In awarding a chair, the committee will have regard to the following principles relating to the award:
- it should recognise outstanding academic leadership;
- it should represent at least national recognition in a minimum of two of the University’s core activities: i.e. teaching and learning, research, and knowledge transfer and enterprise;
- it should be based on past achievement and the expectation of continuing appropriate contribution at that level, including the capacity, and acceptance of the responsibility, for academic leadership within the University.
Criteria are:
- outstanding contribution to the University through academic leadership;
- ability to influence, stimulate and inspire others;
- outstanding contribution in at least two of the Universities core activities, i.e. teaching and learning, research, and knowledge transfer and enterprise;
- commitment to the future development of these core activities and a capacity to contribute to the leadership of these activities within their discipline and more widely within the University.
In determining whether the criteria are met, the panel will look for evidence of:
- outstanding and sustained leadership of a major academic function within the University in a way which distinguishes the candidate;
- developing or sustaining the faculty and the University’s prominence and profile at a national level, beyond its ‘core business’ and beyond the sum of its parts;
- leadership skills in designing and implementing substantial organisational change and/or building new institutional capacity within the School and University, e.g. new research centre, research culture, teaching quality;
- commitment to the future academic leadership within or across the core activities of the University;
- capacity and acceptance of responsibility for providing academic leadership within the University.
In addition, evidence will be required of a distinctive record of achievement in at least two of the University’s core activities, as follows:
- teaching and learning:
- an established reputation as an excellent teacher and scholar;
- outstanding achievement in contributing to the learning and assessment process through, e.g. leading the development of innovative courses, pedagogic innovation and contribution to the discipline, leadership roles in learning and teaching at national level;
- external experience in evaluating learning, teaching and assessment, e.g. QAA reviewer, a record of consistent involvement in external examining.
- research:
- research profile of at least national excellence, as supported by evidence of membership of research councils and bodies, invitations to give keynote papers etc, editorial roles, external examination of PhD students, organisation of internal conferences, etc;
- significant list of publications and conference papers, where most of the published outputs have been subject to peer review;
- research income, including research grants and income generated from the exploitation of research;
- PhD supervision leading to successful completion;
- research leadership.
- enterprise and knowledge transfer:
- significant innovation in linking research (and scholarly activities) and knowledge transfer through e.g. consultancies, CPD, enterprise activities;
- successful development of networks and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders;
- significant industrial/commercial collaboration;
- a leadership role in developing enterprise activities within the faculty;
- success in securing significant funding;
- external experience of the evaluation of enterprise projects or programmes.