Office of Human Resources

PART 3  PROMOTION TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR (LEVEL D)

Portfolio Holder:  Moya Liland, Executive Officer, Academic Staff Promotions and Probation (Ext. 2279)

introduction 

Once each year the University will invite all eligible academics to apply for promotion to Associate Professor on the basis of personal merit. Applications are typically initiated by you, the staff member. However, the Faculty Dean or Head of Division may invite you to apply for promotion, or may submit an application on your behalf and with your permission. 

While there is no specific application for incremental advancement the Professorial Promotions Committee may, in its consideration of the merit of your application, recommend accelerated incremental advancement rather than promotion. 

The Academic Staff Promotions Policy and Procedures are subject to continuous amendment and only the most recent policy and procedures approved by the Vice-Chancellor are current.  

It is strongly recommended that you attend an information session or workshop before preparing your application.

3.1    PROMOTIONS TIMETABLE

The application date for Professorial level promotions is in May each year and the process is normally completed in order for promotions to take effect from the 1st January the following year. The Professorial Promotions Committee will endeavour to keep to the following timetable. Specific dates will be determined each year and published at the time of initial notification in April. 

 3.2  ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY

You are eligible to apply for promotion if, at the time of application, you are a full-time or part-time academic member of staff on: 

·                     a continuing employment contract, or

·                     a fixed-term contract that allows for possible continuity of service for a period of at least three years’ duration, or

·                     fixed term contracts that have, or will provide for, an overall period of at least three years’ continuous service.

Normally, consideration for promotion will be for applicants with at least three years’ continual service in their current level of appointment, but those with only twelve months continual service with the University may also be considered. However, in cases where an applicant has not completed at least three years’ continual service in their current level of appointment, the application will proceed to the Professorial Promotions Committee for consideration only if the Head of School/Unit and the Faculty Dean/Head of Division support the early application in writing. Therefore, it is recommended that you seek advice from your Head of School/Unit and the Faculty Dean/Head of Division before preparing an application. 

You are reminded that your application for promotion will be considered on the academic merit of your case and on the basis of meeting the minimum requirements for promotion to the next level. 

If you are unsuccessful in an application for promotion to Level D in this round you may re-apply for promotion in the next round.  The Professorial Promotions Committee however would not normally recommend an application in the year following an unsuccessful application unless there is evidence of significant new achievement. 

If you are unsuccessful in two consecutive years, you will not be eligible to reapply for promotion until the next round but one (eg if unsuccessful in both 2002 and 2003, you will be first eligible to apply again in 2005). 

If the University has initiated formal disciplinary action against you under the terms of the Collective Workplace Agreement, or if you are unable to discharge your duties for a significant period of time, then the Vice-Chancellor may determine that no further action be taken on your application. 

The correction of allegedly wrongful placement on salary scales at appointment is not part of the promotion procedures.  Representation on such matters will always be received by the Vice-Chancellor, and if correction is shown to be necessary it can be done by administrative action.  Further, salary loadings or other allowances received by staff cannot be taken into consideration by the Committee.

3.2.1    Academic Promotion and Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs)

AWAs record Academic standing, for example Lecturer.

Employees on AWAs are eligible to apply for promotion under the Promotions Policy.

Where an employee is successful in the promotion process, the relevant Administrative Head should meet with the employee to review remuneration in light of the new Academic standing.

Human Resources advice must be sought before determining any remuneration change. As a general principle the University will reward the achievement of an increase in Academic standing.

3.3   PERFORMANCE LEVELS FOR PROMOTION TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

3.3.1  Overview

The nature of academic work is such that the various levels of academic appointment share many common tasks. Nevertheless, there are differences in the degrees of independence, responsibility and leadership expected and which are important in distinguishing between the duties of academics at various levels. 

The requirements for promotion to Associate Professor (Level D) are that: 

1. you demonstrate sustained meritorious performance in the duties of an academic at Level C where sustained performance would normally be considered to imply a period of at least three years, and
2. you meet the skill base for appointment as an academic at Level D as described at 3.5.2;
3. your performance is such that it would justify a continuing appointment as an Associate Professor (Level D) at Murdoch University.

In the assessment of merit, the University will take into account your contribution in each of three broad categories: Teaching and Teaching Development, Research and Professional Scholarship, and Service to the University and Community. 

Each Division will prepare a Discipline Profile for each discipline it covers. A Discipline Profile is a statement of the types of activities which count as valid academic activities within the disciplines in a Division. It is a discursive statement on the typical activities that staff undertake in their particular disciplines such as, for example, methods of non standard teaching, non typical research and professional activities, creative works, case notes, services to the community, or any new and unusual activities. The purpose is to validate the types of activities that count within a discipline towards consideration of an applicant for promotion. The Professorial Promotions Committee will use the relevant Discipline Profile as a guide to assessing your academic performance within your discipline or field. 

3.3.2  Performance levels and weightings for promotion to Associate Professor (Level D)

The University expects that all academic staff will strive to achieve a high level of performance in their duties across each of the three broad categories of Teaching and Teaching Development, Research and Professional Scholarship and Service to the University and Community.

The Professorial Promotions Committee will make an assessment for each category separately in terms of whether your performance relative to the expectations of a position at Level C is excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, weak, very weak or extremely weak. There is no particular weighting applied by the Committee to the elements within each of the categories.  The Committee will consider these elements in the context of the relevant Discipline Profile and the responsibilities specified within your contract to arrive at an assessment.  These category assessments will then be weighted within the percentage ranges shown in the table below and combined. The Professorial Promotions Committee will identify the combination of weightings that produces the best outcome for you. 

The great majority of academic appointments at Murdoch University are to Standard Teaching and Research positions, and the Professorial Promotions Committee will assume this normally to be the case. If you feel that you should be considered in one of the other categories, you are advised to obtain written endorsement from the Faculty Dean/Head of Division prior to preparing your application, to confirm that you were appointed, or have been formally transferred, to such a position.  If you do not have their support beforehand, you may expend effort in preparing an application that will not provide you with the best case. Evidence of such endorsement will need to be included in your application.

Standard Teaching and Research

The majority of applicants for promotion will have Standard Teaching and Research positions. Senior Lecturers (Level C) in such positions are expected to make a substantial contribution to both Teaching and Teaching Development and Research and Professional Scholarship together with some contribution to Service to the University and Community. 

In order to be considered for promotion to Level D under Standard Teaching and Research, you must: 

·                     relative to the expectations of a Level C Standard Teaching and Research position, demonstrate at least a very good performance in two of:

• Teaching and Teaching Development, Research and Professional Scholarship, Service to the University and Community, and at least a satisfactory performance in the third category, OR
• an excellent performance in either Teaching and Teaching Development or Research and Professional Scholarship, at least a good performance in one other category and a satisfactory performance in the third category, AND
• present an overall case, as represented by your combined weighted score, that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as an Associate Professor (Level D) at Murdoch University.

Teaching Mainly

Some academic staff are employed in positions that are Teaching Mainly. Senior Lecturers (Level C) in such positions are expected to make a considerably more substantial contribution to Teaching and Teaching Development than those in standard positions, a similar contribution to Service to the University and Community as those in standard positions and a minor contribution to Research and Professional Scholarship where the latter may be more practically oriented and/or relate largely to scholarship associated with teaching. 

