Strategy of the Faculty of Arts for recruiting new members of academic staff

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1 MEMO Strategy of the Faculty of Arts for recruiting new members of academic staff Background and purpose Excellent staff members and students are crucial to the future development of the faculty. So it is vital to remember that there is strong international competition when appointing new academic staff in particular. Universities all over the world compete with each other to attract the greatest talents, including the best Danish researchers and teachers. Consequently, a recruitment strategy should be an important part of the faculty s overall strategy for The Faculty of Arts has a strong foundation for drawing up a recruitment strategy. The academic staff of the faculty are highly talented and deeply committed, so the aim is to ensure that this continues to be the case in future. We must continue to attract the most talented, most committed team players as applicants for new academic positions at all levels, thereby ensuring that the faculty s research and degree programmes can be further strengthened. This requires proactive recruitment initiatives based on clearly stated objectives. Date: 4 July 2013 Mette Thunø Dean Faculty of Arts arts@au.dk Tel: Page 1/5 Objectives The recruitment policy is based on AU s general staff policy and objectives regarding: the recruitment of academically competent employees who are professional, productive and personally committed to their jobs the creation of diversity in the staff and the promotion of equality 1 In addition, the objectives of the Faculty of Arts are: 1) to create a recruitment foundation which is as broad and diverse as possible by increasing the total number of applicants for the faculty s academic positions. Baseline data for 2012: 12 applicants on average for assistant professorships (13 in all) 3 applicants on average for associate professorships (24 in all) the average number of applicants for professorships cannot be calculated due to the small number of positions advertised in Personalepolitik for Aarhus Universitet ( politik_for_au_2011_skaerm.pdf)

2 2) to ensure a diversified recruitment foundation for talented and capable academic staff by attracting the best possible list of candidates at all levels, including highly qualified and relevant applicants with a history of employment which gives them experience and networks from other universities. Baseline data for 2012: 10 applicants from outside AU on average for assistant professorships (13 in all). 9 of the 13 advertised assistant professorships were filled in 2012, and 67% of the successful applicants had a PhD degree from AU. 2 applicants from outside AU for postdoc positions (3 in all). 3 of the 3 advertised postdoc positions were filled in 2012, and all the successful candidates had a PhD degree from AU applicants from outside AU on average for associate professorships (24 in all). 12 of the 24 advertised associate professorships were filled in 2012, and 92% of the successful applicants had a PhD degree or an assistant professor/postdoc period at AU. the average number of applicants for professorships cannot be calculated due to the small number of positions advertised in Page 2/5 3) to create a more balanced gender distribution among the faculty staff at associate professor and professor level. This will be done in many cases by attracting highly qualified and relevant female applicants for these positions, and in some cases by attracting more highly qualified male applicants. The baseline data regarding the average percentage of female applicants in 2012 is as follows: 1. 51% female applicants for associate professorships 2. The proportion of female applicants for professorships cannot be calculated due to the small number of positions advertised in 2012 Recruitment strategy In order to achieve the objectives stated above, it is necessary to pursue a proactive recruitment strategy involving both faculty and departmental level with the best possible administrative support. Recruitment initiatives should therefore begin prior to the announcement of scholarships and positions. Ensuring a sufficiently wellqualified and diverse recruitment foundation requires extremely early and continuous efforts to develop talent and attract candidates. As the competition for the most talented employees increases, departments and centres must plan their recruitment initiatives long before positions are actually advertised. The search for talents should be a continuous effort, ensuring that recruitment starts before a position becomes vacant and before it has been decided to advertise a new position or scholarship. To ensure a constant focus on recruitment, the departments and centres must take advantage of the academic staff s academic networks and involve staff from various fields, degree programme committees, research committees and departmental forums; and based on the department s overall visions and strategies they must

