• 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 Attainment
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Section 5 - Guidelines

Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) Nil.

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 outstanding 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, and be able to demonstrate, a high personal standing in terms of ethical behaviour, a collegial approach, and support for the University's values and strategic directions. Unless a successful applicant is exceptionally talented in other ways, significant academic leadership ability will be regarded as an essential attribute. 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 outstanding achievement. Promotion to Professor should therefore not be seen as the usual career progression expectation for all academic staff.

Part A - Principles

(7) 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 favourable 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

(8) Any full-time or part-time member of the academic staff of UWS with a continuing appointment may apply for promotion, provided that the staff member has served at least two academic years as an academic staff member at UWS prior to the date on which applications for promotion are invited. 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.

(9) 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, Promotions Committee via the Promotions Coordinator.

(10) 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.

(11) 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.

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

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

(14) 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.

(15) 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

(16) 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 UWS Academic Staff Agreement and reads as follows:

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

(18) 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.

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

(20) 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.

Part D - Criteria for Promotion

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

(22) Applications for promotion to Professor will be assessed on, and should be on an all-of-career basis, but with delineation of achievements since the applicant's last promotion at UWS or since the applicant's appointment to UWS, whichever is the shorter period.

(23) Applications should include:

1. a CV with a complete list of qualifications;
2. appointments;
3. honours and awards;
4. publications;
5. grants;
6. units and courses developed and taught;
7. supervision of research students;
8. scholarly activities;
9. committee membership; etc.

Fields of Attainment

(24) The fields of attainment are:

1. Research and Development, including engaged research, and/or research-based professional consultancy activities;
2. Teaching, including engaged teaching, and/or curriculum development and/or educational leadership and/or student learning development;
3. Contribution to Institutional Leadership and/or Governance at UWS and/or the university sector and/or service to the relevant profession or academic discipline and/or service to the community.

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

(26) Evidence of the initiation, or undertaking, of successful entrepreneurial activities on behalf of the University is admissible to support a case for promotion. While such activities may not fall clearly into any one of the fields of attainment listed above, candidates should include any relevant evidence under the field to which it seems, in the light of the activity involved, most appropriate.

(27) The Office of Research Services' Researchers Portal data should be utilised by all UWS researchers for registration of their outcomes and in cases where other sources are utilised in applications for promotion applicants should explain why alternative sources have been selected. The Promotions Committee may, at its discretion, seek validation of claims relating to research achievements from the Office of Research Services.

(28) Only engagement projects that have been approved conducted and recorded in Tracking and Improving Community Engagement (TICE) and within UWS policies are eligible to be considered in support of an application for promotion.

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

(30) To support their case for Teaching, all applicants are required to submit supporting evidence of their teaching excellence including Student Feedback on Teaching (SFT) and Student Feedback on Unit (SFU) results and commentary, as applicable for all units taught at UWS in the past five (5) years, or since their appointment at UWS, and a summary of action taken in response to the student feedback.

Section 4 - Procedures

(31) Refer to the Promotion - Academic Promotion Procedures.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(32) Nil.