In order to be considered for promotion to Level D under Teaching Mainly, you must: 

• relative to the expectations of a Level C Teaching Mainly position, demonstrate an excellent performance in Teaching and Teaching Development, at least a good performance in one other category and a satisfactory performance in the third category, AND
• present an overall case, as represented by your combined weighted score, that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as an Associate Professor (Level D) at Murdoch University.

Teaching Support

Some academic staff (e.g. staff in the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC), in clinical work in some professional schools, information technology (IT) support staff in Divisions) hold positions that require mainly Teaching Support. This generally involves a combination of Teaching and Teaching Development, and Service to the University and Community where the latter refers to supporting the teaching of other staff through consultative, administrative or technological services, or supports the educational experiences of students, for example, through student practica, placements or projects. Senior Lecturers (Level C) in such positions are expected to make a substantial contribution to both Teaching and Teaching Development, and Service to the University and Community and a minor contribution to Research and Professional Scholarship where the latter may be more practically oriented and/or relate largely to scholarship associated with teaching. 

In order to be considered for promotion to Level D under Teaching Support, you must: 

·                     relative to the expectations of a Level C Teaching Support position, demonstrate:

• at least a very good performance in both Teaching and Teaching Development, and Service to the University and Community, and a satisfactory performance in Research and Professional Scholarship, OR an excellent performance in either Teaching and Teaching Development or Service to the University and Community, a good performance in one other category and a satisfactory performance in the third category, AND
• present an overall case, as represented by your combined weighted score, that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as an Associate Professor (Level D) at Murdoch University.

Research Mainly

Some academic staff hold positions that require Mainly Research duties related to their discipline. Senior Lecturers (Level C) in such positions are expected to make a considerably more substantial contribution to Research and Professional Scholarship than those in standard positions, a similar contribution to Service to the University and Community as those in standard positions, with a minor contribution to Teaching and Teaching Development perhaps through the supervision of graduate students or offering research training seminars. 

In order to be considered for promotion to Level D under Research Mainly, you must: 

• relative to the expectations of a Level C Research Mainly position, demonstrate an excellent performance in Research and Professional Scholarship, at least a good performance in one other category and at least a satisfactory performance in the third category, AND
• present an overall case, as represented by your combined weighted score, that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as an Associate Professor (Level D) at Murdoch University.

Research Support

Some academic staff (e.g. in Research Centres or the TLC) hold positions that require mainly Research Support involving a combination of Research and Professional Scholarship (including mentoring the research of others) and Service to the University and Community related to research management and administrative or technological services. Senior Lecturers (Level C) in such positions are expected to make a substantial contribution to both Research and Professional Scholarship and Service to the University and Community and a minor contribution to Teaching and Teaching Development, perhaps through the supervision of graduate students or involvement in research training seminars. 

In order to be considered for promotion to Level D under Research Support, you must: 

• relative to the expectations of a Level C Research Support position, demonstrate at least a very good performance in both Research and Professional Scholarship and Service to the University and Community, and a satisfactory performance in Teaching and Teaching Development, OR an excellent performance in either Research and Professional Scholarship or Service to the University and Community, a good performance in one other category and a satisfactory performance in the third category, AND
• present an overall case, as represented by your combined weighted score, that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as an Associate Professor (Level D) at Murdoch University.

University Service Mainly

Some academic staff who have already reached Level C may have a role which is mainly University management. They may be located mainly in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office or have substantial administrative roles in Divisions. Senior Lecturers (Level C) in such positions are expected to make a considerably more substantial contribution to University administration than those in standard positions. They may still be engaged in Teaching and Teaching Development, Research and Professional Activities, and/or Community Service, but all of these activities may be reduced in quantity due to their greater concentration on administrative activities. Such staff are expected to make a minor contribution to Teaching and Teaching Development, perhaps indirectly, and to Research and Professional Scholarship. 

In order to be considered for promotion to Level D under University Service Mainly, you must: 

• relative to the expectations of a Level C University Service Mainly position, demonstrate an excellent performance in Service to the University and Community, at least a good performance in one other category and a satisfactory performance in the third category, AND
• present an overall case, as represented by your combined weighted score, that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as an Associate Professor (Level D) at Murdoch University.

Teaching and Teaching Development only or Research and Professional Scholarship only or Service to the University and Community only

Indicative percentage ranges do not apply to staff appointed to positions which specify 100% Research and Professional Scholarship or Teaching and Teaching Development or Service to the University and Community. If you wish to apply under these conditions you are expected to demonstrate an excellent performance relative to the expectations of a Level C position dedicated solely to the nominated area, and demonstrate that your sustained performance would justify a continuing appointment as an Associate Professor (Level D) at Murdoch University. 

3.3.3  Mixed work arrangements

You may have been assigned, seconded or contracted by approval of your Faculty Dean or Head of Division, to work for a period in a manner that differs from your normal work arrangement (e.g. you may be seconded to a Research Centre with no teaching responsibilities for two years). Assignments of a year or more may be identified in your application for promotion. You must have evidence of any such arrangement and include this in your application. 

3.3.4  Part-time appointments

If you have a part-time appointment you should ensure that this is very clear in your application. The Professorial Promotions Committee will then take this into account in determining the level of your performance. 

3.3.5  Special circumstances (including interruptions to your career)

If you have had a significant period away from work since your appointment or last promotion due, for example, to family responsibilities or long term illness, and wish these circumstances to be taken into account in the consideration of your application, you should provide the Professorial Promotions Committee with the relevant information. You need to explain how these circumstances affected your progress in any or all of the broad work categories namely Teaching and Teaching Development; Research and Professional Scholarship; and Service to the University and Community.

Where an applicant for promotion, who has had a significant period away from work, seeks to have that absence taken into account, the committee may recommend promotion provided that the information before it is sufficient for it to conclude that, but for the absence, the applicant would have met the performance requirements for promotion.

3.3.6  Indigenous Applicants

If an application is received from an indigenous academic staff member the applicant can choose for an indigenous academic staff member from another University to be appointed by the Vice Chancellor to the Lecturer/Professorial Promotions Committee for review of that applicant's case for promotion.  The co-opted indigenous academic staff member will be appointed by the Vice Chancellor at the beginning of each year's academic staff promotions round for one year and the name of the co-opted member will be available on the Academic Staff Promotions website.  The co-opted member will have full voting rights.

3.4   DOCUMENTATION TO BE SUBMITTED

3.4.1  Promotion Application Form

You are required to submit your application on the standard Promotion Application Form for the year of application via the website.

Your application should be in 12 point font and the sections in which you describe your achievements must be limited to a maximum of 10 000 words. In fairness to others applying for promotion in submitting an application you declare that the relevant sections of your application do not exceed the word limit.  Your application must be submitted electronically in the format specified on the application form.

