1. Overview

1.1 The University of York's academic promotions process is designed to recognise and reward excellent performance that supports the delivery of University objectives in a fair and transparent way.

1.2 The number of promotions is not cash limited: the University will disregard potential funding issues in considering applications for the promotion of academic, research and teaching staff.

1.3 The scheme operates on an annual basis, with applications submitted by 31 December each year included in a round.

1.4 Decisions on applications up to and including Reader are made by Faculty Promotion Panels (FPP).

1.5 Decisions on applications into and within the Professoriate are made by the University's Academic Promotions Committee (APC).

1.6 The APC will also have oversight of all decisions made on promotions by FPPs to ensure consistency and fairness of decision making.

1.7 The Academic Promotions process cannot be used to transfer between contract types. Where a member of staff wishes to pursue such a change, they are requested to discuss this with their Head of Department, who will advise on the correct protocol outside the promotions process.

2. Fairness and equality

2.1 The Academic Promotions process is open to all academic staff from all backgrounds. The ethos the criteria reflects is that promotion is not simply a University process, but a crucial part of the University's commitment to support staff in unleashing their potential and in creating a culture that enables all staff with diverse personal characteristics to flourish.

2.2 The wording of the criteria, the selection of the examples and our processes have all been structured to reflect the diversity of our community and of the academic commitments within it.

2.3 The criteria also ensures that a full range of priorities and academic commitments are recognised and rewarded.

2.4 The promotion criteria and application form have been designed with the intention that everyone can tell their career story in a way that suits their circumstances and applications are welcomed from all staff that meet the criteria.

2.5 The process is accessible to those who have had career breaks and personal circumstances such as part-time working, family leave, disability, long-term illness. Career breaks might explain delayed career development, they are not viewed as a weakness in a career profile.

2.6 Applicants are encouraged to make use of the individual circumstances section of the submission page to provide relevant context in which to consider their application. The submission page and individual circumstances section will form the front sheet of your application so reviewers will have this in mind as they read the details of the application.

2.7 Panels will be diverse in their membership, in line with their Terms of Reference.

2.8 The University will ensure that the criteria and procedures for promotion conform to the equality and diversity strands and policies.

3. Decision making

3.1 Our Faculty Promotion Panel terms of reference sets out how the panels will function and current panel membership.

3.2 Our Academic Promotions Committee terms of reference sets out how the committee functions and current panel membership.

3.3 Full and proper regard will be given to ensuring academic freedom when considering promotion applications.

4. Departmental Promotion Group

4.1 All our departments have a Promotion Group which is in place to provide support and guidance to academic staff at all career stages, including assessment of potential applications and supporting the production of Departmental Assessment Reports.