The Academic Career Pathways scheme tackles many of the problems identified with the current Senior Academic Promotions process.
The General Board has agreed to postpone the implementation of the Academic Career Pathways (ACP) scheme until 2020, when it will replace the Senior Academic Promotions (SAP) process. Read the Reporter notice on this postponement.
You can listen to an audio recording of an open meeting held in April 2019 at which Professor Eilís Ferran introduced the Academic Career Pathways (ACP) scheme, explained the context for its development, and took questions from the audience. You can also download the slides from that meeting. Raven login is required to access both the recording and the slides.
Staff feedback from the Vice-Chancellor’s mycambridge consultation, the recent staff survey and other fora, as well as a review published in 2016, had made it clear that there were significant shortcomings s with the Senior Academic Promotions (SAP) process. These included a lack of transparency in assessment criteria, a lack of clear progression paths for teaching-focused roles, and the significant administrative burden the process placed on both applicants and administrators. verdana
The ACP scheme has been developed to tackle these issues and to deliver an academic promotions process that is fair, inclusive, transparent and easier to administer. The proposals in their current form have been through extensive consultation within Schools and the academic community.
Key elements of the ACP scheme include:
- Clear evaluative criteria accompanied by example ‘indicators of excellence’
- Better recognition of inclusive leadership, collegiality and service to the University and the academic community within evaluative criteria
- Clearly set out probationary arrangements for University Lecturers and career progression up to University Senior Lecturer
- Appropriate budgetary provision
- Online application portal to reduce administrative load
The ACP proposals have been approved by the General Board with the formal Report published in the Reporter in May 2019. Subject to the adoption of the Report, academics applying for promotion in the academic year 2019-20 will do so under the new ACP scheme.
The ACP scheme will evolve over the coming year, with continued input from the academic community, to ensure it meets the needs of the University and staff. In addition, further work will be undertaken to review the Senior Research Promotions scheme and align it with the ACP scheme. Work is also progressing on the development of a distinct teaching-focused career pathway.