The word limitation does not apply to the three Appendices for the work category you nominate under Section 3.5 (subsection (iii) in each area), but the Appendices should include only the requested information.  Peer reviews are also separate and are to be submitted by peers directly to the Secretary of the Professorial Promotions Committee (not to you) using the Peer Review Cover Sheet. Up to three (3) peer reviews can be provided for each of the three major categories with a maximum of six (6) overall (see Section 3.4.4). 

You must submit an electronic version of your application only via the Human Resources online service (see Human Resources homepage).  Your application will be submitted to the Faculty Dean/Head of Division by the date advised in Section 1.1 (Promotions Timetable) of the Promotions Policy.  It will then be circulated to the School Advisory Committee for their deliberations before being sent to the Secretary of the Professorial Promotions Committee.

Late applications cannot be accepted. Once submitted, the application constitutes a formal application for promotion, but may be updated electronically with amended versions replacing the original application until the official closing date.  After the closing date the application may only be updated by sending electronic documents via the website to the Secretary of the Professorial Promotions Committee (by the date advised in the Promotions Timetable) but it cannot be edited or rewritten.

3.4.2  Period for consideration

The Professorial Promotions Committee's principal interest is in matters that relate to the period since your taking up employment at Murdoch University, or since your most recent promotion at the University, whichever is the later. 

For this purpose, if you held a Level B position at Murdoch and gained a position at Level C, then you will be regarded as having been promoted at that time and the period for consideration for promotion to Level D will start from the commencement of your Level C appointment. However, if you were at Level C at Murdoch and gained another position at Level C, then you will not be regarded as having been promoted at that time. 

Achievements you used to gain your current position level should not be used again for a later promotion application. For example, a book which was ‘in press’ and used to make a case for appointment or for an earlier promotion should not be used again to make a case for the current promotion even if its publication date is technically within the period for consideration. Your application should clearly distinguish those achievements that are in the relevant period for consideration from those which are not. Thus, your list of publications or productions should either include only those in the relevant period or should be ordered by date within each category with a horizontal line drawn between those which are and are not in the period to be considered. 

Aspects of your work at a previous university or professional work prior to appointment at Murdoch University will not normally be considered as part of a case for promotion. However, when considered appropriate by your Faculty Dean or Head of Division, aspects of your prior work may be included. Written confirmation of the reason(s) for the Faculty Dean or Head of Division forming their view must then accompany your application. The Professorial Promotions Committee will then take account of the submitted information about previous work. 

3.4.3  Referees

You should provide names and addresses of three (3) referees from whom the Committee will seek confidential references. Persons not eligible to act as a referee are Members of the School Advisory Committee or Professorial Promotions Committee or Faculty Dean/Head of Division nor anyone related to the applicant (i.e. be of the immediate family or have a de facto relationship with the applicant).  An exception to this is the role of the Head of School who is permitted to act as a referee for applicants, even though a Head of School is likely to have served on a School Advisory Committee.  The referees will be expected to address your qualifications, performance and standing with respect to each of the three categories. You should choose referees appropriate to your areas of strength. In general, it is recommended that at least one referee be external to the University and one be internal. However, if your application emphasizes research and professional contributions, all external referees may be more appropriate. 

Each of your nominated referees will be approached by the Office of Human Resources and asked to provide a written report in strictest confidence directly to the Secretary of the Professorial Promotions Committee. Prior to including referees names in your application, you should approach them in order to ensure that they are willing to provide references. You should also provide them with a copy of your application. 

Where a nominated referee does not provide the requested reference, the Committee must notify you, and take account of any submissions made by you in deciding whether it is appropriate to use a substitute referee. 

3.4.4    Peer reviews

In addition to nominating referees you may seek up to three (3) peer reviews for each of the three categories with a maximum of six (6) overall. It is your responsibility to approach the chosen peers with a specific request and to provide them with the standard Peer Review Cover Sheet. They provide their comments in confidence directly to the Secretary of the Professorial Promotions Committee within three weeks of the closing date for applications. Under no circumstances should you ask for such a peer report to be returned to you; the Professorial Promotions Committee will only consider peer reports forwarded directly to the Secretary with a standard Peer Review Cover Sheet. 

Peer reviews concern very specific aspects of your work. They may be provided by academic colleagues, or people with whom you are associated in a professional capacity or through community service, or by students. Peer reviewers should have sufficient knowledge of a particular aspect of your work to make informed comment on it. However, they should not cover the broader scope of your achievements; the latter is the task of your referees. Peer reports may, for example, include: a confidential report on your teaching in a particular unit by a coordinator or tutor of that unit; an evaluation of a unit guide or laboratory manual which you have prepared for a Murdoch unit; an appraisal of your service to a government department or agency by its Head; an informed comment on your contribution to a major University committee by the chair of that committee. 

You should not feel as though you ought to provide peer reviews in each category. Indeed, the majority of applicants for promotion would not need to. For example, if you have a traditional research profile you might submit no peer reviews in the Research and Professional Scholarship category since refereed publications would be regarded as evidence of positive peer review. If, however, you wish to demonstrate the quality and impact of your Professional Scholarship or creative works you may find it helpful to use three peer reviews in this category. If you have very strong unit and teaching reviews you need not arrange peer reviews for teaching but, if your most significant contributions to teaching are not reflected in such surveys, peer reviews may be helpful. Bear in mind that your case may be weakened by asking people with limited knowledge to comment upon your work. 

In selecting peer reviewers, you should take into consideration that people who are placed in a subordinate position to you may feel constrained in making an independent assessment of your work. 

Persons not eligible to act as a peer reviewer are Members of the School Advisory Committee or Professorial Promotions Committee or Faculty Dean/Head of Division nor anyone related to the applicant (i.e. be of the immediate family or have a de facto relationship with the applicant). 

3.4.5  Updating an application

It is your responsibility to update your application if you so wish. Such an update should only concern significant changes that have occurred after the submission date, such as papers accepted for publication, appointments to significant committees, significant awards received, or the results of TLC Teaching Surveys. You should endeavour to provide only one such update, in the form of a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Professorial Promotions Committee that should be submitted electronically. Whilst applications can be updated, they cannot be changed once submitted to the School Advisory Committee.  The closing date for any updates is stated in the Promotions Timetable in Section 1.1 of the Policy.

3.5   PREPARING YOUR CASE

It is strongly recommended that you read all of this Part of the Academic Staff Promotions Policy and Procedures and attend any relevant information sessions before preparing your application.

3.5.1  Overview

You should describe your important achievements, the major outcomes of your activities, and provide a clear, concise argument, well supported with evidence and clearly presented. Listing every activity you have undertaken is unlikely to strengthen your case for promotion. Rather, you should highlight those activities and outcomes of most significance in each of the three categories: 

·                     Teaching and Teaching Development

·                     Research and Professional Scholarship

·                     Service to the University and Community.

The onus is on you to make the case convincingly. You must provide all information and evidence that you see as relevant to your case, within the word limit allowed and the Appendices. The Professorial Promotions Committee does not seek out information on your behalf (except for referees’ reports), and does not refer back to information that may have been part of a previous application (including referee reports, peer evaluations or Teaching and Learning Centre student survey results). 

