This seems like a very good idea. Or at very least, only require letters very late in the process for a handful of finalists. Advice | Is it Time to Eliminate Recommendation Letters? (Hint: Yes)https://www.chronicle.com/article/is-it-time-to-eliminate-recommendation-letters-hint-yes …
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I think we need to be honest about letters. They communicate two things - the quality of the recommendation and the name of the recommender. We like to pretend the latter doesn't matter, but it pretty clearly can matter.
Given that, it seems like you could ask for the names of recommenders at the outset (easy enough to fill out) but only request letters for finalists.
