At its meeting on 1 February 2021 the University Executive Board (UEB) supported a recommendation to resume the academic promotions process to align with the commencement of the conventional 2021-22 timetable.
Further details about the resumption have been communicated to academic line managers through a Managers’ Briefing Sheet, which was published and circulated on 19 February.
Key points in the briefing include:
- The process will open in October 2021
- The University will seek to ensure that impacts of the pandemic do not impact negatively on individuals’ career trajectories
- Applications from a diverse range of applicants are encouraged
- Support and mentoring will be provided to applicants
Mark Spearing, Vice President Research and Enterprise, commented: “I am very pleased that the Education, Research and Enterprise promotions process will resume this year. Merit-based promotions are a cornerstone for maintaining the academic standards of the University, and any further delay would compromise our ability to attract, retain and reward the highest quality staff within the University.
“We are very aware that the past year has been truly exceptional, and will have affected us all in very different ways. In my role as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion for the University I am particularly aware that some colleagues have been disproportionately affected by Covid and its consequences – especially those with caring and home-schooling responsibilities, those from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background, and those with disabilities or underlying health conditions. We have made good progress over the last few years of recognising how individual circumstances have affected individual careers and paths to promotion. It will be particularly important for colleagues applying for promotion to document how they have been affected over the past year, and together with all colleagues involved in evaluating promotion applications, I am committed to ensuring that such circumstances are fully and fairly accounted for.
“Speaking more generally, this year more than ever, I would like to encourage applications from as diverse a range of applicants as possible. The promotion process is a key route through which we can address under-representation in academia. I encourage everyone considering applying for promotion to have early conversations with their line managers and mentors.”
UEB had suspended academic promotions last year, one of several measures introduced to help manage University business remotely, reduce workload for individuals and reduce costs due to the financial challenges resulting from the impact of the pandemic.