It is important that you present evidence supporting your strongest possible case for each of the three categories. Consult the Discipline Profile relevant to you to ensure either that your application reflects the discipline specific ways of meeting the standard expectations or that you have explained unusual aspects of your work that make parts of the Discipline Profile less applicable to you. 

Clear boundaries cannot always separate the three categories of contribution, and some activities could legitimately be counted under different headings depending upon the nature of your academic work. For example, academics may undertake some research on their University teaching. For a physicist this may not constitute an active advance in knowledge in her or his discipline and would normally be expected to form part of the case for Teaching and Teaching Development rather than part of the case for Research and Professional Scholarship. However, the research focus of some staff, particularly in the School of Education or the TLC, may be the improvement of teaching and such work may be appropriately included in Research and Professional Scholarship. Similarly, committee work relating to teaching might reasonably be offered as evidence for leadership in Teaching and Teaching Development or as evidence of University Service. The important point is that activities cannot be double counted. Where there is some ambiguity about the categories, you should explain clearly where you consider particular achievements should be included. 

You may include the supervision of research students either in the Teaching and Teaching Development category or in the Research and Professional Scholarship category, but not both. There is a place on the application form for you to indicate to the Professorial Promotions Committee in which category this is to be considered. 

3.5.2  Skill base

To be eligible for consideration of a case for promotion to Associate Professor (Level D) you need to show that you meet the skill base required for appointment as an academic at Level D, that is: 

A Level C academic will normally have advanced qualifications and/or recognized significant experience in the relevant discipline area. A position at this level will normally require a doctoral qualification or equivalent accreditation and standing. In determining experience relative to qualifications, regard shall be had to teaching experience, experience in research, experience outside tertiary education, creative achievements, professional contributions, and/ or to technical achievements. In addition, a position at this level will normally require a record of demonstrable scholarly and professional achievement in the relevant discipline area.

A Level D academic will normally have the same skill base as a Level C academic. In addition, there is a requirement for academic excellence which may be evidenced by an outstanding contribution to teaching and/or re­search and/or the profession.

Thus, promotion to Associate Professor is accorded to those academics who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and who give a clear indication from their program or plans that they will continue to perform at this level. Applicants must demonstrate that their all-round performance is clearly superior to that which would normally be expected of a Senior Lecturer 

3.5.3  Establishing Merit in Teaching and Teaching Development

Description 

For the purposes of promotion, Teaching and Teaching Development refers to all activities under your control that create and sustain an effective environment for university learning. This includes your direct contribution to student learning through your own teaching, unit development, resource development, assessment and reporting, availability for student consultations and other out-of-class student matters, and your attention to the improvement of your own teaching. 

It also includes your indirect contribution to the enhancement of the teaching of others within the University such as through the professional development of colleagues, leadership in curriculum and program development, the production of teaching materials that others use, the provision of consultative services, undertaking research on University teaching and publishing on University teaching. 

For the purposes of promotion to Associate Professor (Level D), you must demonstrate that you have done more than carry out your teaching duties satisfactorily at a level appropriate to a Senior Lecturer (Level C), since this is expected and in itself does not warrant promotion. 

If you have a Standard Teaching and Research Contract, in order to establish a strong case for promotion to Associate Professor on the basis of Teaching and Teaching Development, you should demonstrate the ability to inspire high academic endeavour, an active role in the maintenance of academic standards and the development of educational policy and curriculum within the School and/or University, original thought and leadership with respect to teaching, and external contribution to, and recognition of, your teaching. 

If you are in the Teaching Mainly or Teaching Support categories you should demonstrate substantial and significant achievement in both your own teaching and in the promotion and support of good teaching in others. You should also demonstrate your contribution to the scholarly literature on teaching and that your teaching expertise is recognized more widely than amongst your immediate students and colleagues. 

If you are in the Research Mainly or Research Support categories you are expected to make some contribution to University teaching. This may, for example, be in the form of postgraduate supervision, the development of research skills in others through research training seminars and workshops, or your dissemination of research through teaching. 

Presenting your case 

You should provide the Professorial Promotions Committee with the following information. 

1. A succinct statement of the nature and extent of your direct and indirect teaching responsibilities in the period under consideration.
2. A statement providing evidence of the quality of your contribution to university teaching and student learning. This should relate to a selection of the following points appropriate to the nature of your responsibilities within the period under consideration:

• effective teaching in units
  • e.g. good student appraisals as shown by Teaching Surveys; engendering in your students an enthusiasm for learning and scholarship, developing their critical thinking and supporting autonomous learning; effectively addressing the learning needs of a diverse student population
  •  
• effective supervision of honours and postgraduate theses, practica or projects    

o                    e.g. attracting students; supporting high quality student outcomes as shown by industry approval of the products of their practica and projects or the level of awards obtained and examiners reports; good completion rates; effectively mentoring students as demonstrated by recognition achieved by previous or current students in teaching, research, professions and community activities

o                     

• conscientious work on out-of-class matters associated with teaching
  •  e.g. availability to students seeking academic assistance; leadership of curriculum committees; the provision of career guidance, mentoring students
  •  
•  improvement of your own teaching
  • e.g. analysis of, and effective response to, peer and student evaluations of your teaching; systematic experimentation on teaching approaches; participation in personal professional development activities; keeping abreast of current developments in the areas taught and with the relevant educational literature; analysis and evaluation of alternative teaching approaches or materials
  •  
• development of improved, new or exemplary curriculum and methods
  • e.g. the effective development or redevelopment of units, courses or educational programs; introducing innovative teaching strategies, feedback, assessment and reporting methods, teaching materials or facilities; supporting and encouraging innovation in colleagues; inter-disciplinary courses which demonstrate an ability to disseminate knowledge beyond the bounds of the discipline; cooperative education programs with industry; programs that demonstrate an ability to integrate teaching with relevant professions
  •  
• recognition of teaching expertise
  • e.g. academic awards or distinctions for teaching (Teaching Excellence awards); securing teaching grants; consultancies on teaching; invitations to speak on teaching; contributions to advisory or accreditation bodies; contributions to developments in teaching the discipline in other institutions; a national or international reputation for scholarship/leadership in teaching in the discipline; contributions to the literature on teaching; favourable reviews or significant adoption of published or circulated instructional material such as textbooks, software, curricula, demonstrations, films or devices
• enhancement of the teaching of others
  • e.g. providing support and acting as a mentor in teaching to other members of staff; offering workshops and courses to enhance the teaching of colleagues; teaching and coordinating collaboratively with more junior staff; modelling good teaching and unit development practices.

3. A Teaching Appendix containing documentation in support of the statements in (ii).

• You should provide student appraisals of all of your teaching, in the form of TLC Teaching Surveys (rather than unit surveys) for at least three semesters during the period under consideration. These must be submitted in the standard format. Where this is not possible, please explain why and provide whatever student appraisals you can.
• You may provide up to three (3) additional pieces of supporting evidence (preferably no more than a page or so each) if needed to make your case (e.g. an independent review of a textbook you wrote; unsolicited correspondence attesting to your teaching skills or support for students; evidence of the significant adoptions by others of your innovative published or circulated instructional material; copy of any Teaching Excellence awards).
• In addition you may invite up to three (3) people to provide Peer Reviews of aspects of your teaching if needed to make your case (e.g. an independent evaluation of the educational merits of a program that you developed).

