Chapter 8B
Appointment to Briggs-Copeland Lecturer
(1) Description
A Briggs-Copeland Lectureship is a non-tenure-track position in the Department of English that is held by practicing writers who have shown accomplishment in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, or other forms of writing and who also possess marked gifts as teachers. This appointment is for a period of five years and is not renewable.
(2) Steps: Appointment to Briggs-Copeland Lecturer
The department chair writes to the divisional dean requesting authorization for a search.
The letter should discuss the curricular need for the 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.
- 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 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 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. The department may request the other teaching materials later in the process.
- The dossier for the finalist must also include 3-5 letters of recommendation. The advertisement may ask candidates to submit contact information for references with their original application materials.
It is expected that all candidates under serious consideration will have the opportunity of a campus visit in order to meet with members of the department in addition to the members of the search committee.
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 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 with a copy to 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/SEAS 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 list 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.
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 Development drafts the offer letter to the candidate in consultation with the department chair.
- Any revisions to the initial offer must be made in writing, in consultation with the Office for Faculty Development. An electronic PDF signed copy of the revised offer letter must be securely sent to the associate dean for the division/SEAS and the senior associate dean for faculty affairs. Please follow HUIT’s recommended practices for secure document transfer, which can vary by user platform.
- The candidate’s acceptance of an offer of appointment is made in writing to the department chair.
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 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: Briggs-Copeland Lecturers
Please securely send an electronic copy of the preliminary dossier to the associate dean for the division/SEAS (AD) and the senior associate dean in the Office for Faculty Development (AD(OFD)). 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: a) alpha-numeric characters only (no dashes, commas, slashes, etc.). b) [Last Name] [First Name] [Department Name] Briggs Copeland dossier [Month, Date, and Year of dossier submission, expressed numerically: XX YY ZZ]. E.g., Smith John English Briggs Copeland 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 English Briggs Copeland dossier 1 4 15 rev 1 15 15.
After the offer is finalized, please send an electronic 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. Candidate’s curriculum vitae, including bibliography.
______5. Teaching materials (including teaching awards, course syllabi, and teaching evaluations).
______6. A teaching/advising statement describing 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.
______7. Course title, course description, and syllabus for the course(s) the candidate intends to teach during their first semester.
______8. 3-5 letters of recommendation.
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:
______9. A copy of the offer letter and all subsequent emendations to it.
_____10. 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.