ACADEMIC PROMOTION	
Contact Officer	Director, Human Resources	

PROCEDURE	Purpose	To outline the roles, responsibilities and timelines associated with the University’s Academic Promotion Policy.	
	Procedure		
	Director, Human Resources	COMMENCE ACADEMIC PROMOTION CYCLE

On a yearly basis, recommend to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Provost):

•	the date applications for academic promotion will be open
•	that the closing date for applications will be 30 April 
•	the levels able to be applied for in the current round
•	membership of the Promotions Committees
•	membership of the Appeals Committee(s)
•	dates of the Promotions Committee’s shortlisting meetings
•	dates of Promotions Committee’s interview meetings
•	timeframe for Appeal Committee meeting(s)
•	that all applications for promotion will normally be processed and applicants notified of the outcome by 30 September 
•	that any appeals will be processed and appellants notified by the first Friday in December

Confidentiality
Ensure that the University staff who have access to any or all applications, referee reports, Dean or Head of Department assessments or any other documentation associated with the promotion or appeal process, do so for the legitimate purpose of carrying out their role under these procedures.

Promotions Committee
Appoint with full regard to the principles of equal opportunity.

Each Level B Committee will comprise:
•	Dean of Faculty or a nominee in the Chair
•	a member external to the University at the level of the Chair of an Academic Board (or nominee)
•	four (4) academic staff members with academic rank at Level C or above and chosen so that between them they cover the four faculties of Arts; Business and Economics; Human Sciences; and Science; and have recognised skills and experience in each of the three areas of research, learning and teaching and community engagement
•	Equity Observer

Each Level C/D Committee will comprise:
•	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Provost) or a nominee in the Chair
•	a member external to the University at the level of the Chair of an Academic Board (or nominee)
•	four (4) academic staff members with academic rank not lower than that of the grade to which promotion is sought and chosen so that between them they cover the four faculties of Arts; Business and Economics; Human Sciences; and Science; and have recognised skills and experience in each of the three areas of research, learning and teaching and community engagement
•	Equity Observer

Each Level E Committee will comprise:
•	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Provost) or a nominee in the Chair
•	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
•	a member external to the University at the level of the Chair of an Academic Board (or nominee)
•	four (4) academic staff members with academic rank not lower than Level E and chosen so that between them they cover the four faculties of Arts; Business and Economics; Human Sciences; and Science; and have recognised skills and experience in each of the three areas of research, learning and teaching and community engagement
•	Equity Observer

For each Committee, each academic staff member must have completed Performance Development and Review (PDR) Supervisor training.

Appeals Committee
Appoint with full regard to the principles of equal opportunity.

To consist of persons who were not a member of the associated Promotions Committee.

Each Committee will comprise:
•	a person nominated by the Vice-Chancellor, who will be the Chair 
•	the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Provost), or their nominee if the DVC (Provost) was a member of the associated Promotions Committee
•	two (2) academic Level E staff members
•	Manager, Equity and Diversity	
	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Provost)
	APPROVE TIMELINE AND COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS

Review and determine on a yearly basis the:

•	Academic promotion timeline
•	Membership of the Promotions Committees
•	Membership of the Appeals Committee(s)

Confirm that the closing date for receipt of a completed application will be 30 April.

Confirm that the application process, including receipt of applications, interviews and notification of outcomes to all applicants, will normally be completed by 30 September.

Confirm that the appeals process, including notification to appellants of the outcome of the appeal, will be completed by the first Friday in December.	
	Director, Human Resources	PUBLISH TIMELINE, PROCESS AND COMMITTEE DETAILS

On agreement of the timeline and committee memberships by the DVC (Provost), commence the academic promotions cycle for the year by publishing:

•	the date applications for academic promotion will be open
•	that the closing date for applications will be 30 April 
•	the levels able to be applied for in the current round
•	membership of the Promotions Committees
•	membership of the Appeals Committee(s)
•	dates of the Promotions Committee’s shortlisting meetings
•	dates of Promotions Committee’s interview meetings
•	timeframe for Appeal Committee meeting(s)
•	that all applications for promotion will normally be processed and applicants notified of the outcome by 30 September 
•	that any appeals will be processed and appellants notified by the first Friday in December

Call for applications for promotion to Levels B, C and D on an annual basis.