3.5.4  Establishing Merit in Research and Professional Scholarship

Description 

Research and Professional Scholarship refers to contributions to the active advancement of knowledge or its applications in your discipline or field. This may occur through basic research or research and development, consultancy or commissioned work, professional practice, creative activity and performance in the arts, and fostering the research of others. Since this category includes fostering the research of others, postgraduate research supervision may be included in this category rather than in the Teaching and Teaching Development category. 

A Senior Lecturer (Level C) need not necessarily have been solely responsible for original contributions to knowledge, but is expected to be recognized nationally and/or internationally as a serious and experienced scholar to whom others may turn with confidence. 

If you have a Standard Teaching and Research contract, for the purposes of promotion to Associate Professor (Level D), you should demonstrate the ways in which your Research and Professional Scholarship is recognized nationally and/or internationally. The forms that this takes may be discipline or field specific but the standards of expectation across the University must remain consistent. In fields where citation indices are a recognized means of judging impact, they should be used. In some fields, reviews may be more appropriate, in still others you might demonstrate innovations in professional, industry or community practices that result from your original work. It is your responsibility to ensure that the Professorial Promotions Committee has available to it external and impartial judgement of the quality and/or impact of your work. 

If you are in the Teaching Mainly or Teaching Support categories you are only expected to make some contribution to Research and Professional Scholarship but it may be more practically oriented and/or relate largely to scholarship associated with teaching. You will need to demonstrate the level of scholarship necessary to maintain effectiveness as a teaching academic at the level of Associate Professor. You should indicate how you maintain awareness of current developments in your field, and embody these in your teaching in an authoritative way. Scholarship in this context is defined as the organization and distillation of existing knowledge. 

If you are in the Research Mainly category you should demonstrate substantial and significant achievement in a relevant area of research. It is expected that you will have developed a sustained program in original research or creative work, have international recognition in scholarly research and the communication of that achievement to others, and have fostered the research of other groups and individuals. If you are in the Research Support category, you should demonstrate both your own research activity and outcomes and also how your work supports and enhances the research of others. 

Presenting your case 

Applicants for promotion should provide the Professorial Promotions Committee with the following information. 

1. A succinct statement of the nature and extent of your Research and Professional activities and objectives in the period under consideration.
2. A statement providing evidence of the quality of your contribution to research and Professional Scholarship. This should relate to a selection of the following points appropriate to the nature of your responsibilities within the period under consideration:

• joint or sole authorship of works in the form of publications, productions or creative work
  • e.g. authorship of books, articles, papers, publications in electronic form, patents or inventions, refereed or supported by other evidence of peer recognition; authorship, direction or execution of performances, productions, exhibitions, or designs appropriate to the discipline or medium concerned; originality in applied work, such as development of new techniques or improvement of established techniques that have been accepted in the research or professional community

• attraction of funds in the form of grants and contracts
  • e.g. a record in applying for research grants and contracts; success in gaining research grants by competitive jury recommendations; success in attracting research and development contracts and consultancies to the University; a record in gaining support for productions and exhibitions in the context of competitive arts industry standards; success in establishing productive research contacts with industry and/or professions

• establishing and maintaining productive research and professional links
  • e.g. successful participation in, and leadership of, research and development teams; formation of collaborative research programs with external bodies such as industry; leadership in professional practice acknowledged by appropriate peer recognition; achievement in consultancy work in terms of its contribution to the advancement of knowledge and/or its applications; the solution of practical problems experienced by industry, government or the research community

• reputation as a scholar
  • e.g. appointment to external bodies; invitations by other institutions to act in an expert capacity; editing and/or refereeing for scholarly journals and other professional publications; invitations to address scholarly or professional meetings and conferences; awards and citations by professional associations for research or creative work

• effective supervision of honours and postgraduate theses
  • e.g. high quality student outcomes as shown by awards obtained and examiners reports; good completion rates; effective research mentoring strategies; attracting students; recognition achieved by previous or current students in teaching, research, professions and community activities

3. A Research and Professional Scholarship Appendix containing documentation in support of the statements in (ii).

• This must include an organized list of the outcomes of your Research and Professional Scholarship, that is, authorship of books, articles, conference papers, publication in electronic form, patents or inventions, direction or execution of performances, productions, exhibitions, or designs, research grants, awards, honours and other scholarly and professional achievements as required on the standard application form.

References to publications must be given in full with exact pagination and dating. Refereed publications should be presented separately from others. Papers that have been accepted for publication (i.e. are in press) may be included, with evidence of their acceptance, but papers that have been submitted only should not be included. Acceptances of publications may be forwarded to the secretary of the Professorial Promotions Committee via the website and can be added as an update to the application.

• You may provide up to three additional pieces of supporting evidence (preferably no more than a page or so each) if needed to make your case (e.g. a book review; extracts showing how your original work has been adopted/adapted in industry or professions).
• You may invite up to three (3) people to provide Peer Reviews of your Research and Professional Scholarship if needed to make your case (e.g. an appraisal of your contribution from the Head of a Government Department).

3.5.5  Establishing Merit in Service to the University and Community

Description

Service to the University and Community includes the range of University governance, management and administrative responsibilities, including student recruitment, advising and enrolment, program coordination, mentoring of staff and students, committee and working party membership, policy development, public relations, equity initiatives and staff association activities. Community service includes the use of professional and scholarly competence to develop useful interaction between the community and the University, and applies essentially to service provided in your capacity as a Murdoch University staff member.

It is expected that academic staff at the Associate Professor level will make an appropriate and sustained contribution to the management and corporate life of the University both within the immediate academic unit and beyond, and to the general role of the University in the community.

In order for Service to the University to contribute significantly to your case for promotion to Associate Professor, you must be able to demonstrate a sustained and effective involvement in administration and management, and the capacity for academic leadership within the University where leadership involves the ability to guide, inspire and influence others in the attainment of stated goals. In order for Service to the Community to contribute significantly to your case for promotion to Associate Professor, you must be able to demonstrate that your work is well known and very highly regarded beyond the confines of the University and should describe the manner in which it has enhanced the University in the context of its mission.

Presenting your case

You should provide the Professorial Promotions Committee with the following information.