3 develop multi-annual, dynamic staffing plans and present them for discussion by the faculty management team and approval by the dean. The staffing plans must contain clear descriptions of the required qualifications for the new positions in relation to achieving the research and educational objectives and strategy of the departments/centres, as well as complying with the general strategies of AU and the Faculty of Arts. Page 3/5 Early, proactive recruitment initiatives involve searching for talent and creating contact with potential internal and external future applicants. With a view to spotting talents early, international Master s and PhD courses or international seminars and conferences held at the Faculty of Arts under the auspices of research programmes for junior researchers are important events at which senior researchers can examine the fund of talent and follow up by contacting budding talents. When attending conferences outside AU, senior researchers should also be able to invite junior talents to visit AU to establish closer contact and form a basis for possible employment at a later date. The establishment of cooperation agreements with strategic partners, for instance involving exchanges of students writing their MA thesis, PhD fellows (joint/double degree, for instance) and split postdoc positions, can also serve to bring AU to the attention of potential talents. These talents can subsequently be encouraged to apply for junior researcher positions at the faculty, for instance. The strategic initiatives above require senior researchers and especially the responsible programme directors (research programme directors, degree programme directors and PhD programme directors) to be involved in drawing up and implementing the strategies and staffing plans of the departments/centres, thereby taking action and motivating their academic networks to find and attract talents to AU. To ensure the continuing recruitment of the most capable PhD students for assistant professor or postdoc positions at the Faculty of Arts, the recruitment of PhD students is of particular importance. So it is essential to secure a PhD applicant pool which is as skilled, broad and diverse as possible. This can only be done by making the PhD programme at the faculty so appealing that more qualified applicants with internal and external BA or MA degrees will apply for the faculty s PhD scholarships. It is also important to make special efforts to motivate applicants outside AU to apply. This can be done via the activities of the Faculty of Arts and the departments, such as PhD programme courses, thesis courses or seminars with partner universities outside Denmark. In particular, applicants for PhD scholarships from outside Denmark must be given better opportunities for drawing up project applications in accordance with Danish academic traditions. Gifted students from abroad for coaching in this field can be attracted through the academic networks of PhD programme directors and senior researchers, and through strategic partnerships with other universities. Written guidelines must also be developed to help applicants from outside Denmark to draw up project descriptions in the Study Metro. The focus must be on gender distribution in relation to all these activities. Before a position is advertised, proactive recruitment initiatives may also consist of an academic search committee and/or a targeted invitation for one or more potential applicants (with particular focus on the dimension of gender) to visit the department/centre in connection with guest lectures or other activities. The departments/centres must also consider conducting interviews at job market events

4 during international research conferences. Efforts should be made to achieve a high degree of inclusion of the academic staff at the Faculty of Arts in these activities. Page 4/5 In order to achieve a more balanced gender distribution of the staff, talent development and mentorships must be initiated for assistant professors and postdocs. The focus should be placed not least on women s opportunities when pursuing a university career. The specific hiring process from job advertisement to employment should be regarded as an individual process in each case which must be treated in a tactical and focused manner in relation to the content of the position. This includes internationally recognisable job advertisements, the mobilisation of academic networks, and the inclusion of social media. Interviews of shortlisted candidates for key positions should be supplemented by visits to campus with lectures/seminars and the inclusion of staff and students. Prerequisites and initiatives In order to attract both Danish and international applicants, the main activities of the faculty must have a national and international dimension. This requires our degree programmes and research to comply with international standards as well as being embedded in and inspired by strong, international cooperation. An upcoming internationalisation strategy will specify what we mean by the internationalisation and globalisation of all the faculty s activities. The terms and conditions of employment are essential aspects when it comes to attracting the most gifted applicants, including clear career paths, administrative support in the hiring process, and the quality of life in Denmark. The terms and conditions of employment must be adapted to fit international expectations and standards. For instance, when advertising jobs in areas with a high level of international research mobility, long-term assistant professorships (up to six years) should be considered, possibly leading to the option of being evaluated for an associate professorship position and being appointed as such. As part of the establishment of clear career paths, the faculty will prepare an assistant professor and postdoc policy. Career paths are clarified in accordance with AU s general work in relation to this topic. Procedures for job advertisements, assessments and appointments should also be made clear and more flexible by establishing policies to reduce the total time lapse between jobs being advertised and appointments being made. Job advertisements must be expressed openly and in accordance with international practice. In connection with the assessment and appointment process, administrative HR support is also an important prerequisite to ensure a good result (a good result being the appointment of the right employees). HR should play a key role in the appointment process in relation to efficient procedures, and there must be cooperation with the International Centre with a view to providing assistance when non-danes are appointed (information on taxes, schools, etc.), offering accommodation in the initial phase, social integration initiatives, and looking for employment opportunities for spouses either at AU or in the local area.

5 Financing and incentives Recruitment initiatives must be given high priority at the Faculty of Arts, but each initiative connected to the strategic focus areas mentioned above must be considered in relation to funding. This means that the level of expenses must be calculated when plans of action are adopted, and must be included in the annual budgets at the faculty, departments and centres. Page 5/5 It should be noted that in 2013 and probably also in the following years, the Aarhus University Research Foundation (AURF) has granted funds to Faculty of Arts scholarships (DKK 4.4 million in 2013) and support for the internationalisation of the PhD programme (DKK 750,000 in 2013). These can form a financial basis for attracting an increasing number of international PhD students (see Memo on AURF funds and the PhD programme at the Faculty of Arts ). The plan is also to give the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media an important role with regard to courses in so-called transferable skills also for international PhD students and in connection with project applications. The recruitment supplements from the AURF for relocation costs (for instance) can be brought into play, and a policy will be prepared regarding when PhD scholarships for the establishment of research groups can be offered when professors (for instance) are appointed. Plan of action and policies A plan of action for and policies for advertisements, assessments and appointments, based on the strategy stated above, will be prepared after a discussion of the strategy. Evaluation The strategy, plans of action and specific initiatives will be evaluated annually (in the spring) in relation to the objectives, and will be revised during the strategy period