Phase 1 Conduct Inquiries

Harvard University is committed to fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive and experience a sense of inclusion and belonging. Community members are encouraged to model our values of integrity, responsible mentorship, equity, and excellence no matter where they are.

The vast majority of applicants to our faculty positions are committed to these same values. To support this commitment, Harvard will implement an initial Phase I program—for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 hiring years—that provides external applicants and finalists for tenured faculty appointments opportunities to confirm that their current and past conduct reflects these values.

Harvard’s two largest Schools—the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and Harvard Medical School (HMS)—have committed to participating in this Phase I program. This initial phase focuses on external candidates for tenure. We focus on these prominent lifetime appointments because they have the greatest potential for welcome and unwelcome long-term impact on the University and our community. Although our current tenure processes solicit information regarding candidates’ academic qualifications through outside letters, this Phase I conduct inquiries program enables Harvard to obtain additional information about finalists’ conduct during their previous appointments that may be important to our hiring decision. Because this program is new, we are phasing its implementation in a way that is manageable and can help inform its future expansion in subsequent phases to other Harvard Schools as well as other faculty and academic appointment types.