1. A succinct statement of your Service to the University and Community in the period under consideration outlining the nature of activities undertaken. This requires more than merely listing the committees on which you have served or the responsibilities held. For example, in describing committee membership you should describe the type of work the committee undertakes, the frequency with which it meets and the extent and nature of your own role in its deliberations.
2. A statement providing evidence of the quality of your contribution in Service to the University and Community. This should relate to a selection of the following points appropriate to the nature of your responsibilities within the period under consideration:

• active involvement in student recruitment, advertising and public relations
  • e.g. your initiation of innovative student recruitment activities; your effective organization of Careers Information and Open Days; strong contributions to International Recruitment activities; your initiation of industry partnerships to provide fee paying award courses or research training

• effective involvement in administration and management functions
  • e.g. your reliable and effective involvement in student advising and enrolments; your effective coordination of Programs; evidence of an innovation, such as a workload formula, staff development process or student survey, that leads to improvements in University practice; your participation in University working parties

• enhancement of the educational environment for students
  • e.g. your participation in equity activities, student mentoring and support of student associations; your effective organization of, and/or engagement in, student orientation activities; your voluntary involvement in assisting students make University to employment transitions; your initiation or active maintenance of linkages between the University and employers of graduates
• promotion of a supportive and productive environment for colleagues
  • e.g. your willingness to participate in collegiate activities; your active support for equity and diversity in the University community; actively modelling high standards of professional behaviour; providing mentoring and coaching to more junior colleagues in their professional and career development; your fostering of teamwork through building networks

• engagement with University consultative and decision-making processes
  • e.g. examples of your contribution to the outcomes of School/Unit/Divisional committees and working parties; evidence of your initiative and ability to contribute to policy formulation; membership of a Research Centre Board; election to decision making bodies within the University and your effective contribution to them; your contribution to the Academic Staff Association; contributions towards achieving the University’s equity goals; demonstration of your high personal standing within the University, including ethical behaviour

• entrepreneurial work in the University's interest
  • e.g. the development and/or active maintenance of close and continuing associations with industry, commerce, government or the community generally; the establishment of effective international linkages that promote the development of Murdoch University; high professional profile achieved by the development of close and continuing association with industry, commerce, government or the community generally; the formation of partnerships with other educational providers

• involvement in professional organizations or learned societies
  • e.g. the organization of conferences and seminars in the discipline; evidence of well regarded contributions to the administration or policy direction of a professional organization or learned society; influence in the development of a profession; dissemination of professional practice to other members in the field through activities such as editorship or editorial board membership; professional peer recognition of significant achievements contributing to the work of a profession at a state, national and international level, professional awards or citations

• contribution to community education, public policy and community issues
  • e.g. communication of scholarship to the non-specialised public; achievements in consultancy work in terms of its contribution to public policy or major community issues; services to secondary education through syllabus or examination committee membership; membership of the boards or governing bodies of public institutions; the provision of advice or information to governments; membership of national or international delegations; contributing to public debate on topics relating to your area of academic expertise through the mass media; invitations to undertake professional advisory work, invited public lectures or invitations to give keynote addresses.

3. A Service Appendix containing documentation in support of the statements in (ii).

• You may provide up to three (3) additional pieces of supporting evidence (preferably no more than a page or so each) if needed to make your case (e.g. evidence of an award for a community contribution).
• You may invite up to three (3) people to provide Peer Reviews of your Service to University and Community if needed to make your case (e.g. an appraisal of your contribution from the Head of a Public body).

3.6   CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS FOR PROMOTION

3.6.1  Sequence for consideration of applications

Your application for promotion will be considered in the following stages:

·                the Faculty Dean/Head of Division

·                the School Advisory Committee;

·                     the Chair of the School Advisory Committee completes the standard report based on the advice of the School Advisory Committee, and

·                     returns the application and completed report to the Faculty Dean/Head of Division, who

• forwards the application, report and any comments of her/his own to the Professorial Promotions Committee, sending a copy of the report and any comments to you.

The Professorial Promotions Committee, in turn, makes:

• recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor who decides on promotions to Level D having regard to the recommendations of the Professorial Promotions Committee.

3.6.2  Notification of result and feedback to applicants

Within two weeks of decisions being made on promotions, you will be notified by the Chair via the Promotions Committee Secretary in the Office of Human Resources of the outcome of your application. If you are absent from the campus at the time of notification (this being any absence on leave) it is your responsibility to inform the Division and the Office of Human Resources of a contact address to which this letter may be sent.

If promotion has not been approved, you will be advised in writing giving reasons. You may seek an interview with the Chair of the Professorial Promotions Committee for further explanation of the reasons why your application was unsuccessful, and in any case you will need to do this if you are lodging an appeal.

You may also appeal against promotion decisions on specified grounds as described in Section 3.10.

3.6.3  Publication of results of promotion processes

Approvals only will be reported to Senate and Academic Council listing the statistics of each level and the names of successful applicants.

3.6.4  Date of effect of promotions

Promotions shall take effect on 1 January following the closing date for applications.

3.7   SCHOOL ADVISORY PROCESSES

3.7.1  Membership of the School Advisory Committee

The membership of the School Advisory Committee consists of:

• a Chair appointed by the Faculty Dean/Head of Division (usually the Head of School)
• The Head of School (if the Head of School is not acting as the Chair of the Committee)
• One other senior academic (rank of Associate Professor Level D or above) from the School

·         One other academic from the rank of Lecturer Level B or Senior Lecturer Level C from the School

• Any other academic member as elected by the Faculty Dean

The Advisory Committee should include at least each Head of School, as far as possible be gender balanced and reflect the academic interests across the Division. It should, from round to round, be formed in a consistent and documented way and have the approval of the Faculty Dean/Head of Division.

A School Advisory Committee member cannot at the same time be a member of either central Promotions Committee, a referee (excluding the Head of School), a peer reviewer, an assessor, a candidate for Professorial promotion, nor be related to an applicant (i.e. be of the immediate family or have a de facto relationship with an applicant). The Faculty Dean/Head of Division is not a member of the School Advisory Committee but has a separate function in the process.

Where gender balance is not achieved, another person(s) of the gender not suitably represented may be co-opted to the Committee by the Faculty Dean/Head of Division to achieve this balance. If the Faculty Dean/Head of Division is an applicant in the current round of promotions, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor will nominate an Acting Faculty Dean for this purpose.

Small schools may not have staffing resources to form School Advisory Committees of adequate size.  In such cases, at the discretion of the Faculty Dean/Head of Division, smaller schools will group together in order to form School Advisory Committees of adequate size.

Members of the School Advisory Committee are obliged to treat applications in the strictest confidence by not divulging comments about applications made by the Committee to parties external to the Committee unless stated in this Policy. Members will secure applications and related documentation in their possession when not in use, and return these under confidential cover to the Faculty Dean/Head of Division upon completion of the deliberations of the School Advisory Committee.

3.7.2        Discipline Profiles

The Head of School, with advice from the School Advisory Committee, will compile standard reference material (called ‘Discipline Profiles’). Each Discipline Profile will be approved by the School Advisory Committee and the Faculty Dean/Head of Division before being sent to the Office of Human Resources by the second Friday in February.

Discipline Profiles are for use by members of the Professorial Promotions Committee and all academics. The Profiles will describe any discipline-specific forms of teaching, scholarship, research and university/community service, and the significance/equivalence the promotions committee should attach to them. Promotion will be consistent across the University but the means through which achievements are demonstrated may vary to reflect different disciplines.

The discipline profiles will include information about:

Teaching and teaching development:

•  the nature of the teaching and other related responsibilities including teaching styles, and the emphasis the discipline places on innovative curriculum development and course design

·                 the means for assessing non-standard teaching and clinical work, where relevant

• expectations of research degree supervisors

Research and professional scholarship:

• what is meant by scholarship in the discipline, the forms in which scholarship and research are generally made available and to what audiences

·                  the nature of publications, conventions regarding authorship and review procedures

• the place of published reports, creative works, conference proceedings, case notes, films, productions etc. in the discipline as a means of advancing knowledge
•  where relevant, the means for assessing non-standard research and professional work to ensure external and impartial validation of its quality and/or impact

·                  the time usually involved in such work.

Service to the University and community:

·                 the nature of the administrative work expected of, and available to, academic staff at various levels

• advice about the likely range and nature of community contributions that may assist the Professorial Promotions Committee in interpreting applications.

3.7.3  School Report to the Professorial Promotions Committee

The School Advisory Committee will read and meet to discuss your application for promotion. On the advice of the Committee, the Chair will then complete the School Advisory Report Form, commenting briefly on:

·                  your contribution to teaching with respect to the Level D promotion sought and the relevant Discipline Profile

·                 your research and professional contribution with respect to the Level D promotion sought and the relevant Discipline Profile

·                 your service to the University and community with respect to the Level D promotion sought and the relevant Discipline Profile

• any other contributions within the School/University which you have made
• the applicability of the Discipline Profile to your case including advice about unusual aspects of your work and, where necessary for clarification, putting your teaching and administrative responsibilities into context with comparative information about the other members of the School/Unit/Division.

The School Advisory Committee Report will NOT include a recommendation for or against promotion.

The Report will be forwarded to the Professorial Promotions Committee through the Faculty Dean/Head of Division. The Faculty Dean/Head of Division may make additional comments in relation to your most recent Performance Development Review.

3.7.4  Nomination of Assessors to the Professorial Promotions Committee

The School Advisory Committee Chair will nominate in confidence five or six potential assessors of your application who can provide the Professorial Promotions Committee with confidential and balanced assessments of the merit of your application.

The nominated assessors should be chosen in such a way that one or more can comment on each major emphasis on your application. If you have a Standard Research and Teaching appointment, at least three will be external to the University, eminent in your field and/or profession and not have directly collaborated or published with you. 

As the applicant, you will not be consulted when assessors are nominated nor will you be informed of who they are. If you do not want the Committee to use a particular assessor(s), you may name the person(s) and provide a brief outline of the reason for your request.

The list together with a short justification of the nominees, including an indication of which of the three categories of work they will be able to comment upon, will be forwarded to the Professorial Promotions Committee through the Faculty Dean who may comment upon the suitability of the assessors in the context of the applicant’s application.

The Professorial Promotions Committee will select three assessors appropriate to the emphases of the application. Should the Professorial Promotions Committee wish to do so, it may select assessors not on the list provided by the School Advisory Committee Chair. In such cases, the reasons for the decision will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

3.7.5  Role of Faculty Dean/Head of Division

The Faculty Dean/Head of Division will:

• review your application and the School Advisory Committee Report and consider them in relation to your most recent Performance Development Review.
• provide the Professorial Promotions Committee with additional comments on your achievements in teaching, research and service, if s/he considers it appropriate, and the assessors nominated by the School Advisory Committee Chair, and include any request by you not to use a particular person as assessor
• send you a copy of the School Advisory Committee Report and her/his comments (if any) excluding the names of assessors nominated by the School Advisory Committee Chair.

If you wish, you may provide directly to the Professorial Promotions Committee a written response on the School Advisory Committee’s Report and the Faculty Dean’s/Head of Division’s comments. You may also withdraw your application within two weeks of receipt of a copy of these Reports. The withdrawal must be made in writing to the Faculty Dean/Head of Division who will acknowledge the withdrawal in writing and forward a copy of both to the Professorial Promotions Committee. If your application is withdrawn in this manner, it will not be considered to be unsuccessful for the purposes of future applications.

3.8   PROFESSORIAL PROMOTIONS COMMITTEE PROCESSES

3.8.1  Membership of the Professorial Promotions Committee

The membership of the Professorial Promotions Committee consists of:

• Vice-Chancellor or nominee (Chair)
• two members of academic staff of the level of Associate Professor and above appointed by the Vice-Chancellor
• two members of academic staff of the level of Associate Professor and above appointed by the Academic Council
• the University Equal Opportunity Advisor who may attend meetings but shall not have voting powers
• a process observer appointed by Academic Council who may attend meetings but shall not have voting powers.  The process observer will provide any comments to the President of Academic Council.

Members appointed to the Professorial Promotions Committee have terms of three years commencing on the 1st of March and are expected to be available in the fourth year to coach and provide guidance to prospective candidates for promotion. As far as possible appointments will reflect the broad balance in the academic interests across the University and result in gender balance.

Faculty Deans/Heads of Divisions cannot be members of the Professorial Promotions Committee. 

A member of the Professorial Promotions Committee cannot at the same time be a member of a School Advisory Committee, a peer reviewer or referee for an applicant for Professorial promotion, a candidate her/himself for Professorial promotion, nor be related to an applicant (i.e. be of the immediate family or have a de facto relationship with an applicant).

Members are eligible for re-appointment. A casual vacancy on the Professorial Promotions Committee may be filled for the term of the vacancy, as far as possible maintaining a balance of academic interests and gender. A quorum consists of four voting members.

If an application is received from an indigenous academic staff member the applicant can choose for an indigenous academic staff member from another University to be appointed by the Vice Chancellor to the Lecturer/Professorial Promotions Committee for review of that applicant's case for promotion.  The co-opted indigenous academic staff member will be appointed by the Vice Chancellor at the beginning of each year's academic staff promotions round for one year and the name of the co-opted member will be available on the Academic Staff Promotions website.  The co-opted member will have full voting rights.

3.8.2  Role of the Professorial Promotions Committee

Within these Policies and Procedures, and on the basis of all information before it, the Professorial Promotions Committee will decide which applicants for promotion to Associate Professor (Level D) and Professor (Level E) are to be recommend to the Vice-Chancellor for promotion (or accelerated incremental advancement within the Level C range) and establish the ranking orders of merit within each of the levels.

The Professorial Promotions Committee will report to the Vice-Chancellor on all candidates recommended as having met the criteria for promotion to Level D or Level E (or accelerated incremental advancement within the Level C range) listed in order of merit.

The minutes of the Professorial Promotions Committee meetings will include a copy of the letters sent to applicants not recommended for promotion stating the reasons for the Professorial Promotions Committee’s decision.

The Professorial Promotions Committee may re-convene at any time if the Vice-Chancellor, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, is satisfied that there are sufficient grounds for so doing.

3.8.3  Training of the Professorial Promotions Committee

Members of the Professorial Promotions Committee are expected as part of their duties to undergo training, and to participate in training workshops for applicants when required by the Chair of the Professorial Promotions Committee. The Equal Opportunity Advisor and Chair of the Appeals Committee should be involved in planning the training process.

All members of the Committee must undergo training that addresses:

• applying the criteria to different levels of promotion sought, for example, making distinctions between levels of expectation for a ‘good’ performance in Teaching and Teaching Development at Level C and a ‘good’ performance in Teaching and Teaching Development at Level D
• applying the criteria to different types of position, for example, making distinctions between levels of expectation for an ‘excellent’ performance in Research and Professional Scholarship for a Level C academic with a Standard Teaching and Research appointment and an ‘excellent’ performance in Research and Professional Scholarship for a Level C academic in a Research Mainly position
• the consistent and unbiased application of the full range of criteria articulated within these Promotions Policy and Procedures and the avoidance of other implicit criteria
• the nature and recognition of non-traditional patterns of achievement in Research and Professional Scholarship
• the various professional, disciplinary, cultural and gender expectations that may be placed on and/or experienced by staffthe appropriate use of Discipline Profiles and School Advisory Committee Reports in making judgements
• the Code of Practice for the Professorial Promotions Committee.

3.8.4  Processes used by the Professorial Promotions Committee

In evaluating your application for promotion the Professorial Promotions Committee: 

• is obliged to seek reports from each of the three referees nominated by you (subject to the conditions in clause 3.4.3), to inform you if any referee nominated by you does not provide a reference and, in this event, take into consideration any submission made by you when deciding whether to seek further references
• is obliged to review referees’ reports before deciding whether your case warrants further consideration
• for applications that have been deemed to warrant further consideration, will consult in confidence up to three assessors appropriate to the emphasis of the application
• may (but need not) invite you for interview if you have been shortlisted
• may give you the opportunity to respond at interview to comments made by peers, referees or other persons
• may consult in confidence other persons thought to be able to contribute to its consideration of your application
• will seek out additional information on your behalf only if, in its view, there is a significant ambiguity that needs to be clarified.

An assessment is made of your sustained performance in each of the three categories of work activity: Teaching and Teaching Development, Research and Professional Scholarship, Service to the University and Community relative to the expectations for a Level C position (that is, the level immediately prior to the Level D promotion sought) taking into account the Discipline Profile relevant to you. 

Firstly, your application, including Peer Reports and Referees Reports, are assessed in terms of whether you have a sustained performance at more than a satisfactory level as a whole relative to the expectations for a Level C position and appear, on the basis of that evidence, to meet the skill base required for an academic at Level D (as described in Section 3.5.2). 

Secondly, your sustained level of performance in the three categories is assessed separately against the minimum levels required of applicants for promotion to Level D as described in Section 3.3.2. This assessment is the basis on which the Professorial Promotions Committee draws up a short list of applicants who warrant further consideration for promotion to Level D. 

Thirdly, assessors reports are sought for those on the short list. Those on the short list may also be interviewed but not all applicants who are interviewed will necessarily be recommended for promotion. 

Fourthly, your application is re-assessed and the applications are ranked based on the overall case represented by the combined weighted score using weightings within the indicative ranges that produce the best outcome for you.

For promotion to Level D, you must meet the skill base required for an academic at Level D and your overall case must justify a continuing appointment as an Associate Professor (Level D) at Murdoch University. 

The Professorial Promotions Committee finally makes a recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor on whether or not each application is supported. 

3.8.5  Code of Practice for the Professorial Promotions Committee

The Professorial Promotions Committee will operate according to the following code of practice: 

• a committee member with direct knowledge of an applicant shall speak last in the course of discussions
• comments of a personal nature should be avoided
• discussion should be restricted to matters relevant to the application
• potential conflicts of interest should be flagged
• the Discipline Profiles shall be used in determining the worthiness of an applicant’s case, and
• applications should be read in full and preliminary judgements of the worthiness of an applicant’s case be made prior to discussing the applicant‘s case with other members of the committee.

All proceedings of the Professorial Promotions Committee are regarded as confidential, except that applications and supporting papers will be made available to assessors and to the Vice-Chancellor or the Appeals Committee if required. 

Committee members will secure applications and related documentation in their possession when not in use and return them under confidential cover to the Office of Human Resources upon completion of deliberations. 

3.9   UNSUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS

If your application for promotion is unsuccessful, you are encouraged to seek feedback from the Chair of the Professorial Promotions Committee. If you decide to lodge an appeal against the outcome of your application, you are required to meet with the Chair of the Professorial Promotions Committee before lodging your appeal. 

3.10  APPEALS PROCEDURES

If you are unsuccessful in your application for promotion you must lodge any appeal you wish to make with the Director of Human Resources within one month of the date of notification of the promotion decision, i.e. the date shown on the letter of notification (see 3.6.2). Before lodging an appeal, you must seek an interview with the Chair of the Professorial Promotions Committee. 

The Appeals Committee will examine the case for appeal and recommend to the Vice-Chancellor that the appeal be dismissed or upheld and, in the latter case, whether the matter should be reconsidered by the Professorial Promotions Committee or dealt with by the Vice-Chancellor directly. 

In the event of promotion being approved as the result of an appeal, the effective date of promotion will not be affected by any delay under these procedures. 

3.10.1  Grounds of Appeal 

Affected Employees may appeal against promotion decisions affecting them on the following grounds: 

3.10.1.1     that a School Advisory Committee or the Promotions Committee has not substantially followed correct procedures; and/or   

3.10.1.2     that a School Advisory Committee or the Promotions Committee has breached the principles of procedural fairness (natural justice); and/or  

3.10.1.3     that a School Advisory Committee or the Promotions Committee has made their decision on substantially incorrect information. 

3.10.2  Procedure 

An appeal shall be lodged with the Director, Human Resources within one (1) month of the date of notification of the promotion decision. Unsuccessful applicants for promotion must seek an interview with the Chair of the relevant Committee before lodging an appeal. 

3.10.3  Date of Effect 

In the event of a successful appeal, the date of effect of the promotion will not be affected by any delay under these procedures. 

3.10.4  Appeals Committee 

An Appeals Committee shall be appointed with proper regard to gender equity, and to reflect a broad balance of the academic interests across the University. The Appeals Committee shall be appointed for a term not exceeding three (3) years and shall not include persons who are currently members of the Academic Staff Promotions Committees or official observers at their meetings or School Advisory Committees members or applicants for promotion in that round or Faculty Deans/Heads of Divisions or Members of the Senior Executive Group. 

3.10.5  Constitution 

·                     The Appeals Committee shall be established in accordance with the Murdoch University Academic Staff Collective Workplace Agreement 2006 or any replacement agreement.

3.10.6  Functions 

The functions of the Appeals Committee shall be: 

i     to investigate promptly any appeal by a staff member against a decision of the University not to promote her/him in the annual promotions exercise;   

ii     to consider each ground of appeal as in 3.10.1  above raised by the staff member;   

iii     to examine the official records of the relevant Committees as they relate to the appellant's claim; 

iv     to hear the staff member personally;   

v     to interview, as it might require, the Chair of the Committee as appropriate, the Process Observer on the Committee and  such other persons or obtain such other information as it might require;   

vi     to recommend by the third Friday in February of the new academic year, giving reasons in writing, to the Vice-Chancellor that:

·         the appeal be dismissed; or

• the grounds for appeal should be upheld and whether the matter should be reconsidered by the appropriate Committee or dealt with by the Vice-Chancellor directly; and   

vii     to consider appeals lodged against the Academic Staff Probationary Review and Appointment Extension Procedures.   

3.10.7  Annual Report 

The Appeals Committee shall provide the Vice-Chancellor with an annual report outlining its activities for transmission to Academic Council.

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