• Section 1 - Introduction
• Section 2 - Eligibility
• Section 3 - Timing of Rounds
• Annual Promotion Round
• Out-of-round Promotions
• Section 4 - Achievement relative to opportunity
• Section 5 - Promotion criteria
• Section 6 - Academic Promotions Application Process
• Preliminary Considerations
• Eligibility Check
• Information Session
• Mandatory Notice of Intent to Apply for Promotion
• Invitation to apply for promotion
• Feedback Meetings
• Application Submission – Mandatory Elements
• Application Submission – Optional Elements
• Section 7 - Reports
• Internal report
• External assessor reports
• Section 8 - Submitting the application
• Section 9 - Post-submission
• Applicant Response to the Internal Report
• Post-submission Evidence
• Section 10 - Application outcome
• Section 11 - Committees
• Section 12 - Appeals
• Section 13 - Definitions
• Section 14 - Review
• Section 15 - Further Assistance
• Section 16 - Associated Information

Section 1 - Introduction

(1) The principles that apply to academic promotion across the University are outlined in the Academic Promotions Policy. In accordance with the Policy, academic promotion at ACU is evidence-based and is not constrained by quota.

(2) These Procedures, which outline the process and requirements that apply to the University’s annual academic promotion round (and any out-of-round promotions), support the Academic Promotions Policy.

(3) For a promotion application to be successful, the applicant must demonstrate that they have reached the required standards for the academic level, as outlined in Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide.

Section 2 - Eligibility

(4) Eligibility criteria are outlined in the Academic Promotions Policy.

Section 3 - Timing of Rounds

Annual Promotion Round

(5) An academic promotion round will be conducted annually. Applications will be invited through notifications that provide details of the current year’s Academic Promotions Timeline.

Out-of-round Promotions

(6) An out of round promotion process can be initiated to support the retention of high achieving staff. Justification for an out-of-round promotion must include:

1. a credible employment offer from another institution, or
2. evidence of a significant achievement, such as a grant, award, or fellowship of high standing that creates a retention risk.

(7) The relevant Executive Dean initiates an out-of-round promotions process for Faculty-based academic staff and keeps the relevant Head of School (or equivalent) informed throughout the process. For academic staff not based in a Faculty, the Senior Executive for the portfolio initiates the process. The Executive Dean (or the Senior Executive) is responsible for providing a business case to the Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) that outlines the specific circumstances and the recommended level of promotion. The business case should briefly address the criteria in the relevant domains of academic achievement.

(8) Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) endorsement is required to convene an out-of-round promotions committee, which consists of at least three members of the relevant Academic Promotions Committee, including the Chair (or nominee).

(9) The staff member being considered for promotion provides their current curriculum vitae, which should include details of their relevant roles, responsibilities and achievements. The staff member should also include their Achievement Summary for Promotion that incorporates evidence from University databases.

(10) The Committee reviews these documents and determines if the staff member meets the criteria and standards for promotion described in Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide. If the Committee determines that the threshold is not met, consideration of whether other mechanisms will be offered to assist in retaining the staff member may occur.

(11) Approval of out-of-rounds promotions are consistent with the Delegations of Authority Policy and Register (refer Delegation 6.16).

Section 4 - Achievement relative to opportunity

(12) The University recognises that staff experience a range of personal, professional, and other circumstances that may influence their career and seeks to create an environment where all staff can flourish.

(13) Consideration of Achievement Relative to Opportunity (ARtO) facilitates fair and equitable decision making in University employment-related processes. It ensures performance-based evaluation that considers each staff member’s achievements in the context of their career and personal circumstances.

(14) Applicants for promotion may include a statement about ARtO. Further information is available in the Achievement Relative to Opportunity (ARtO) Guide.

(15) The Committee considers ARtO statements when it assesses the applicant’s achievements against the criteria and standards (see Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide).

Section 5 - Promotion criteria

(16) Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide outlines the requirements regarding workplace behaviour and performance requirements, and minimum qualifications. Schedule 3 also provides criteria and standards related to staff achievement for promotion to each academic level.

(17) The applicant is recommended for promotion if the Academic Promotions Committee determines the requirements have been met and their achievements meet the required threshold, as specified in Schedule 3.

(18) Where the Committee determines achievements do not meet the required threshold, the applicant is not recommended for promotion.

Section 6 - Academic Promotions Application Process

(19) The key steps which applicants for promotion must follow are summarised below.

Preliminary Considerations

(20) The decision to apply for promotion rests entirely with the applicant; however, it is important that a staff member who is considering an application for promotion discusses their ‘readiness for promotion’ with their supervisor. This conversation most often occurs during regular progress plan discussions.

Eligibility Check

(21) Applicants should review the Workplace Behaviour and Performance Requirements and Minimum Qualifications Requirements outlined in Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide to establish whether they expect to meet these requirements in the year they intend to apply for promotion.

