Oliver Avens manages the faculty search process in the humanities and social sciences and oversees the recruitment and appointment process for assistant professors and instructors in these departments. As secretary of the Advisory Committee on Appointments and Advancements in the Lecturer Ranks (the C9), he oversees the appointment and promotion process for professors of the practice, university lecturers and senior lecturers. He is responsible for the appointment of research scholars in humanities and social sciences. In addition, he administers the appointment and reappointment of program chairs and directors in the humanities and social sciences. He reviews and approves requests for the extension of term and workload relief following childbirth or adoption for faculty in the humanities and social sciences. He is also a resource for faculty in the humanities and social sciences on dual career issues and retirement planning.

Oliver 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. 

Before 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 degrees from Williams College and Yale University.

Areas of Responsibility

• Appointments – Research Scholars in Humanities and Social Sciences
• C9 (Promotion and Review Committee)
• Centers, Programs and Institutes – Directorships in Humanities and Social Sciences
• Extension of Term following Childbirth/Adoption – Faculty in Humanities and Social Science
• Childcare Workload Relief – Faculty in Humanities and Social Sciences
• President's Award for Distinguished Teaching (PADT)
• Searches - Junior Faculty (Tenure-track Faculty), Senior Lecturers, University Lecturers and Professors of the Practice, and Instructors in Humanities and Social Sciences
• Salary Review - Senior Lecturers, University Lecturers, Professors of the Practice, and Instructors in Humanities and Social Sciences
• Visiting Professors for Distinguished Teaching (VPDT)