Target of Opportunity Appointments

Purpose

In the service of supporting the historic principles of valuing diversity and inclusion and in furtherance of the excellence of the faculty at Bates, the college has developed a process for Target of Opportunity appointments. Such appointments allow the college to take advantage of special opportunities to recruit outstanding faculty who have the potential to make extraordinary contributions to the life of the college and its academic program.  This could involve bringing to the college new theoretical approaches, currently underrepresented specialties, or intellectual perspectives or viewpoints that reflect a diversity of personal experiences and social circumstances. Of particular interest are individuals from underrepresented groups in the professoriate and individuals with a demonstrated commitment to applying and including diverse backgrounds and perspectives to learning, scholarship, service, and leadership in the academy.

 

Procedure

With approval, departments and programs may choose to undertake a targeted search process—in lieu of or in advance of undertaking a national search. Units should engage in conversations with the Dean of the Faculty and other appropriate offices as soon as possible to ascertain how to best support the departments or program’s goals, including, for example, requesting resources for a new scholars series or to support campus visits for potential targets of opportunity.

 

Steps:

 

  1. First, the relevant department/program must obtain an authorization for a full-time tenure track faculty line from the Academic Affairs Council.  The process for submitting an application for a tenure track faculty line is identical to the standard process described at the Dean of Faculty’s web site (https://www.bates.edu/dof/governance-and-policies/proposing-faculty-lines/), including the Intention to Apply for a line (in the Fall) and the submission of a full proposal in the Winter.  The department/program may wish to indicate in their proposal that they are considering a Target of Opportunity search in lieu of a national search.  Approval of a Target of Opportunity search is made by the Dean of Faculty in consultation with the appropriate offices of the college.
  2. Once a department/program has received an authorization to search for a tenure track faculty member, if it intends to pursue a Target of Opportunity search, it must then request a Waiver of Tenure-Track/Tenure-Eligible Search and Recruitment which is considered by the Dean of the Faculty and the other appropriate offices.  The request, in the form of an MS Word document that addresses the questions below, must be submitted electronically to Lori Ouellette (louellet@bates.edu) in the office of the Dean of Faculty.
  3. In some cases, approval may be given for a search committee to interview multiple target of opportunity candidates for a search with the expectation that one hire will be yielded from the pool.
  4. A request for waiver must contain a clear statement of:
  • the exceptional need for the waiver of search and an explanation of the distinctive qualities of the prospective candidate(s) for this position;
  • the ways in which the candidate(s)’ background, scholarship and teaching might advance Bates’ efforts to promote excellence in its academic programs through hiring that focuses on underrepresented groups and inclusion;
  • the expected rank and title for this position, and assurance that the candidate would be eligible for an offer through a national search;
  • which courses are to be covered by the candidate(s);

and should include the curriculum vita for the candidate(s).

 

  1. Following submission of the request for waiver statement from the chair of the search committee, the Dean of the Faculty, AAC and other appropriate offices will confer to determine whether to approve the waiver. The Dean may contact the search chair for further explanation or clarification of the proposed waiver. Communication of the approval or denial of the waiver will be made by the Dean to the search chair.
  2. Timing is important. If the waiver is approved, it is important for the department/program to think carefully about the recruitment process, and this planning should occur during the spring when the authorization and waiver decisions are made. If the department/program intend to use the New Scholar Series as a recruitment tool, ideally, planning would begin in the spring and summer. Generally, a candidate(s) identified through the Series is/are expected to be brought back to campus (i.e., for a return visit) to give a formal job talk and to meet relevant faculty, staff, administrators, and students as would be customary with regular tenure track searches.
  3. Following approval of a request for waiver, with or without the use of the New Scholars Series or other recruitment mechanisms, a target of opportunity candidate(s) identified by the department/program must upload all materials to Interfolio that are expected of all candidates for tenure-track or tenure-eligible positions in regular, national searches.
  4. Upon review of these materials by the search committee, the search committee may request that the Dean approve a campus visit of the candidate(s).
  5. Following a campus visit of the candidate(s), communication by the chair to the Dean regarding the outcome of the search committee’s deliberations should be made.  Then, the Dean will determine whether to extend an offer to a candidate.  If an offer is accepted, a contract will be issued contingent on the successful completion of a background check.