362.202—Announcement, nomination, and selection.

(a) At least once each year, OPM will announce the availability of Fellow and Senior Fellow appointments and conduct a competition for the selection of finalists as set forth below.

(b) Fellows. (1) Graduate students from all academic disciplines who complete or expect to complete an advanced degree from a qualifying college or university by August 31 of the academic year in which the competition is held, are eligible to become Fellows. These individuals must demonstrate an exceptional ability for, as well as a clear interest in and commitment to, leadership in the analysis and management of public policies and programs.

(2) For an individual to apply to become a Fellow:

(i) His/her school must first establish a competitive nomination process to ensure that all eligible graduate students are aware of the Presidential Management Fellows Program and know how to apply for nomination. The school must establish procedures to ensure that each candidate receives careful and thorough review and receives equal opportunity for nomination.

(ii) He/she must compete in the school's nomination process.

(iii) His/her school must rate those who want to be considered for nomination either qualified or not qualified. The school will determine preliminary eligibility for veterans' preference, and must nominate any student who is eligible for veterans' preference and is found qualified for nomination. Students eligible for veterans' preference who believe they met the school's nomination qualification requirements, but were not nominated, may obtain a review by OPM by requesting it in writing.

(iv) He/she must be officially nominated by the dean, chairperson, or academic program director using an OPM-provided application form.

(3) OPM will select Fellow finalists based on an OPM evaluation of each candidate's experience and accomplishments based on his/her application and the results of a rigorous structured assessment process.

(4) OPM will notify individual candidates of their selection as a Fellow finalist. OPM will send all participating agencies the list of Fellows finalists for consideration. Agencies may select and appoint a finalist as a Fellow.

(5) Veterans' preference will be applied pursuant to part 302 of this chapter.

(c) Senior Fellows. (1) Any individual with an exceptional record of experience and achievement in a leadership (supervisory or managerial), policy, professional, or technical position, in an area relevant to the appointing agency's mission or succession requirements, and who has completed a graduate course of study from a qualifying college or university, may apply for appointment as a Senior Fellow. Candidates should evidence a strong commitment to public service and be able to clearly demonstrate that, by virtue of their competencies and accomplishments to date, they have the potential to assume a senior executive or senior level policy, professional, or technical position in the Federal Government after a relatively brief but intensive period of training and development.

(2) The OPM Director, or the Director's designee, will select Senior Fellow finalists based on an evaluation of each candidate's experience and accomplishments based on his/her application, the results of a structured assessment process, and applying veterans' preference in accordance with part 302 of this chapter.

(i) The OPM Director will appoint a Senior Presidential Management Fellows Selection Committee to oversee the evaluation of Senior Fellow candidates and recommend finalists.

(ii) The Selection Committee will be chaired by a career member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and may comprise other individuals from within the Federal Government, such as members of the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, as appropriate, and/or others, such as non-Federal employees, when deemed appropriate by the OPM Director.

(3) OPM will notify each individual candidate of his/her selection as a Senior Fellow finalist. OPM will send all participating agencies the list of Senior Fellow finalists for consideration. Agencies may select and appoint a finalist as a Senior Fellow, subject to the application of veterans' preference requirements in part 302 of this chapter.

CFR

362.202—Announcement, nomination, and selection.