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The Office of Faculty Affairs oversees the application of faculty policies and guidelines. A key resource for faculty is the Faculty Handbook which contains information based on policies and procedures specific to Loyola University Chicago. 

Opportunity Hire for Diversity

 The Target of Opportunity Hire for Diversity policy provides a framework and support for enhanced diversity and academic excellence to Loyola University Chicago through the timely hiring of outstanding faculty at any time during the calendar year. Such a hire contributes positively to the excellence of the university and its mission, benefits the curricular and academic climate for students, and advances the goal of increased faculty diversity.

Procedures

A department or school may identify a candidate for an opportunity hire and present a nomination proposal to the Dean. A candidate might come to the attention of university members through searches, visiting faculty positions, or networking through professional associations, conferences and the like. The nomination should demonstrate how the hire would contribute to the university’s goals to diversify the faculty body and the academic/research goals to address our society’s most urgent and complex problems. The department chair should provide written evidence to the Dean that the department overwhelmingly supports the nomination.

Criteria for an opportunity hire are:

  1. The candidate is exceptional in their discipline, with a record or promise of excellence in scholarly or creative work that would make it highly likely that they would emerge as a top candidate in a conventional search.
  2. The candidate will help the university fulfill its mission by increasing the number of faculty from historically underrepresented groups.

Nominations that receive the endorsement of multiple departments are especially welcome and will be considered as strong evidence of the candidate’s potential. The nomination will be presented to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and the Provost for review and final approval. The creation of an opportunity hire position is at the discretion of the Provost. Funding for such positions is dependent on budget availability and is determined by the Office of the Provost. The target of opportunity hire position will normally not affect the unit’s ability to request new lines.

COVID Tenure and Extension Policy

In order to address the negative impact of the pandemic on faculty research, tenure-track faculty will receive an automatic one-year extension of their tenure clock. A faculty member may rescind the extension at any time after approval and proceed with tenure review following the original timetable. A faculty member who wishes to rescind the extension should notify the Office of Faculty Affairs, their academic supervisor, and dean in advance of the academic year during which the review will take place, before July 1. This policy is applicable to all tenure-track faculty. We also recognize that the impact of the pandemic will have ongoing implications and we will revisit this policy with an eye towards additional extensions in late spring 2021.

No action is needed on the part of faculty to receive this extension; it is granted automatically for all qualifying faculty. Faculty cannot be retaliated or discriminated against for using the rights granted pursuant to this policy. The COVID-related Tenure Clock Extension policy does not nullify or interfere with a faculty member’s right to request an “extension of probationary period for tenure” or an “extension of a leave of absence” as outlined in the Faculty Handbook.