Oliver Avens manages the faculty search process in the four academic divisions and oversees the recruitment and appointment process for assistant professors, instructors, senior lecturers, university lecturers, and professors of the practice.  He administers the appointment and reappointment of program chairs and directors.  He reviews and approves requests for the extension of term and workload relief following childbirth or adoption, as well as faculty requests for medical accommodation.  Oliver also manages the selection process for two major honorific teaching awards: the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Visiting Professorship for Distinguished Teaching.  He represents the Dean's office on a number of committees, including the Committee on the Course of Study.

Prior to joining the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, Oliver was dean of Rockefeller College, director of studies at Forbes College, and assistant professor in the Politics Department at Princeton.  He has a B.A. in Political Science and History from Williams College and a Ph.D. from Yale University, specializing in political theory.