But divisional appointments will be made by interdisciplinary committees. Each committee will be chaired by one of the four divisional deans who oversee the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, and life sciences.

Each professor who is selected by one of these committees will still be affiliated with a specific department.

“I think the proper phrase to use in this is ‘divisional searches,’” Kirby said.

But several professors have criticized Kirby’s divisional appointments system, saying that it transfers power to four administrators that should belong to the departments, and that it might also decrease attention to women in the hiring process.

Kirby said that professors were misunderstanding the system, which is meant to identify talent that might not otherwise arise in departmental searches.

Other professors have criticized the system of divisional appointments because they say it will complicate the process of appointing professors who do interdisciplinary work across divisions.

“We worry about that. It imposes somewhat arbitrary distinctions,” said Sociology Department Chair Mary C. Waters.

Waters added that interdisciplinary work should grow organically out of professors’ research.

“In some ways, the divisional dean structure is the opposite, as it is a top-down approach,” Waters said.

But Cutler said that the divisional deans communicate regularly to make sure that candidates whose research interests cross divisions are not overlooked.

—Staff writer Sara E. Polsky can be reached at polsky@fas.harvard.edu.