C. Appointment to Associate Senior Lecturer

(1)   Description

Associate Senior Lecturer is a five-year, highly selective, non-renewable, non-tenure-track position for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional ability as teachers, are meeting a recurring, essential curricular need, and have shown exceptional potential for further growth. Appointments to this position are extremely rare. An Associate Senior Lecturer has at least three years of teaching experience as a course head for courses that would otherwise be taught by tenure-track or tenured faculty. Associate Senior Lecturers must meet one of the following sets of criteria. Ordinarily, they have either:

1) Demonstrated that they are exceptional teachers and have taught within the tenure-track (i.e., assistant professor or untenured associate professor) ranks at a peer undergraduate institution, with a commensurate scholarly record. Or,

2) Demonstrated a significant record of innovation in pedagogy, and, in addition, are exceptional teachers. Or:

3) They may be well-established, practicing artists, with an artistic record equivalent to the scholarly achievement of an assistant professor or untenured associate professor, who have also demonstrated excellence in teaching.

Associate Senior Lecturers (with the exception, as appropriate, of appointments in the arts) must ordinarily hold a doctorate. Whether or not an individual is eligible for a possible appointment to Associate Senior Lecturer is contingent on recurring curricular need, position availability, extraordinary performance, and the authorization of the divisional dean/SEAS Dean.

On rare occasions, an appointment as a dependent Associate Senior Lecturer is possible. This is an Associate Senior Lectureship that is held in conjunction with an administrative, research, or curatorial post within the University. The position upon which the Associate Senior Lectureship is dependent must be at least half time. Like non-dependent Associate Senior Lectureships, dependent Associate Senior Lectureships are non-tenure-track positions that are held by individuals who meet all the criteria required for Associate Senior Lecturers as described above. The dependent Associate Senior Lecturer appointment is a five-year term, dependent on the administrative, research, or curatorial post, and subject to review in the last year of the appointment. The title is held only for the term in which the dependent Associate Senior Lecturer is teaching. All Associate Senior Lecturer appointments must be based in a department or degree committee.

(2)   Search Flowchart:  Associate Senior Lecturer  

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(3)   Steps: Appointment to Associate Senior Lecturer

An appointment to Associate Senior Lecturer is extremely rare. Department chairs/SEAS area chairs interested in appointing an Associate Senior Lecturer should first discuss this matter with their divisional dean/SEAS Dean. (For the Arts and Humanities, Social Science, and Science, this discussion should ordinarily occur at the annual academic planning meeting.) The chair should discuss the department’s/area’s recurring, essential curricular needs and (if applicable) the individual in question. The divisional dean/SEAS Dean will authorize the process only if there is recurring, essential curricular need, position availability, and (if known, e.g., in a targeted external appointment) evidence of extraordinary performance. 

 
  Steps Explanation

1

The department chair writes to the divisional dean requesting authorization for a search

The search plan should address:

  • How the anticipated appointment is expected to serve the recurring, essential curricular needs of the department.
  • Any administrative duties the candidate will be expected to perform and whether the lectureship will be held in conjunction with another position in the FAS.
  • The names of the proposed search committee members, including the chair, who will have primary responsibility for ensuring that the search is broad, wide-ranging, and thorough and that proactive efforts are made to identify candidates from diverse populations, including women and minorities. The committee consists of professors of any ranks and/or Senior Lecturers who will evaluate the case. (In the case of a targeted search, former undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral advisors of the candidate should not chair the committee.)
  • The process by which candidates will be identified to ensure the creation of the most highly qualified and diverse pool of applicants.
  • The space that will house the proposed appointment.
The divisional dean reviews individual requests in light of divisional priorities and resources (including space). If the search is authorized, the divisional dean will provide a written response to the department, setting out the conditions of the search.

