• Section 1 - Purpose
• Section 2 - Membership
• Section 3 - Terms of Reference

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) RMIT Academic Promotion Committees are formed under the authority of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education (DVCE). College-level committees consider applications for promotion to level C and D and a central committee considers applications for promotion to Level E. All committees make promotion recommendations to the University Academic Promotion Committee.

Section 2 - Membership

(2) The members of the Academic Promotion Committees will be drawn from a pool of candidates comprising previous successful applicants and committee members, and any new academic staff members deemed appropriate by the DVCE. Membership can be from any RMIT location at which academics are eligible for promotion under the Academic Promotion Framework. All committees will be gender balanced, with a minimum of 40 per cent female and 40 per cent male members (plus gender diverse individuals where available); and represent the diversity of the RMIT academic staff population. Each committee member will undertake training in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (including the Indigenous Employment Strategy); and serve a term of up to two years. In January each year, half of the committee members will be replaced, to maintain a balance of experience and new perspectives. The DVCE will have final approval of the membership of all Academic Promotion Committees, in consultation with the Chair, Academic Board (or nominee).

(3) There will be College Academic Promotion Committees for applications to level C and D with the following membership:

1. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (or professorial nominee) of the applicant’s College or relevant discipline, who will Chair the committee
2. A suitably qualified academic employee from each of the two other higher education Colleges (whose academic level is at least the level to which promotion is sought)
3. Up to three suitably qualified academic employees, including at least one member with broad knowledge of applicants’ teaching and/or research discipline
4. An Executive Officer (non-voting).

(4) There will be a Central Academic Promotion Committee for applications to level D  with the following membership:

1. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, who will Chair the committee
2. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation (or professorial nominee)
3. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (or professorial nominee) of each College, including at least one member with knowledge of applicants’ teaching and/or research discipline
4. A professorial nominee of the DVCE and Chair, Academic Board for each College
5. An Executive Officer (non-voting).

Section 3 - Terms of Reference

(5) The functions of the committees are to assess applications based on the merit and equity of each in order to make a recommendation to the DVC-E to promote or not promote each applicant.

(6) In making their assessments, the committees are to consider the following:

1. the applicant's written application, demonstrating standards of performance in the domains of the Academic Promotion Framework selected and the applicant’s record of academic achievement and impact
2. any applicable Promotion Benchmark Reports
3. a report from the relevant Dean, ADVC or equivalent (or nominee)
4. the applicant’s response to the Dean, ADVC or equivalent (or nominee) report (if applicable)
5. referee reports (for applicants applying to level C only)
6. external assessor reports (provided to the committee ‘in confidence’ for applicants applying to level D or E only)
7. the additional information provided by the applicant at interview (for applicants applying to level E only)

(7) Committee members may seek further information from applicants or from the Executive Officer to inform their deliberations.

(8) The following conditions apply to committee deliberations:

1. all materials and deliberations relating to academic promotion applications will be treated in the strictest confidence by all participants in the promotion process
2. committee members shall not discuss applications, recommendations or deliberations outside of committee meetings
3. committee members must declare any conflict of interest arising from an application
4. quorum is half of the number of full committee members plus one full committee member  (for college committees the quorum is 3; for the central committee the quorum is 5)
5. all correspondence to an Academic Promotion Committee must be made via the Chair
6. the names and position titles of individual committee members will be disclosed to applicants; and a committee diversity report will be provided to applicants, indicating the diversity characteristics of members (in aggregate, across all committees relating to their academic level).