Dear colleague,
I am delighted to confirm the launch of the 2024/25 Academic Promotion exercise. This follows a review of the last exercise which involved the first use of the revised Academic Promotion Policy/Procedure and Framework of Criteria. The review involved consideration of feedback from staff, Heads of School, University Promotion Committee members and Senate and resulted in recommendations from the Promotion Review Group, which were approved by the Partnership Negotiating and Consultative Committee (PNCC) this month.
Feedback indicated positive aspects of the revised Policy/Procedure and Framework of Criteria, including greater clarity in the criteria themselves, greater transparency, as well as improved opportunity to disclose individual circumstances for consideration.
The revisions that have been made, summarised below, aim to further enhance the Policy/Procedure and the Framework of Criteria as well as update guidance information.
Briefing sessions will be provided during January/early February 2025 for any member of staff interested in hearing about the promotions process and revisions that have been made. Detail of these will be issued in early 2025.
The high-level timescale for the 2024/25 exercise is provided below.
You can find more detail about the Policy/Procedure and Framework of Criteria in the Academic Promotion Toolkit.
Summary of the revisions
| Policy/Procedure | External evaluations
Removing the need for external evaluations for Senior Lecturer/Senior Research Fellow (other than for cases where the University Promotion Committee considers that an evaluation is helpful in reaching a decision as the case is borderline).
Retaining the need for evaluations for Reader and Chair but amending to clarify requirements, In addition, Heads of School being asked to provide details of suitable evaluators earlier in the process to avoid delays.
Promotion Committee membership
Adding a further two senior academic (Professorial) members of staff to each committee to enhance representation of different disciplines.
Encouraging Professorial members of staff who are Senators to volunteer for this role or to sit on appeal committees.
Adding an external representative to University Committee 1, to ensure contribution of external expertise, as a result of removing the need for external evaluations for Senior Lecturer/Senior Research Fellow. |
| Framework of Criteria | Education criteria
Level 2 – providing clarity that this level may include sustaining Level 1 evidence, with emphasis on leadership and impact.
Level 3 – replacing the need to demonstrate a national or international profile in educational practice with evidence consistent with national or international norms of excellence in line with disciplinary norms.
Engagement, Innovation and Impact criteria
Level 1 – updated to reflect applicants starting to engage in activities in this area.
Research criteria
Including further wording to demonstrate the University’s commitment to open research.
Citizenship criteria
Updating to include reference to activities such as undertaking the role of academic line manager. |
| Guidance materials | Updates to guidance as detailed below:
(i) Providing additional evidence and how this will be considered by the committees. (ii) Practical arrangements for cases to be led by different committee members during meetings. |
Timescales
The high-level timescale for the process is below, noting that applications can be submitted from 1 February 2025 and the closing date for applications to be submitted to Heads of School, copied to promapps@abdn.ac.uk, is 31 March 2025. The effective date of successful applications will be 1 August 2025.
| Jan/Feb 2025 | Feb-25 | End Mar 2025 | Apr/May 2025 | Jun-25 | Early Sep 2025 |
| Briefing sessions for staff | Exercise launched beginning Feb
Period of time for staff to prepare their application | Closing date for applications to Heads of School and promapps@abdn.ac.uk end March | Period of time for Heads of School to prepare evaluations and consider nominations for external evaluations | First meetings of the Promotion Committees | Second meetings of the Promotion Committees |
Further information
I would encourage you to review the information in the Academic Promotion Toolkit and to attend one of the briefing sessions. Meanwhile, if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact your Head of School/Academic Line Manager. You can also direct questions to the HR Adviser/Partner for your School or Tracey White, Senior HR Partner (twhite@abdn.ac.uk).
Best wishes
Karl
Karl Leydecker
Senior Vice-Principal