These Guidance Notes Should Be Read

GUIDANCENOTESON

PROMOTIONSAND ADVANCEMENT

ACADEMIC STAFF

April 2018

NOTE

These guidance notes should be read

in conjunction with the

relevant promotion or advancement procedures:

CONTENTS PAGE

1 GENERAL POLICY FOR PROMOTION TO SENIOR POSTS

2 INTERNAL PROFESSORIAL PROMOTIONS

3PROMOTION TO SENIOR LECTURER/READER

4 ADVANCEMENT FROM LECTURER GRADE 7 TO LECTURER GRADE …………………………………

5 GUIDANCE FOR ACADEMIC STAFF CANDIDATES FOR PROMOTION AND ADVANCEMENT……...

A ACADEMIC STAFF

1 GENERAL POLICY FOR PROMOTION TO SENIOR POSTS

The relevant University Committee will determine annually the number of promotions to senior posts it can afford, having regard to the academic needs of the University. This is including the special requirements of subject areas, the competing demands for financial resources, and the need to provide satisfactory reward and motivation for staff.

2 INTERNAL PROFESSORIAL PROMOTIONS

Promotions will be made as a mark of excellence in a given field. They will be exceptional and limited to those who have brought distinction to the University.

There are three equally acceptable pathways to personal professorships; learning and teaching, research and impact and academic enterprise. Minimum criteria apply to each as set out in appendices 1, 4 and 7. Candidates are required to demonstrate depth of achievement in one of these areas. In setting out the criteria, however, allowance has been made for evidence to be included from other areas.

As a general guideline it is recommended that, save in exceptional circumstances, unsuccessful candidates for promotion to Personal Professorship should wait two years before considering coming forward again.

Recommendations for Promotion

The Executive Deans and Heads of School will be expected to consider the extent to which the various criteria for promotion have been met and take account of:

(a) Recognition of merit and performance;

(b) Retention of staff with scarce skills;

(c) The need to strengthen and sustain learning and teaching, research and impact and academic enterprise, recognising that all three are of equal importance to the University.

When recommending staff for promotion the Executive Dean and Heads of School must provide details of how such appointments will assist the progression of the Faculty's strategic objectives and how they fit into the Faculty's profile of academic strength and activity. When providing such detail, it is important that references to professorial promotions should be kept separate from references to senior lecturer/reader, as recommendations in each case will be considered by different committees.

In those cases where grounds for a prima facie case for promotion have been established account will be taken of the recommendation of external referees of acknowledged eminence in their field who will be appointed by the Professoriate Standing Committee.

(i)Format for Documentation

Documentation comprising applications for promotion (on A4 sized paper) should be submitted, by the Executive Dean of the Faculty, to the Professoriate Standing Committee, as follows:

-The Executive Dean's priority ranking, recommendations and suggested subject title for the personal professorship (PC.1/18);

-Head of School and Executive Dean's joint statement indicating how in their view, the candidate meets the minimum criteria. Explicit reference to the evidence base should be provided (PC.2/18);

-Supporting statement from the member of staff indicating how in their view they meet the minimum criteria and making specific reference to the evidence base (PC.3/18);

-An agreed factual statement of duties performed within and for the School may form a separate additional page or be included within the curriculum vitae; if the latter, it will be assumed to have been agreed with the Head of School as accurate;

-A summary agreed between the Head of School and the member of staff ofmaterial from recent appraisal records may be included providing evidence about suitability for promotion.

-A statement from the member of staff outlining what they will contribute in terms of learning and teaching, research and impact and/or academic enterprise over the period of the next five years;

-A curriculum vitae from the candidate.

Note:It is requested that candidates should limit their curriculum vitae to around 4 pages of A4 in each case. As an appendix to their curricula vitae all candidates should provide a list of their publications or other public output. Guidance on collecting and presenting evidence, preparation of a CV and presentation of evidence in relation to publications and external research income/non-research income is provided in Section 5.

(ii)Referees

It is recommended that referees should be of appropriate status, preferably from within the Higher Education sector. Two at least must be Professors from institutions which have full university status and who are full-time engaged in the relevant discipline and a third, if not of professorial rank, at least the equivalent from outside academia. The Professoriate Standing Committee will not normally accept more than one referee from the island of Ireland, nor more than one referee from within the one institution. The use of ex-employees of the University as referees should be avoided unless there are special and exceptional circumstances.