Call for applications for promotion to Level E on a biennial basis (applications due in odd years for effect in even years).
	
	Head of Department	PREPARE ‘DISCIPLINE REPORT’

For each candidate who submits an application for promotion in the current round arrange for a Discipline Report to be written.

It is expected that this will be prepared by the Head of Department, except where there are specific discipline-related matters that make it more appropriate for a member of staff more familiar with the discipline to prepare the Report.

The Report is to be signed by the Head of Department (and the author if that is not also the Head of Department) and the applicant.

Forward the signed Discipline Report to the Dean of Faculty.

Adhere to internal Faculty deadlines.	
	Dean of Faculty	PROCESS DISCIPLINE REPORT
Receive and review Discipline Reports related to applications for promotion in the current round.

Sign, add comments as determined appropriate, and send to the Director, Human Resources.

Adhere to published deadlines.
	
	Director, Learning and Teaching Centre	DEVELOP, PUBLICISE AND CONDUCT TRAINING / INFORMATION SEMINARS 

Develop, publicise and conduct seminars for potential applicants.

Develop, publicise and conduct seminars for supervisors, referees, Heads of Department, Deans and committee members.

Schedule seminars so that they correlate and facilitate adherence to the published deadlines.
	
	Director, Human Resources
	SPECIAL CONSIDERATION OF LATE APPLICATIONS

Applications received by Human Resources after the closing date will not be included in the current round, unless there are documented exceptional circumstances, as approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Provost).
	
	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Provost)	DETERMINE STATUS OF LATE APPLICATIONS

Review applications received after the published deadline and determine if they should be included in the current round. Advise the Director, Human Resources, accordingly.

Note that the decision of the DVC (Provost) is final.	
	Director, Human Resources
	ADVISE APPLICANT ON STATUS OF LATE APPLICATION

Advise all applicants whose application was received after the published closing date whether or not they will be included in the current round. 
	
	Director, Human Resources	CONDUCT APPLICATION PROCESS

Co-ordinate, support and manage the application process.

Follow-up outstanding referee reports.

Ensure all documentation that has been submitted is provided to each Promotions Committee member.
	
	Promotions Committee	CONSIDER ALL ELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS

To review and consider all applications to be included in the current round against the stated criteria and policy.

Receive briefing from the Equity Observer and consider Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) principles throughout the promotions process.

Determine if additional information is required, and if so, request that it be provided and the date by which it should be provided. An indication of the consequences of non-provision is to be given at the same time.

Determine the applicants to be interviewed and the purpose of the interview process.

With the Human Resources section, schedule interviews for applicants.

The Committee may, at its discretion, consult the Dean and / or Head of Department for comment on the application.

Following all interviews, write a report with recommendations for the Vice-Chancellor (VC) on all applicants (interviewed, not interviewed, successful, not successful). Recommendations will be one of the following:

•	promote
•	do not promote but offer accelerated progression within the applicant’s current level
•	do not promote

The recommendations 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, for both successful and unsuccessful applicants:

•	a brief statement of the reason for each recommendation
•	a summary of the factors considered relevant in the decision making process
•	the conclusions drawn from these factors
•	the strengths and weaknesses of each 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 APPLICATION

Consider and, where appropriate, approve recommendations 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, in writing, of the outcome of their application by no later than the published notification deadline – the last working day in September.

Notify all applicants at the same time.

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

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

Provide a fixed-term appointee, whose term ends before promotion can be effective, with a statement to that effect for the information of any employer with whom they might seek employment.

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

Provide, in accordance with the agreed notification timeline,  all unsuccessful applicants with the written statement prepared by the Promotions Committee and details of the appeals process and timeline.

REVIEW
Institute a review process to allow for continuous improvement and quality enhancement in the promotions cycle. 
	
	Keywords	Promotion, Academic Promotion, Appeal, Application	

Date Approved	Draft – 4 July 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 – Appealing against an Academic Promotion Decision
Guidelines – Evidence Required for Academic Promotion