combination of reference letters and student teaching evaluations. Please indicate the names of the references you want sent. If you do not specify, all references in your file will be sent or the eight (8) most recent. Every effort is made to process all reference requests within a 24-48 hour period.
Fee:
There is no fee to open a credential file. Students and alumni can then send 12 credential file requests at no charge. These requests can be made at any time, with no final expiration date. After twelve (12) free requests have been utilized, students and alumni will be charged a $3.00 fee per each request. ( Please note: credential requests using an on-line application system such as WNYRIC may be subject to higher fees- please ask staff ) Checks can be made payable to Daemen College. Our office will not process requests made without payment or requests made for students with an outstanding bill.
Retaining Credential Files:
Reference letters are considered outdated after five (5) years. We strongly urge you to use updated letters in your file, should you wish to use your credential file and keep it active. All credential files will be destroyed if they have had no activity for a period of 20 years. The term "activity" means that you have updated your file with letters of recommendation or have had your file sent out for employment or graduate school purposes in the last 20 years. If the credential file has had no activity for a period of 20 years, your file is considered inactive and will be destroyed. Should you wish your inactive file retained or your non-confidential letters returned to you and your file is 20 years old or more, please complete the Credential File Status form and return it to the Co-op & Career Development Center.