3PROMOTION TO SENIOR LECTURER/READER

(i)Promotion to Reader

There are three distinct pathways for promotion to a Readership; learning and teaching, research and impact and academic enterprise. Minimum criteria apply to each as set out in appendices 2, 5 and 8. Candidates are required to demonstrate depth of achievement in one of these areas. In setting out the criteria, however, allowance has been made for evidence to be included from other areas.

(ii)Promotion to Senior Lecturer

There are two routes for promotion to a Senior Lectureship. Firstly, all candidates may follow a route which requires achievements in two of the three distinct pathways i.e. learning and teaching, research and impact and academic enterprise (minimum criteria in relation to which is set out in appendices 3, 6 and 9). Secondly, staff who are designated as Teaching and Scholarship can be considered for promotion to a Senior Lectureship on the basis of depth of achievement in one pathway - learning and teaching (minimum criteria in relation to which is set out in appendix 10). For those candidates applying under a combination of pathways, the depth of achievement need not be equal in each of the two pathways. Thus, a candidate might be considered on the basis of research and impact as his/her principal area of activity with learning and teaching as a subsidiary area of activity. Alternatively, a candidate might be considered on the basis of an equal level of achievement in each of say, academic enterprise and learning and teaching.

(iii)Recommendations for Promotion

The Executive Deans and Heads of School will be expected to consider the extent to which the various criteria for promotion have been met and take account of:

(i)Recognition of merit and performance;

(ii)Retention of staff with scarce skills;

(iii)The need to strengthen and sustain learning and teaching, research and impact and academic enterprise recognising that all three are of equal importance to the University.

When recommending staff for promotion the Executive Dean and Heads of School must provide details of how such promotions will assist the progression of the Faculty's strategic objectives and how they fit into the Faculty's overall profile of academic strength and activity. When providing such detail, it is important that references to senior lecturer/reader promotions should be kept separate from references to professorial promotions as recommendations in each case will be considered by different committees.

(iv)Format of Documentation

Documentation comprising applications for promotion (on A4 sized paper) should be submitted, by the Executive Dean of the Faculty, to the Academic Staff Progress Standing Committee, as follows:

-The Executive Dean's priority ranking and recommendations (a separate priority ranking should be completed in respect of candidates for promotion to Reader (R.1/18) and candidates for promotion to Senior Lecturer (SL.1/18);

-Head of School and Executive Dean's joint statement indicating how in their view, the candidate meets the minimum criteria. Explicit reference to the evidence base should be provided (For Reader – R.2/18), (For Senior Lecturer – SL.2/18);

-Supporting statement from the member of staff indicating how in their view, they meet the minimum criteria and making specific reference to the evidence base (For Reader R.3/18), (For Senior Lecturer SL.3/18);

-A summary agreed between the Head of School and the member of staff of material from recent appraisal records may be included providing evidence about suitability for promotion;

-A statement from the member of staff outlining what they will contribute in terms of learning and teaching, research and impact and/or academic enterprise over the period of the next five years;

-A curriculum vitae from the candidate.

(v)Referees

It is recommended that referees should be of appropriate status, (of a grade senior to that currently held by the applicant) preferably from within the Higher Education sector. At least one should be from within the UK higher education system. The Academic Staff Progress Standing Committee will not normally accept more than one referee from the island of Ireland, nor more than one referee from within the one institution. The use of ex-employees of the University as referees should be avoided unless there are special and exceptional circumstances.

4 ADVANCEMENT FROM LECTURER GRADE 7 TO LECTURER

GRADE 8

Advancement to Grade 8 on reaching the maximum incremental point of Grade 7 will be the normal expectation, whereas early advancement to Grade 8 may be recommended on the grounds of the need to retain staff with scarce skills.

(i)Basis of Applications

The criteria for advancement/early advancement relate to progress and achievement (within the opportunities available and which is comparable with that of others in the same group) in:

-Learning and Teaching;

-Research and impact;

-Academic enterprise.

