APPEALING AGAINST AN
ACADEMIC PROMOTION DECISION	
Contact Officer	Director, Human Resources	

PROCEDURE	Purpose	To outline the roles, responsibilities and timeline associated with appeals against academic promotion decisions.	
	Procedure		
	Academic Staff Member	REVIEW OUTCOME

Receive and review the outcome of the academic promotion process.

Acknowledge that the grounds for appeal are limited to issues regarding procedure only.

If it is possible to identify and demonstrate that the Macquarie University academic promotion procedure was not followed in relation to your application, you may lodge an appeal.

An appeal is valid only if it is made in accordance with these appeal procedures and demonstrates to the Appeals Committee that the published academic promotion procedure was not followed in relation to your application.

DOCUMENT EVIDENCE

Seek advice and further information, as necessary, directly from the Chair of the Promotions Committee on the reason(s) for the decision not to approve the application for academic promotion.

Detail the allegations that may demonstrate that the University failed to follow the procedures set down, that this failure had a material effect on the decision not to recommend promotion, and that, as a consequence, the case should be reheard.

SUBMIT APPEAL

Submit your appeal in the required format, and with the necessary supporting information, within 20 working days after receipt of notification of the outcome of the original application.

	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Provost)	SPECIAL CONSIDERATION OF LATE APPEALS

Receive requests, via the Director, Human Resources, for an extension to the 20 working day appeal submission deadline.

Assess whether the documented exceptional circumstances (such as illness or misadventure) warrants an extension and if so, what the extension should be.

Advise the Director, Human Resources of the decision for each request.

Recognise that the decision regarding an extension is final.	
	Director, Human Resources	EXTENSION REQUEST OUTCOME

Advise applicants who have applied for an extension to the deadline for submission of an appeal of the decision of the DVC (Provost).

PROCESS APPEALS

Receive and process all appeals.

Forward all relevant documentation to the Appeals Committee for those appeals received by the deadline (or approved by the DVC (Provost) for late submission) and made on the basis of procedural grounds.

All other appeals are ineligible for consideration.

Notify applicants of the status of their appeal:

-	to the Appeals Committee for consideration
-	ineligible	
	Appeals Committee
	CONSIDER APPEALS

Consider appeals made on the basis of procedural grounds against the recommendations of the Promotions Committees for Levels B, C, D and E.

Receive from the Director, Human Resources, the official record of the Promotions Committee.

Receive written and/or oral statements from the appellant, Chair of the associated Promotions Committee and any other person the Appeals Committee considers relevant to the conduct of the appeals process.

Review all documentation submitted to the Committee.

Determine whether or not the University’s procedures were followed in each case.

Make a written recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor (VC), giving reasons as to whether the appeal should be:
•	dismissed
•	upheld

Upheld recommendations will be referred back to the original Promotions Committee for reconsideration.
	
	Vice-Chancellor	DETERMINE OUTCOME FOR EACH APPEAL 

Review the recommendation of the Appeals Committee for each appeal. Make a decision in each case on the basis of their recommendations. 

Advise the Director, Human Resources of the decision for each appeal.

Note that the decision of the VC is final.	
	Director, Human Resources	ADVISE APPELLANT OF OUTCOME

Implement the decision of the VC, advising the appellant accordingly by the first Friday of December.

In all instances, the Dean of Faculty is to be notified, in writing, of the outcome of each appeal relevant to the Faculty.

For upheld appeals, notify the relevant Promotions Committee of the decision and the need to reconsider the application for promotion.	
	Chair, Appeals Committee	PROVIDE FEEDBACK

Provide feedback to appellant, as required.	
	Promotions Committee	RECONSIDER APPLICATIONS FROM SUCCESSFUL APPELLANTS

Receive and review the decision of the Appeals Committee where the decision was to uphold the appeal.

Reconsider the application for promotion.

Determine if the applicant is to be interviewed and the purpose of the interview.

Make one of the following recommendations to the VC:
•	promote
•	do not promote but offer accelerated progression within the applicant’s current level
•	do not promote

The recommendation for promotion must include the level and point on the scale being recommended. Where the recommendation is for a point above the base of the level, the exceptional reasons must be detailed.

The report for the VC must also include:

•	a brief statement of the reason for the recommendation
•	a summary of the factors considered relevant in the decision making process
•	the conclusions drawn from these factors
•	the strengths and weaknesses of the application
•	specific reference to the criteria, including discipline-specific criteria
•	the themes emerging from the academic promotions process, particularly with respect to equity and EEO principles
	
	Vice-Chancellor	DETERMINE OUTCOME OF EACH RECONSIDERED APPLICATION

Consider and, where appropriate, approve the recommendation of the Promotions Committee.	
	Promotions Committee	PREPARE STATEMENT FOR EACH UNSUCCESSFUL APPLICATION

Write a brief statement on the reason for each unsuccessful application including specific feedback and recommendations. Provide the statement to the Director, Human Resources.

The Chair is to be available for consultation by applicants, as necessary.	
	Director, Human Resources
	ADVISE EACH APPLICANT OF OUTCOME

To advise all applicants who have had their application reconsidered following an upheld appeal, in writing, of the outcome of their application.

To provide to unsuccessful applicants the feedback and recommendations prepared by the Promotions Committee.

Effective Date
A promotion following a successful appeal will be effective from 1 January of the year following the lodging of the original application.

Arrange for the appropriate payroll and directory information to be updated for all successful applicants.

Provide all unsuccessful applicants with the written statement prepared by the Promotions Committee.
Archive material in accordance with University policy.	
	Keywords	Promotion, Academic Promotion, Appeal, Application, Appellant, Human Resources	

Date Approved	Draft – 1 August 2008	
Approval Authority	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Provost)	
Date of Commencement	tbc	
Amendment Dates	New	
Date for Next Review	Three years from date of commencement	
Related Policies, Procedures and Guidelines	Policy – Academic Promotion
Procedure – Applying for Academic Promotion
Procedure – Academic Promotion
Guidelines – Evidence Required for Academic Promotion