Policies and procedures
POLICY NO: HR-26.3
DATE OF APPROVAL: 18th June 2002, Council resolution: 2002/3/3
AMENDMENTS: June 2006
Approved by Council 19 October 2006
January 2007
Approved by Council 21 February 2008
REFERENCE AUTHORITY: Director: Human Resources
Senior Management Group
CROSS REFERENCES: University of South Australia
Academic and General Staff Enterprise Agreement 2000
Policy HR25.0 Performance Management
Information for Academic Staff Applying for Promotion
The University values and recognises excellence in teaching and educational development, in research and consultancy, in scholarship, in the advancement of knowledge, and through innovation and enterprise. Staff who demonstrate the criteria for promotion set out in this policy and who contribute to the University through leadership and professional and community engagement are rewarded through promotion. This policy should be read in conjunction with the "Information for Academic Staff Applying for Promotion".
Industrial Instrument - refers to the applicable Enterprise Agreement, Award, Australian Workplace Agreement, contract of employment or legislation.
1. Promotion to all levels will be on the basis of merit. Promotion committees will assess the merit of each applicant based on the applicant's written application, a report from the relevant Head of School or Director of Research Institute (developed in consultation with other senior academic members from the applicant's discipline), the applicant's response to the Head of School or Director of Research Institute report (optional), referee reports, external assessments and/or an interview (when appropriate by the committee), and the confidential DVC/PVC report for Level D and Level E applications.
2. The principles of equal opportunity, fairness and social justice will be applied in line with the University's Equal Opportunity policies, and State and Federal anti-discrimination legislation.
3. Applications may apply for promotion to Lecturer Level B/Research Fellow, Senior Lecturer Level C/Senior Research Fellow, Associate Professor Level D/Associate Research Professor and Professor Level E/Research Professor. A staff member may make separate applications to different promotion levels during the same promotions round.
4. Applications for promotion will be considered annually. Promotions will take effect on 1 January the following year.
5. To be eligible for promotion applicants must be continuing or fixed term contract staff members. In the case of application for promotion to Level B, applicants who hold a fixed term contract must have completed one calendar year of service by the closing date of applications. Staff may be full or part time.
6. Staff ambitions for academic promotion will form part of their performance management discussions and plans.
7. The University appeals policy and process applies to promotion.
8. The matter of quotas is one which may be determined each year by the University Council on the advice of the Vice Chancellor.
All applications for promotion must, at a minimum, meet the skill base requirements applicable and described in the relevant Academic Position Classification Standards contained within the current Collective Agreement. In addition, applicants will be required to demonstrate merit in the areas set out below.
Applicants will provide evidence against the promotion criteria, Teaching and Learning, Research, Knowledge Application and against the required leadership capacity for the appropriate academic level.
Applicants may argue their case for promotion by providing evidence in line with the performance levels identified in the matrix below.
The applicant is responsible for nominating their levels of performance across the promotion criteria. However, the committee may change the applicant’s assessment if they determine it will advantage the applicant’s case for promotion. The promotion committee will consider the strengths of an application against the required performance levels in the matrix below, seek external advice where required (Level D & E) and generate a committee assessment of performance for the applicant.
Performance in each criteria uses three generic descriptors: satisfactory, high and excellent. The following matrix sets out the promotion criteria and the performance levels required for promotion
| Promotion
|
Teaching and Learning /
Research / Knowledge Application |
Leadership
|
Additional Rules
|
|---|---|---|---|
| To level B
|
Performance must be satisfactory in all areas |
Applicant may choose to provide evidence of leadership. Evidence of teaching and learning not required for research only positions. | |
| To level C
|
Performance must be either high in all areas or excellent in one area, high in another and satisfactory in the third area. | University, State and emerging National | Research only position does not require evidence of teaching and learning. |
| To level D
|
Performance must be at least excellent in one area, high in the others | University, State and National | High can only be replaced by excellent. In addition, research only position does not require evidence of teaching and learning. |
| To level E
|
Performance must be at least excellent in one area, high in the others | University, State, National and International | High can only be replaced by excellent. In addition, research only position does not require evidence of teaching and learning. |
The promotion committee recommends to Council who will approve the appointments. The promotion committee consists of:
In attendance:
The promotion committee recommends to the Vice Chancellor who will approve the appointment. The promotion committee consists of:
The promotion committee recommends to the Vice Chancellor who will approve the appointment. The promotion committee consists of:
For all promotion committees the policy on Diversity and representation on committees and working groups shall apply.
The processes of appointment or election of committee members should be arranged such that half of the committee members are appointed or elected for one year only to avoid subsequent situations in which most or all two year appointments expire in the same year. At any future time when an imbalance of current experience exists, the Vice Chancellor may with consultation vary the term of individual members for a period of up to one year.
The Vice Chancellor will establish this committee which will consider both applications for promotion to Lecturer Level B/Research Fellow and to Senior Lecturer Level C/ Senior Research Fellow.
Academic staff at Whyalla seeking promotion to Lecturer Level B/Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer Level C/Senior Research Fellow will submit their application to the relevant Division Promotion Committee based on their academic discipline.
Written documentation in the form of guidelines for application for promotion will be provided. These guidelines may be amended from time to time. Provision of information sessions for all staff and new promotion committee members will also form part of the implementation of this policy.
The Vice Chancellor is responsible for ensuring that processes are established, implemented and maintained in accordance with this policy. Divisional Pro Vice Chancellors are responsible for the effective operation of divisional promotion committees and the implementation of related procedures.
The Director Human Resources is responsible for:
Further information or assistance can be sought from:
