• Section 1 - Purpose and Context
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Part A - Principles
• Part B - Eligibility
• Part C - Requirements for Promotion
• Part D - Criteria for Promotion
• Fields of Achievement
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Section 5 - Guidelines

The Promotion to Professor Policy expired with effect from 31 December 2016. This policy has been subsumed by the Academic Promotion Policy and Academic Promotion Procedures.

Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) This document establishes the policy and criteria for promotion to Professor, providing recognition and reward for excellence in staff achievement, and encouraging a dynamic and innovative University culture.

Section 2 - Definitions

(2) Nil.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(3) The University acknowledges through internal promotion to Professor the contribution of academic staff who demonstrate distinguished achievement at a level normally expected of a Professor in Australian universities.

(4) The opportunity of promotion to Professor on the basis of personal merit illustrates that the University values excellence, innovation and achievement in teaching, educational development, research and development, scholarship, and the advancement of knowledge, and leadership within the University, the region and the wider community, nationally and internationally.

(5) The University also expects that all staff promoted to Professor will have demonstrated a high personal standing in terms of ethical behaviour, a collegial approach, and support for the University's values and strategic directions. A successful applicant will have demonstrated significant academic leadership. The policy enables recognition of academic staff members' diverse achievements and talents, and supports different pathways for academic excellence.

(6) Promotion to Professor is exceptional and is reserved only for those demonstrating distinguished achievement. Promotion to Professor should therefore not be seen as the usual career progression expectation for all academic staff.

(7) The University does not impose any quotas regarding the number of staff approved for academic promotion within any one round.

Part A - Principles

(8) The University accordingly has adopted the following principles, which will govern actions taken to promote academic staff:

1. the University is committed to equal employment opportunity, diversity and inclusion. Consistent with state and federal legislation, staff should not be treated less favourably due to their sex, relationship status, pregnancy, parental status, breastfeeding, age, race, impairment, religious belief or religious activity, political belief or activity, trade union activity, lawful sexual activity, gender identity, sexuality, family responsibilities, or association with, or relation to, a person identified on the basis of any of the above attributes. Some of these attributes may impact on a staff member's capacity to work uninterrupted and/or on a full-time basis;
2. the University will promote staff on merit relative to opportunity, based on the promotion criteria and the descriptors attached to those criteria. The quality of the staff member's performance will be assessed against these criteria. In terms of expectations for activity and output, consideration will be given to the fraction at which they are employed and/or personal circumstances.

Part B - Eligibility

(9) Any full-time or part-time member of the academic staff of the University with a continuing appointment may apply for promotion, provided that the staff member has served at least 24 months, as at the application closing date, as an academic staff member at the University. Any period of leave without pay* or secondment to another institution cannot be included in the two-year period. Exemptions from the two-year rule will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and will be at the discretion of the Chair of the University Promotions Committee, to whom a case must be put, via the Promotions Coordinator, prior to the close of applications.

(10) Academic staff who take more than a period of 6 months leave without pay are not eligible to apply for promotion in the calendar year (January - December) that the leave commences. Applicants wishing to do so will be required to make a case to the Chair of the Promotions Committee via the Promotions Coordinator.

(11) Academic staff employed on the basis of a fixed-term contract are also eligible to apply, but promotion of a person who is employed on a non-renewable contract does not vary the length of the contract.

(12) Academic staff whose employment is externally funded are not eligible to apply for promotion unless the funds include provision for an increase to support the promotion.

(13) Academic staff employed on a casual basis are not eligible to apply for promotion.

(14) An academic staff member may not normally apply for promotion in consecutive years. This provision may only be varied if the Chair of the Promotions Committee considers a case to be exceptional. This case must be submitted in writing to the Promotions Coordinator.

(15) An applicant may make only one application in a promotion round at any level and applications for promotion to Professor will only be considered for that level.

(16) Before a promotion can be confirmed, the applicant must have a current, signed workload agreement and have participated constructively and in good faith in the Academic Performance Planning and Review process.

Part C - Requirements for Promotion

(17) Applications for promotion to Professor will be assessed against the University's general standard for appointment to an advertised Chair, which reflects the Position Classification Standard for Level E in the current University Academic Staff Agreement and reads as follows:

(18) It is expected that successful applicants will normally be able to demonstrate "distinguished" activity in at least two fields of achievement and a minimum of meritorious in the third.

(19) Allowance will be made for those (e.g. research focused) who have not had an opportunity to engage in all three fields; however their performance in designated areas would be expected to be of an accordingly high level of distinction.

(20) Where an applicant is of the view that a field of achievement does not apply, the reason must be stated and justified under the relevant criterion in the application template.

(21) In the case of the requirement of "distinguished activity in at least two fields", the Promotions Committee will consider exceptions, as, for example, in a case where the applicant's outstandingly distinguished work in one field may make it unreasonable to expect a distinguished contribution in another.

(22) In exceptional circumstances, an applicant for promotion to level E may, with the approval of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Academic, apply for promotion to level E on the basis of exceptionally distinguished achievement in Teaching and satisfactory achievement in the other two fields, or with the approval of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Research and Development, apply on the basis of exceptionally distinguished achievement in research and satisfactory achievement in the other two fields. This weighting must be supported by the applicant's Dean or Director, Research Institute and requests submitted via the Promotions Coordinator.

Part D - Criteria for Promotion

(23) When assessing candidates for promotion to Professor, the Promotions Committee will give regard to the specific fields of achievement below. Information relating to the levels of achievement appears in Appendix 2 and examples of evidence appear in the guidelines for completing the application template.

(24) Applications for promotion will be assessed on an all-of-career basis, taking into account the applicant's career trajectory, with an emphasis on the achievements in the last five years, since the applicant's last promotion at the University, or since the applicant's appointment to the University, whichever is the shorter period.

Fields of Achievement

(25) The fields of achievement are:

1. Achievement in Research and Development, including engaged research, and /or research leadership and/or research-based professional consultancy activities.
2. Achievement in Teaching and Learning, including engaged teaching, and/or curriculum development, and /or educational leadership, and/or student learning development.
3. Achievement in Leadership, Service and Engagement, including institutional leadership at this University, and contributions to higher education and other sectors, the relevant profession or academic discipline, and communities in Australia or overseas.

(26) Each of the Fields of Achievement will be assessed by the Promotions Committee at Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory, Meritorious or Distinguished.

(27) Only consulting projects that have been approved by, and conducted through, the University are eligible to be considered in support of an application for promotion.

Section 4 - Procedures

(28) Nil.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(29) Nil.