Carleton has opportunities for departments or programs to hire pre- or postdoctoral fellows as CFD (Consortium for Faculty Diversity) Fellows and the Oden Postdoctoral Fellows in the Liberal Arts. It is very desirable to invite fellows who will serve as leave replacements, but there is no requirement that limits these appointments to such circumstances.

All Fellows are assigned a mentor through the College mentoring program. They should be encouraged to participate in the mentoring program, Learning and Teaching Center sessions, and department/program and College activities. They will also receive support for professional meetings and other development activities. 

Departments and programs interested in recruiting and hiring a postdoc must complete the Request to Hire a Visiting Faculty Member form by the mid-November deadline, including an justification for why hosting a postdoc (versus a more common visiting faculty position) would be useful to the department/program. Departments and programs weighing whether to request a postdoctoral position are encouraged to discuss with Associate Provost David Liben-Nowell.

Consortium for Faculty Diversity

Carleton is a member of the Consortium for Faculty Diversity (CFD). The mission of this Consortium is to increase the diversity of students, faculty members and the curricular offerings at liberal arts colleges, with a particular goal of enhancing the diversity of faculty members and applicants for faculty positions at liberal arts institutions.

CFD Fellows are normally appointed for a one-year position. Each CFD Fellow teaches two or three courses (post-doctoral Fellows teach three; pre-doctoral Fellows teach two) and may supervise comps and/or independent studies. The Fellow should be in residence all three terms and should start teaching during fall term. Half time should be reserved for research and writing, specifically (for pre-doctoral Fellows) to complete the dissertation. Each Fellow on the job market will receive support to attend the annual CFD conference.

Carleton aims to hire one CFD Fellow each academic year. Departments and programs potentially interested in hiring a CFD fellow should follow should follow this link for instructions on how to explore applications that are currently in the CFD system. (To access this page, you’ll need a password, which is the building and room number in which chairs and directors’ meetings are typically held: Xxxxx 000. It’s the same room that contains most LTC events, too.) If there are relevant candidates of interest, then a department or program can submit a request by completing the Request to Hire a Visiting Faculty Member form by the mid-November deadline as described above. The Provost’s Office will determine which departments/programs are eligible to interview applicants. 

Oden Postdoctoral Fellows

The Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities provided grants to match Carleton community giving to establish the Robert A. Oden Jr. Postdoctoral Fellowship for Innovation in the Liberal Arts, which focuses on the social sciences and humanities, and the Robert A. Oden Jr. Postdoctoral Fellowship for Innovation in the Humanities. These postdoctoral fellowships are normally offered in alternating years. 

The fellowships are two-year appointments for a faculty member with doctorate in hand that was received no more than five years previously. The positions involve half-time teaching (two courses one year, and three courses the other), and half-time research and writing (turning dissertation into publication). Teaching should include at least one “bread and butter” course (such as an introductory survey), and at least one course in the person’s specialty. These fellowships help fill vacancies created by faculty sabbaticals, and add new subfields and perspectives to the College’s curriculum.

As described above, a department or program can submit a request for an Oden Fellow by completing the Request to Hire a Visiting Faculty Member form by the mid-November deadline.