Procedures

Participating Schools commit that they will:

• Provide notice in job postings for all tenured positions

• Ask each external applicant to attest, acknowledge and authorize as described in Components.  If the search is being run through ARIeS, the attestation and acknowledgement happens automatically when the candidate applies.

• Ask the external finalist to complete a conduct questionnaire and provide an opportunity for them to explain any findings if they would like to do so 

• Send conduct inquiries to the external finalist’s employers within the last 10 years
  • Current/prior employers will be contacted only after the Harvard negotiations are set and a contingent written offer has been sent
  • Before Harvard contacts their current institution, the external finalist will notify their current employer that they have been selected as a finalist and that a conduct inquiry will be forthcoming
  • This step of the process occurs at the penultimate stage, right before a final written offer of appointment can be issued, and preserves the finalist’s confidentiality to the very end
  • Conduct inquiries and attestations are not limited to 10 years; Schools will only proactively contact employers from the past 10 years, but if they learn of something that happened more than 10 years ago, they can go back as far as they deem necessary.
  • A two-week time frame for inquiries should be factored into the offer process
  • Open-rank searches:  External applicants and finalists in open-rank searches that are considered for a tenured appointment will need to complete the same processes as external applicants and finalists in a search designated specifically for a tenured appointment.  The position description for open-rank searches should specify this.

• Manage the vetting process locally, while consulting with central leadership 
  • Determine the strategy for gathering information, as we recognize there are differences in internal processes across Schools 
  • Consult with the Offices of the Provost and General Counsel for guidance in insuring a fair and equitable process
  • Determine who makes the actual conduct inquiries
  • Ensure retention and confidentiality of the responses: In order to protect a candidate’s privacy, all information received in connection with this process will be treated as confidential and retained in accordance with Harvard policy

• Assess information collected in consultation with the Offices of the Provost and General Council
  • Conduct an individualized assessment of all information received, including the nature of the conduct, the length of time passed, any corrective action taken, and any explanation offered by the candidate
  • After reviewing the information and in consultation with the Offices of the Provost and the General Counsel, the School will determine whether the candidate should still be eligible to be considered for the position
  • If, in consultation with the Offices of the Provost and the General Counsel, the School determines that the candidate should not be eligible for a tenured appointment, the School shall notify the candidate and may consider a second choice candidate, subject to the conduct inquiry process
  • If, in consultation with the Offices of the Provost and the General Counsel, the School determines that the candidate remains eligible for a tenured appointment, the School sends the candidate the final written offer letter.

Templates for these steps are found in Documents and Templates.