Information Session

(22) Applicants and their supervisors are encouraged to attend an information session(s) in the year of intended application for promotion to ensure they are clear about the process.

(23) Refer to the Academic Promotions website for session information.

Mandatory Notice of Intent to Apply for Promotion

(24) Applicants must provide their Notice of Intent (NOI) to apply for promotion via the Academic Promotions Portal. Required information will include, but may not be limited to:

1. a statement describing their contribution and alignment with the ACU Mission, Identity and Values (see Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide)
2. evidence of Qualifications or confirmation that the University already has this evidence (see Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide)
3. circumstances that have influenced their achievements and will enable the Committee to appropriately assess these Achievements Relative toOpportunity (ARtO);
4. the academic discipline(s) most strongly related to their work.

(25) The NOI must be lodged by the due date listed on the Academic Promotions Timeline.

(26) A staff member who anticipates being absent from the University in the period before the due date may lodge their NOI in advance. Applicants may also request in advance an extension of the NOI due date. Only in exceptional circumstances, and at their absolute discretion, does the Chair, Academic Promotions Committee accept a late NOI.

Invitation to apply for promotion

(27) Where the prospective applicant is deemed to have met the requirements for (i) contribution and alignment with Mission (see Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide) and (ii) qualifications (see Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide), the Office of the Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) invites the staff member to apply for promotion. This invitation includes any decision the Committee has made about the applicant’s ARtO circumstances.

Feedback Meetings

(28) Prior to submission, applicants:

1. send a draft of their application to their Head of School / Institute Director (or delegate approved by the Chair, Academic Promotions Committee), and their supervisor. There is no prescribed length for this draft, but applicants should provide enough detail to allow the reader to provide meaningful feedback. Academic staff not based in a Faculty must contact the Executive Officer, Academic Promotions (ACUAcademic.Promotions@acu.edu.au) who advises the Chair’s decision regarding appropriate arrangements for distribution of this draft and the associated feedback meetings;
2. attend a feedback meeting about their draft with their supervisor and Head of School / Institute Director (or delegate approved by the Chair, Academic Promotions Committee).

(29) Further information, including timelines for these meetings, is available in Schedule 2: Academic Promotions Reports and Feedback Meeting and is listed in the Academic Promotions Timeline.

Application Submission – Mandatory Elements

(30) The promotion application must include the following:

1. Narrative statements
   1. Using the Academic Promotions Portal, applicants must submit a narrative statement for each relevant domain of academic activity. NB: It is not expected that staff will provide evidence of achievements in all nine domains.
   2. Each narrative statement must not exceed 4000 characters. Other requirements for these narrative statements vary by domain (see details in Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide).
2. Achievement Summary for Promotions
   1. The University provides applicants with an Achievements Summary for Promotions that includes relevant metrics. Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide provides details of the data in this report.
   2. Applicants must carefully check the completeness and accuracy of the data in the Achievements Summary. Where applicants identify an issue, they can submit a request to have the data updated in the relevant University database. Requests must be made using template provided with the Achievement Summary. The completed request template must be submitted in the Academic Promotions Portal.
   3. Changes by the data caretakers will make it possible to generate an updated Achievements Summary. Applicants must include their most recent Achievements Summary for Promotions with their application and must not alter its content in any way. If an omission or error in the database(s) cannot be rectified by the data caretaker prior to the prescribed closing date for applications, the applicant may describe the omission or error in the narrative statement(s) in their application.
   4. Applicants are responsible for submitting an Achievements Summary for Promotions with their application in the Academic Promotions Portal.
3. Promotions Self-rating Form
   1. Applicants must submit a Promotions Self-rating Form that indicates the standard of achievement they believe they have demonstrated in each relevant domain of academic activity. The applicant’s Promotions Self-rating Form data is held by the Executive Officer, Academic Promotions and is not distributed to Academic Promotions Committee members (see details in Schedule 1 – Academic Promotions Committees).

Application Submission – Optional Elements

(31) The promotion application may include the following:

1. details of recently accepted outputs. Applicants may upload to the Academic Promotions Portal details of research and scholarship outputs that have been accepted for publication but not yet been verified in Orion and, therefore, do not appear in the Achievements Summary for Promotions. A persistent identifier (e.g., digital object identifier [doi]) should be provided for each output. Where a persistent identifier is not available, a PDF copy of an acceptance email (or similar) would normally be included in the 10-page optional evidence file.
2. a PDF file with evidence supporting claims of achievement in the narrative statements (see Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide for examples of evidence for each domain). Applicants may upload one 10-page (maximum) PDF file for the entire application. The file must be less than 100MB. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that evidence in the PDF file is clearly displayed and can be easily viewed at 100% magnification. NB: Applicants use the narrative statements to describe their achievements and must not use this 10-page file to provide additional text-based descriptions. This file may only be used to:
   1. provide evidence that verifies the claims made in the narrative statements; or
   2. display information graphically (e.g., figure or table).