2

The department advertises the position and makes inquiries at other institutions

  • All advertising copy must be reviewed and approved by the assistant dean for the division before it is submitted to the appropriate journals and other venues. Advertisements and inquiries should describe the position broadly and should list a date after which the department will stop accepting applications, or the department can encourage candidates to apply by a specific date, while indicating that applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. At least one form of the advertisement should be published in print. Advertisements should clearly state required documents and must indicate that Harvard is “an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, protected veteran status, disability, genetic information, military service, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or other protected status.”
  • The dossier for the finalist must include:
    • a teaching/advising statement that describes the candidate’s philosophy and practices related to undergraduate teaching and advising;
    • as applicable, either 1) a research statement, or else 2) a statement expanding on the candidate’s demonstrated significant record of innovation in pedagogy, or 3) a statement describing the candidate's artistic achievement;
    • a statement describing efforts to encourage diversity, inclusion, and belonging, including past, current, and anticipated future contributions in these areas;
    • teaching and advising materials (including a teaching chart listing courses in reverse chronological order, representative course syllabi, a list of undergraduate students for whom the candidate has primary advising responsibility, and evidence of teaching effectiveness, such as teaching awards and teaching evaluations). (Note: In the teaching chart, please indicate which, if any, courses were taught remotely, whether partially or in full, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
    • In art-making fields, a portfolio of creative work.

The advertisement should ask all candidates to submit all of these materials with their application, with the exception of the portfolio of creative work that is requested only of the finalist, in art-making fields.

  • Candidates should not solicit student letters, and any unsolicited student letters will not be included in the final dossier.
  • The dossier for the finalist must also include at least five evaluative letters (including recommendation letters).  The advertisement may ask candidates to submit with their original application materials at most two recommendation letters; in addition, the department should solicit at least three more letters from outside scholars either at the short-list stage or once a finalist is selected.
Harvard is required to solicit and record, when available, each applicant’s gender and racial/ethnic information, which is accomplished through the ARIeS system. Applicants are not required to provide demographic information.
3 The department submits a short list of candidates for approval by the divisional dean

The short list consists of candidates the department has determined are the most qualified for the job in terms of credentials, accomplishments, standing in the field, teaching experience, and field of expertise. To build the strongest pool for the short list, the committee should discuss in early and ongoing conversations how to attract diverse applicants, including women and minorities.

The department sends the following to the divisional dean and the assistant dean for the division:

  • The names of the short-list candidates.
  • The candidates’ materials (e.g., letters of application, CVs, research/pedagogical innovation/artistic statement, teaching/advising statement, and statement on diversity, inclusion, and belonging).
  • A brief summary of the search process to date, including discussion of how the demographics of the short list compare to the data in the Departmental EEO Report.
The Departmental EEO Report displaying aggregate demographic data from the search. This report, which does not identify characteristics of individual applicants, can be retrieved through the ARIeS system. See Chapter 2 in this handbook for more information on Affirmative Action policies.
4

If approval is granted, the department invites short-list candidates to campus for interviews

Candidates meet with members of the department. The visits may include formal seminars, lectures, or master classes, as well as informal meetings with faculty, graduate students, and others. A teaching demonstration is required of all short-list candidates. The assistant dean for the division should be given a list of dates of any seminars, lectures, or master classes.
5

The department selects a final candidate and requests authorization from the divisional dean to solicit evaluation letters. With the request, the department should submit a draft of the letter soliciting evaluations and a recipient list (see Sample Table)

The candidate’s dossier must include at least five evaluative letters (including recommendation letters).

The letter soliciting evaluations should include:

  • The criteria for appointment to an Associate Senior Lecturer position at Harvard.
  • An indication that the University will make every effort possible to keep the response confidential and will make it available only to voting members of the department/SEAS area and others directly involved in the formal review process.
  • The deadline for receipt of responses and contact information.

