Chapter 8A
Appointment to Benjamin Peirce Fellow
(1) Description
A Benjamin Peirce Fellowship is a non-tenure-track position in the Department of Mathematics that is held by scholars who possess significant promise as researchers and a strong record of teaching undergraduate or graduate students. The appointment of a Benjamin Peirce Fellow is for a period of three years. Benjamin Peirce Fellowships are not renewable; however, those who choose to take unpaid leaves during their time as a Benjamin Peirce Fellow may be given the option of extending their Benjamin Peirce Fellowship by an equivalent amount of time, depending on curricular needs and budget constraints, and with approval by the Department Chair. In such cases, appointments as Benjamin Peirce Fellows cannot ordinarily exceed a maximum of 5 years total. Benjamin Peirce Fellows are expected to have completed all requirements for the doctorate before their appointment start date. In addition to their research activities, Benjamin Peirce Fellows are ordinarily expected to teach, advise, and perform limited departmental service.
(2) Steps: Appointment to Benjamin Peirce Fellow
The Office for Faculty Affairs (OFA) will provide support and staffing throughout the search and review process for ladder and senior non-ladder appointments.
The department chair writes to the divisional dean, requesting authorization for a search.
The letter should specify the curricular need for the appointment and the specific field sought.
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.
- All advertising copy must be reviewed and approved by the associate dean for the division/SEAS 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 University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard’s academic purposes. Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university’s non-discrimination policy. Harvard’s equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.”
- The dossier for the finalist must include a teaching/advising statement that describes the candidate’s philosophy and practices as well as their approach to creating a learning environment in which students are encouraged to ask questions and share their ideas and teaching materials (e.g., any teaching awards, representative course syllabi, and teaching evaluations). The advertisement should ask all candidates to submit with their original application materials a teaching/advising statement and a research statement. The department may request the other teaching materials later in the process.
- The dossier for the finalist must also include 3 letters of recommendation. The advertisement should ask candidates to submit contact information for references with their original application materials.
The finalized case statement, prepared and signed by the department chair and the chair of the search committee, should include the following:
- A description of the search, including procedures for establishing a list of candidates, total number of applicants, and a description of the review procedures used in the department.
- A description of the finalist’s teaching/advising qualifications.
- A comparison of the candidate with all other leading candidates, and reasons why the other leading candidates were not chosen.
- Describe the teaching needs that the appointment would address.
- A summary of the department's discussions of the case.
Note: The finalized case statement should be made available to the faculty in the department involved in the review.
The candidate’s dossier is prepared by the department and sent to the associate dean for the division/SEAS and the senior associate dean for faculty affairs.
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 associate dean for the division and the senior associate dean for faculty affairs. Please follow HUIT’s recommended practices for secure document transfer, which can vary by user platform. For a full checklist of what the dossier should include, please see below.
Note: The divisional/SEAS dean and/or their designee and the Dean for Faculty Affairs and Planning can ask for changes to the dossier at any time.
After approval by the divisional dean, the department issues the offer letter to the candidate.
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 Office for Faculty Affairs drafts the offer letter to the candidate in consultation with the department chair and the divisional dean.
If the offer is accepted, the appointment is processed in the Aurora system by the department.
- The department sends 1 electronic PDF copy of the final dossier and signed offer letter to the Appointments Office in the Office for Faculty Affairs via Aurora. Note: This copy is in addition to that submitted to the associate dean in Step 6.
- Completion of an I-9 on or before the appointment start date and submission of any other necessary documents is required of all new employees, or after a break in service of one year or more. Questions about I-9 completion should be directed to FAS Central Payroll for faculty appointed through FAS or SEAS Office for Faculty Affairs for faculty appointed through SEAS.
- The department administrator will remind the faculty member to sign electronically the Harvard University Participation Agreement by the start of their appointment.
(3) Dossier Checklist: Benjamin Peirce Fellows
Please securely send a digital copy of the preliminary dossier to the associate dean for the division/SEAS (AD) and the senior associate dean for faculty affairs. Please follow HUIT’s recommended practices for secure document transfer, which can vary by user platform. To facilitate storing and sharing of files, please name the file as follows using alpha-numeric characters only (no dashes, commas, slashes, etc.):
[Last Name] [First Name] [Department Name] [fellowship type] dossier [Month, Date, and Year of dossier submission, expressed numerically: XX YY ZZ]. For example:
- Smith Joanna Mathematics Benjamin Peirce dossier 1 4 25 or
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]. For example:
- Smith Joanna Mathematics Benjamin Peirce dossier 1 4 25 rev 1 15 25.
After the offer is finalized, please send a digital PDF copy of the final dossier to the Appointments Office in the Office for Faculty Affairs via Aurora. Departments should retain documents according to practices recommended by Harvard Archives.
______1. Case statement. See description in Step 5 above.
______2. The department’s request for search authorization and the divisional dean’s letter approving the search request.
______3. The candidate’s cover letter.
______4. The candidate’s curriculum vitae, including bibliography.
______5. Teaching materials (including teaching awards, representative course syllabi, and teaching evaluations).
______6. A teaching/advising statement describing philosophy and practices as well as approach to creating a learning environment in which students are encouraged to ask questions and share their ideas.
______7. Course title, course description, and syllabus for the course(s) the candidate intends to teach during their first semester.
______8. A research statement.
______9. 3 letters of recommendation.
_____10. Evidence of the candidate’s completion of the requirements for the doctorate, if the degree is not in hand or was received in the last three months.
Note: The candidate should not solicit student letters, and any unsolicited student letters will not be included in the dossier.
To be added after the appointment is finalized:
_____11. A copy of the offer letter and all subsequent emendations to it.
_____12. A copy of the candidate’s letter of acceptance.
Completion of an I-9 on or before the appointment start date and submission of any other necessary documents is required of all new employees, or after a break in service of one year or more. Questions about I-9 completion should be directed to FAS Central Payroll for faculty appointed through FAS or SEAS Office for Faculty Affairs for faculty appointed through SEAS.