Section 7 - Reports

Internal report

(32) The Head of School / Institute Director (or delegate approved by the Chair, Academic Promotions Committee) writes a final Internal Report which:

1. confirms or seeks clarification regarding the accuracy of claims the applicant has made regarding achievements in each relevant domain;
2. provides ratings of achievement against the criteria and standards in each relevant domain (see Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide).

(33) Further information is provided in Schedule 2: Academic Promotions Reports and Feedback Meeting.

External assessor reports

(34) Applications for promotion are typically assessed by two Professors (Level E academics) from outside the University with expertise in the applicant’s academic discipline(s). The Chair typically assigns assessors from the ACU External Assessor Panels.

(35) Further information is provided in Schedule 2: Academic Promotions Reports and Feedback Meeting.

Section 8 - Submitting the application

(36) To ensure they meet all application requirements, applicants should refer to the Information for Applicants section of the Academic Promotions website.

(37) Applicants must submit all documentation via the Academic Promotions Portal by 11:59 pm (AEST) on the prescribed closing date of the promotion round as detailed in the Academic Promotions Timeline. Applicants must submit all submission documentation at one time, via the portal. If multiple submissions are made, the Committee will only consider the most recent submission.

(38) A staff member who anticipates being absent from the University in the period before the closing date may lodge their application in advance. Applicants may also request an extension in advance of the prescribed promotions closing date. Only in exceptional circumstances, and at their absolute discretion, does the Chair, Academic Promotions Committee accept a late application.

(39) Applications received after the closing date without prior approval are deemed ineligible. In such cases, applicants receive written advice of ineligibility.

(40) Any queries about the submission process should be directed to the Executive Officer, Academic Promotions (email to: ACUAcademic.Promotions@acu.edu.au).

Section 9 - Post-submission

Applicant Response to the Internal Report

(41) The applicant receives a copy of the Internal Report (see clause 35) and has the right to submit a written response to the portion of the report that relates to the accuracy of claims. Further information is provided in Schedule 2: Academic Promotions Reports and Feedback Meeting.

(42) Applicants’ written responses are due by the date specified in the Academic Promotions Timeline. Applicants may request an extension from the Chair, Academic Promotions Committee, via the Executive Officer, Academic Promotions (ACUAcademic.Promotions@acu.edu.au).

Post-submission Evidence

(43) The Committee may ask applicants to provide further information and / or supporting evidence. Other than a response to an Internal Report, a request from the Committee is the only circumstance that provides an opportunity for an applicant to provide the Committee with evidence after the submission due date.

Section 10 - Application outcome

(44) The Executive Officer, Academic Promotions, on behalf of the Chair, Academic Promotions Committee, contacts all applicants in writing (with copies to the supervisor, Head of School/Institute Director and Executive Dean) to communicate the result of the promotion application. Applicants are contacted no later than ten working days following the delegated authority’s approval of the Committee’s recommendations.

(45) Where an applicant is successful, they receive formal written notification confirming advancement from the effective date of promotion. Applicants on probation at the time of successful promotion also have their probation confirmed from the effective date of promotion.

(46) Applicants who are not recommended for promotion receive the Committee’s feedback and areas to consider strengthening to support a future application. They also have an opportunity to meet with the Chair, Academic Promotions Committee to discuss the reasons for the Committee’s decision. This information is provided to help the applicant and their supervisor revise progress plans and/or identify activities to support the development of a future application.

(47) The Vice-Chancellor and President reports annually to Senate on promotions outcomes.

Section 11 - Committees

(48) Information about the Academic Promotions Committees and their process for assessment is detailed in Schedule 1: Academic Promotions Committees and is undertaken in accordance with Schedule 3: Academic Promotions Criteria and Evidence Guide.

Section 12 - Appeals

(49) An unsuccessful applicant may only lodge an appeal on the basis of process, as outlined in the Staff Appeals Policy.

Section 13 - Definitions

Section 14 - Review

(50) In line with the Policy Development and Review Policy, this Procedure will be reviewed in line with the governing policy and is scheduled for review every five years or more frequently if appropriate.

Section 15 - Further Assistance

(51) Any staff member who requires assistance in understanding this procedure should first consult their supervisor who is responsible for the implementation and operation of these arrangements in their work area. Should further information or advice be required staff should contact the Executive Officer, Academic Promotions (ACUAcademic.Promotions@acu.edu.au).

Section 16 - Associated Information

(52) For related legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines and any supporting resources please refer to the Associated Information tab.