The recipient list (see Sample Table) should be in alphabetical order and include title/current rank, home institution, year of doctorate (if available), a link to the letter-writer’s website (as available), email address, whether the scholar has been the candidate's Ph.D. advisor, postdoctoral advisor, or co-author, and the rationale for including each scholar on the list. It is expected that the list will be diverse, including gender and racial/ethnic diversity.

6 The department sends the approved letter to the people on the recipient list, reviews the evaluative letters received, and drafts a case statement for the finalist
  • The department writes to a number of people sufficient to elicit at least five evaluative letters (including the candidate’s recommendation letters) for inclusion in the final dossier. As at most two of the five letters are recommendation letters, the department should solicit at least three letters from faculty outside Harvard at the rank of tenured associate or full professor.
  • The names of individuals declining to write an evaluation should be noted in the case statement. Any explanatory emails/letters from these people should be included with the other evaluations.
  • The draft case statement for the candidate summarizes the department’s conclusions, including the strengths and weaknesses of the case with regard to teaching and advising; as applicable, either 1) research, or else 2) demonstrated significant record of innovation in pedagogy, or else 3) artistic achievement; service; contributions related to diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and potential for further growth (see Step 8 for all of the necessary elements of the final case statement).
7 After reviewing all of the candidate’s materials, members of the department/SEAS area discuss the case and vote
  • The department/SEAS area reviews the draft case statement, all evaluative letters, and all of the candidate’s materials and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the case. This discussion should be in-depth and rigorous. The department/SEAS area should also assess whether the candidate has met the criteria for Associate Senior Lecturer.
  • All voting members of the department/SEAS area vote on the proposed appointment according to their standard procedures.
8 After a favorable vote, the case statement is finalized by the department chair

The finalized case statement, prepared and signed by the department chair and the chair of the search committee, should include the following:

  • Background and context: An explanation of how the appointment serves the recurring, essential curricular needs of the department and how it fits in with the department’s future development and why it is appropriate to make the appointment at the Associate Senior Lecturer rank. Describe the teaching needs that the appointment would address.
  • The search process: A description of the search, including how the finalist was identified; please address the demographics of the pool as displayed in the Departmental EEO Report available in ARIeS.
  • The case for the candidate:
    • A discussion of the finalist’s teaching and advising abilities; as applicable, either 1) research, or else 2) demonstrated significant record of innovation in pedagogy, or else 3) artistic achievement; service; contributions related to diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and potential for further growth.
    • A comparison of the candidate with all other leading candidates (in particular, women and minorities), and reasons why the other leading candidates were not chosen.
  • A discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate’s case as noted in the evaluative letters and the internal conversations of both the committee and the department/SEAS area. This analysis of strengths and weaknesses should reflect in-depth and rigorous committee and departmental deliberations of the candidate's entire dossier.
  • A summary of the department's discussions of the case.
  • Departmental/SEAS area vote: A record of the department/SEAS area vote, by name, with an “as of” date for the vote tally.
  • Signatures: An indication of the primary author of the statement.

Note: The finalized case statement should be made available to the faculty in the department involved in the review.

9 The candidate’s dossier is prepared by the department and sent to the assistant dean for the division

Note: The department should secure from applicants at the short-list stage (or from the finalist, if the department’s process does not include a short-list stage) a draft course title, course description, and syllabus for the course(s) that the candidate(s) intend to teach during their first semester, for approval. This information will be included in the finalist’s dossier. (Obtaining this information is not necessary for candidates who would be teaching established courses such as certain language or mathematics courses, etc.)

Please securely send one electronic copy of the dossier to the assistant dean. Please follow HUIT’s recommended practices for secure document transfer (e.g., Accellion Kiteworks, encryption, etc.), which can vary by user platform. For a full checklist of what the dossier should include, please see the Dossier Checklist.

Note:  The divisional dean/SEAS Dean and/or their designee and the Dean for Faculty Affairs and Planning can ask for changes to the dossier at any time.