(ii)Recommendation for Advancement/Early Advancement

The Executive Dean and Heads of School should jointly agree the determination of a prioritised list of staff for submission to the Academic Staff Progress Standing Committee. With respect to each applicant for advancement or early advancement, the Executive Dean and Heads of School will be expected to consider the extent to which the criteria have been met (paragraph 1(a) and (b)) of the appropriate procedure (Appendix B).

(iii)Format of Documentation

Documentation comprising applications for advancement or early advancement (on A4 sized paper) should be submitted, by the Executive Dean of the Faculty, to the Academic Staff Progress Standing Committee, as follows:

-The Executive Dean's priority ranking and recommendations (A-ADV.1/18);

-Heads of School and Executive Dean's joint statement indicating how in their view, the candidate meets the criteria (A-ADV.2/18);

-Supporting statement from the member of staff indicating how in their view, they meet the criteria (A-ADV.3/18);

-An agreed factual statement of duties performed within and for the school may form a separate additional page or be included within the curriculum vitae; if the latter, it will be assumed to have been agreed with the Head of School as accurate;

-A curriculum vitae from the candidate.

Note:It is requested that candidates should limit their curriculum vitae to around 4 pages of A4 in each case. As an appendix to their curriculum vitae, the member of staff should provide is a list of their publications or other public output. Guidance on preparation of a CV and presentation of evidence in relation to publications and external research income/non-research income is provided in Section 5.

(iv)Probationers

Probationers are ineligible for early advancement to Grade 8.

5 GUIDANCE FOR ACADEMIC STAFF CANDIDATES FOR

PROMOTION AND ADVANCEMENT

This guidance note has been prepared to help candidates decide the most relevant aspects of their experience and achievement when preparing their curriculum vitae or additional material.

It would be helpful to the appropriate Committee, for submissions to be as specific and structured as possible. In all cases quantifiable evidence should be documented eg official confirmation of research funding, results of student questionnaires etc, to highlight achievements. This is an evidence-based process and the Committee is only able to judge candidates on the basis of the information provided.

Specific guidance on collecting and presenting evidence is available on-line.

Presentation of Evidence in Relation to External Research Income/Non-Research Income

(i)Research Grants

Candidates should submit a record of suitable grants awarded which support their case for promotion. For those grants secured as a member of staff of the University of Ulster, only the official print-out from the Research Office database will be accepted. For all other grants, candidates should provide a separate sheet along with an explanation as to why they are not included in the Research Office database.

(ii)Non-Research Income

For externally funded projects, for example, for teaching, consultancy and knowledge and technology transfer (academic enterprise), candidates will be expected to provide the following detail:

-Title of project

-Amount of award

-Funding source(s)

-Period of time for which grant applied

-Grant Holders (indication to be provided as to whether principal grant holder in each case)

NBWhere a grant is jointly held with individuals from outside the Institution, the amount of grant which came to the University of Ulster through the Research Office should be clearly indicated.

PUBLICATIONS

The Institutional Repository will be used as the evidence base for publications. Applicants should print off a list of their publications from the official database and attach to their curriculum vitae. Applicants who require assistance in relation to this matter should contact the Research Office.

GUIDANCE IN THE PREPARATION OF A CURRICULUM VITAE

In order to provide some degree of comparability and uniformity between candidates for promotion to academic posts, the CV submitted as part of the supporting documentation should be set out in accordance with the template (available on-line). Detail should be presented in the mode set out below:

Personal Information
Present Appointment(s)
Previous Appointments
Academic and Professional Qualifications
Special Awards, Honours and Distinctions
Research and Impact activities (if appropriate to application)
Teaching and Learning activities (if appropriate to application)
Academic Enterprise activities (if appropriate to application)
Administrative Responsibilities
Professional Accomplishment

Subsequent information should explicitly relate to the minimum criteria for promotion to professor, reader or senior lecturer as set out in the attached appendices. For example, a candidate applying for appointment to personal professorship on the grounds of achievements inlearning and teaching, should refer to the minimum criteria set out in appendix 1 for guidance as to the information to be included. Likewise, a candidate for promotion to Senior Lecturer on the grounds of equal achievements in Academic Enterprise and Research and Impact should refer to the minimum criteria under each of these headings (as contained in appendices 6 and 9).