USQ Branch Expresses Concerns about Selection Criteria for USQ Vice Chancellor
25 March 2003
Dear Chancellor,
I have been asked by members of the USQ Branch Executive to forward this letter to you, all NTEU members and other Unions represented at USQ.
"We are writing to express the NTEU's disappointment at the absence of consultation with staff prior to the publication of the selection criteria for the position of USQ Vice-Chancellor. While submissions in relation to this issue were called for, there was no personal response from you to the NTEU's submissions. As you know, these earlier submissions were largely concerned with ensuring that the selection criteria drafted would be cogent and stringent about academic standing. This concern synthesised the opinions of many staff members who made individual submissions to the NTEU.
Our specific concern with the selection criteria is that there is no explicit statement requiring the successful applicant to have a record of high academic achievement. It is the NTEU's view that the selection criterion on academic standing is so loosely written as to be capable of allowing the selection of a candidate in possession of no more than a master's degree or even an undergraduate degree. The NTEU's expectation is that the successful candidate would hold no less than a PhD from a recognised university. They would also have a distinguished record of research and academic achievement evidenced by a long personal history of peer reviewed scholarly publication.
The expectation of high academic standards is rightly valued within the university's community of scholars, as is evident in the standards applied in internal promotion rounds. There should be no ambiguity about the academic standing of the successful candidate. The USQ branch of the NTEU is so concerned that it has forwarded the Position Description to the NTEU's National Office for their attention."
Regards,
Brad Astbury
President
NTEU USQ Branch
Details of the Position Description can be found at