A Selection Committee is a group of individuals appointed by an overseeing unit, committee or other body to conduct a review and selection process for a given award or prize. The members of the Selection Committee are responsible for promoting honor nomination opportunities, conducting information sessions, reviewing applications, interviewing candidates and ultimately selecting the winners of a prize or award.
The number of people on a Selection Committee is designed to allow for diversity, geographic representation and active discussion of candidates. A Selection Committee should include a chair, vice chair and one or more alternates.
Each year, the Selection Committee selects four scholars to receive Harvard-Cambridge scholarships. They are selected from among graduating seniors from Harvard and from applicants who are nominated by others. The Selection Committee meets over selection weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to evaluate each of the teams and determine their rankings. The committee evaluates each team based on their performance on the field, including conference championships won, strength of schedule and head-to-head results. They also take into account factors such as team size and athletic ability, the strength of the coaching staff and academic success.
Selection Committee members are required to disclose all potential conflicts of interest prior to reviewing and assessing nominees. In most cases, a conflict is not a problem and the Selection Committee member will be able to continue in his or her role. In some cases, however, a conflict may affect the committee’s ability to make an objective decision about a candidate. In these situations, the Selection Committee chair will work with the member to develop an appropriate course of action, in keeping with the conflict of interest and commitment policy.
If a Selection Committee member believes that he or she cannot be an impartial and objective participant in the process, the chair will recommend to the delegated authority that the member step down from the committee. In some circumstances, the delegated authority may elect not to replace the member in light of the situation and the impact on the committee’s deliberations.
All Selection Committee members should be familiar with the rules and policies on the Selection Committee and the Honors Program. They should be able to clearly explain to prospective applicants and nominators how the Selection Committee operates and the criteria on which it bases its decisions. The Chair of the Selection Committee should be able to explain to committee members how the process works and provide them with examples of how the Selection Committee has operated in the past.
All Selection Committee members should be willing to participate in the process in a reasonable amount of time and to commit to doing their best. They should be able to offer perspective and insight, as well as their time, energy and enthusiasm for the job. They should be able to give thorough, thoughtful consideration to each of the nominees. Lastly, they should be able to discuss their deliberations in an open, respectful way and take enough time to reach a unanimous decision.