10 The divisional dean, with a CAP subcommittee, reviews the dossier, and the divisional dean decides whether to approve the appointment In some cases, the full Committee on Appointments and Promotions may be asked to review individual dossiers.
11 If the decision is favorable, the offer letter is issued by the divisional dean

Once approval for the appointment has been granted, the department should ask the individual during the hiring process to confirm the department’s understanding of what the course title, description, and syllabus are. 

The offer letter (drafted in consultation with the divisional dean by the Office for Faculty Development) contains information on title, appointment, salary, responsibilities, etc. The Office for Faculty Development makes any revisions to the offer letter. The candidate's acceptance of the offer must be made in writing to the divisional dean.

12 If the offer is accepted, the appointment is processed in the Aurora system by the Office for Faculty Affairs OFD submits all documentation for processing, with the exception of the original I-9 form and any necessary payroll documents, which the FAS financial administrator or the department administrator delivers to Central Payroll. The department administrator will remind the faculty member to sign electronically the Harvard University Participation Agreement by the start of their appointment.

Note: In the extremely rare instance that the divisional dean/SEAS Dean authorizes a targeted external search for an Associate Senior Lecturer, the department should follow Step 1 in the appointment process above; gather materials from the candidate as described in Step 2 (the department does not need to advertise the position); proceed to Step 5 and follow the rest of the appointment process from Step 5 onward. In Step 8, the case statement will not include discussion of the Departmental EEO Report or compare the finalist to other candidates.

(4)   Dossier Checklist: Associate Senior Lecturer

Please securely send an electronic copy of the preliminary dossier to the assistant dean for the division (AD). Please follow HUIT’s recommended practices for secure document transfer (e.g., Accellion Kiteworks, encryption, etc.), which can vary by user platform. To facilitate storing and sharing of files, please name the file as follows: a) alpha-numeric characters only (no dashes, commas, slashes, etc.).  b) [Last Name] [First Name] [Department Name] Associate Sr Lecturer dossier [Month, Date, and Year of dossier submission, expressed numerically: XX YY ZZ]. E.g., Smith John Psychology Sr Lecturer dossier 1 4 15.  c) If a dossier is revised and resubmitted, please repeat the original title, followed by “rev” and [Month of resubmission] [Date of resubmission] [Year of resubmission].  E.g., Smith John Psychology Sr Lecturer dossier 1 4 15 rev 1 15 15. Departments should retain documents according to practices recommended by Harvard Archives at https://grs.harvard.edu/ (please log in)

______1.     Case statement (including department/SEAS area vote by name).

______2.     The Departmental EEO Report displaying aggregate demographic data from the search, available through ARIeS.

______3.     The department’s request for authorization to search and the divisional dean’s letter approving the request.

______4.     Candidate’s curriculum vitae.

______5.     Summary teaching chart and teaching materials (e.g., teaching awards, list of undergraduates for whom the candidate has primary advising responsibility, representative course syllabi, and teaching evaluations).

______6.     A teaching statement describing philosophy and practices related to undergraduate teaching and advising.

______7.    Course title, course description, and syllabus for the course(s) the candidate intends to teach during their first semester.

______8.     As applicable, either a research statement, or else a statement about demonstrated significant record of innovation in pedagogy, or else a statement describing the candidate's artistic achievement.

______9.     Statement describing efforts to encourage diversity, inclusion, and belonging, including past, current, and anticipated future contributions in these areas.

_____10.     A copy of the letter soliciting external evaluations and the recipient list (see Sample Table), indicating who did and did not reply.

_____11.     At least five evaluative letters.

_____12.     In art-making fields, a portfolio of creative work.

Note: The candidate should not solicit student letters, and any unsolicited student letters will not be included in the dossier.

 

(5)   Reviews of Associate Senior Lecturers

  • In years where there is no scheduled first-year review, departments will assess teaching and performance of the associate senior lecturer on an at least annual basis and provide feedback to the associate senior lecturer, following departmental protocols.