Petition to Queen’s University senior management and Senate about probation
I strongly object to the way in which academic staff on probation are being managed in relation to new unagreed Academic Standards. I feel that the new requirements are unjust, punitive and unrealisable, especially for early career researchers. I note that the requirement for probationary staff to successfully gain a research grant as Principal Investigator (PI)is not adhered to by our comparator universities. I object to two points in particular:
1. The expectation that academic staff on probation must be awarded a research grant as a PI or Co-Investigator (Co-I). Part of the point of probation is to give new staff the time to build their networks, learn from their mentors and develop their research skills and experience: To punish them for not being awarded a research grant at this stage – something that is increasingly difficult at any stage of career – is unrealistic, demotivating and unfair.
2. The retrospective application of this new aspect of Academic Standards to staff currently on probation. This is doubly unjust as those currently in post were not told about this requirement at the time they accepted their positions.
As such I would ask you, in the strongest possible terms, to revisit these unfair requirements and to reinstate the original terms of the probationary contract.
Updates
February 5, 2016
The stories coming in from early career researchers are sobering. We are collating these experiences to present directly to Senate.
Reached 100 supporters
February 5, 2016
36 Comments
QUB say that they will provide "flexibility for talent to flourish" and that they " will work to create an inspiring research environment that nurtures talent and rewards outstanding leadership and excellence." (http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/ResearchEnterprise/OurResearch/Strategy/) This regulation is neither flexible nor nurturing and contradicts the research ethos which the university claims to promote.
Our research shows that this kind of neoliberal management is unsustainable in terms of the long term health and welfare of academic staff. The wider research suggests that this leads to lower 'productivity' in the long term, and only works when universities operate so as to abandon academic staff and constantly brin in new staff to fill the place of those it leaves behind.
The strength of any institution is in its new staff. Unreasonable expectations do not result in more productive researchers, but in demoralized workers and poor scholars. I respectfully urge the QUB administration not to damage the institution in this fashion.
The pressure being placed on academic stance is crippling Queen's reputation as a University. Setting crippling funding targets for researchers means that teaching standards are suffering and the training of promising research students is being sidelined completely.
QUB has been out of touch on probation for years. After extending my own into a fourth year, I was told a decision would not be made until just before the end of my probation period. Naturally, I looked for alternative employment and secured a permanent post and a promotion in another research intensive institution, with the same CV that QUB wouldn't make me permanent on.
Perhaps a possible scenario to consider: A new staff member from another country/culture arrives at QUB with partner and 2 children (3 years/6 years old) to take up a new post. S/he and the family need to adapt to the new cultural/institutional environment, find a place to live, organise creche, school etc etc – settling down can be quite a challenge in itself! Presumably the new staff member will be expected to take on a considerable teaching and admin load on arrival. To further expect him/her to generate funding during the probation period to help balance the University's books is certainly not a very family-friendly management decision and should be reviewed.
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Petition to Queen’s University senior management and Senate about probation
I strongly object to the way in which academic staff on probation are being managed in relation to new unagreed Academic Standards. I feel that the new requirements are unjust, punitive and unrealisable, especially for early career researchers. I note that the requirement for probationary staff to successfully gain a research grant as Principal Investigator (PI)is not adhered to by our comparator universities. I object to two points in particular:
1. The expectation that academic staff on probation must be awarded a research grant as a PI or Co-Investigator (Co-I). Part of the point of probation is to give new staff the time to build their networks, learn from their mentors and develop their research skills and experience: To punish them for not being awarded a research grant at this stage – something that is increasingly difficult at any stage of career – is unrealistic, demotivating and unfair.
2. The retrospective application of this new aspect of Academic Standards to staff currently on probation. This is doubly unjust as those currently in post were not told about this requirement at the time they accepted their positions.
As such I would ask you, in the strongest possible terms, to revisit these unfair requirements and to reinstate the original terms of the probationary contract.
Updates
February 5, 2016
The stories coming in from early career researchers are sobering. We are collating these experiences to present directly to Senate.
Reached 100 supporters
February 5, 2016
36 Comments
To retrospectively apply this requirement to people who were not told about it when they accepted their positions is unjust.
QUB say that they will provide "flexibility for talent to flourish" and that they " will work to create an inspiring research environment that nurtures talent and rewards outstanding leadership and excellence." (http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/ResearchEnterprise/OurResearch/Strategy/) This regulation is neither flexible nor nurturing and contradicts the research ethos which the university claims to promote.
Our research shows that this kind of neoliberal management is unsustainable in terms of the long term health and welfare of academic staff. The wider research suggests that this leads to lower 'productivity' in the long term, and only works when universities operate so as to abandon academic staff and constantly brin in new staff to fill the place of those it leaves behind.
The strength of any institution is in its new staff. Unreasonable expectations do not result in more productive researchers, but in demoralized workers and poor scholars. I respectfully urge the QUB administration not to damage the institution in this fashion.
The pressure being placed on academic stance is crippling Queen's reputation as a University. Setting crippling funding targets for researchers means that teaching standards are suffering and the training of promising research students is being sidelined completely.
QUB has been out of touch on probation for years. After extending my own into a fourth year, I was told a decision would not be made until just before the end of my probation period. Naturally, I looked for alternative employment and secured a permanent post and a promotion in another research intensive institution, with the same CV that QUB wouldn't make me permanent on.
Perhaps a possible scenario to consider: A new staff member from another country/culture arrives at QUB with partner and 2 children (3 years/6 years old) to take up a new post. S/he and the family need to adapt to the new cultural/institutional environment, find a place to live, organise creche, school etc etc – settling down can be quite a challenge in itself! Presumably the new staff member will be expected to take on a considerable teaching and admin load on arrival. To further expect him/her to generate funding during the probation period to help balance the University's books is certainly not a very family-friendly management decision and should be reviewed.
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To retrospectively apply this requirement to people who were not told about it when they accepted their positions is unjust.