Memorandum

To: Academic Deans, Directors, and Department Heads

From: Susan Martin

Re: Opportunity Hiring Program

Date: October 1, 2006

Please see the description below of the Opportunity Hiring Program discussed at last week’s retreat. Let me know if you have questions or comments. This memo will be posted on the Provost’s web site (http://provost.utk.edu/index.shtml) under Memoranda.

Opportunity Hiring Program

Office of the Provost

The Opportunity Hiring Program provides a framework and funding for the recruitment of faculty who meet identified needs within the University. Normally, the Opportunity Hiring Program will support recruitment of faculty who offer diversity in areas where under representation exists or who bring a unique or different perspective because of their professional or personal backgrounds, interests or expertise. Opportunity hires typically involve a targeted recruitment process. In typical cases, this funding is available to attract ‘target of opportunity’ hires; it may, however, also be used to assist in the recruitment of highly ranked candidates who emerge through a regular search or to attract visiting faculty members on one-year appointments. The Office of the Provost and the Office of Equity and Diversity can offer assistance on successful methods of recruiting opportunity hires.

Funding for opportunity hires is available as seed money to phase in appointments which are eventually supported through department/college base budgets. The favored model is a multi-year phase-in where the share of funding decreases as the base budget funding for the position increases. Funding may be requested for one to four years. If the individual so supported leaves the university, any future funding reverts to the pool maintained by the Office of the Provost.

Process

College deans wishing to pursue an opportunity hire should present a proposal to the Office of the Provost outlining the identified need the unit seeks to fill through an opportunity hire, the methodology for identifying qualified candidate(s), qualifications and CV of a desired candidate, a budget outlining the funding requested and the timeline for phasing the salary into base budget funding.The proposal should, if applicable, include a request to the Office of Equity and Diversity to waive the normal search process.