Professorial Named Chairs Guidelines

Overview

A named Chair is a full professorship (Academic, Level E) which in is named in honour of a distinguished person or after the person who endowed the position. Typically, named Chairs designated to be in a certain School, discipline, or other academic area, having particular regard in the case of endowed Chairs to the wishes of the donor and/or the provisions of a deed or other document establishing the Chair. Holding a named Chair is considered to be an honour in the academic world, recognising outstanding performance and supporting the recruitment and retention of top professors from other institutions.

These Guidelines are designed to provide a clear process for the effective assignment of named Chairs in the University.

Scope and Application

These guidelines apply to academic staff occupying or appointed to Level E (Professor) positions.

POLICY PRINCIPLES

1. General

a) Unless otherwise specified in the deed or other document establishing the Chair, assignment of a named Chair shall be based on merit, which is to be determined by the Vice-Chancellor and President based on the recommendation of an ad hoc committee chaired by the appropriate Executive Dean comprising at least three senior members of the University and an external expert in the relevant discipline.

b) In the circumstances where a School, discipline, Research Institute or other academic area in which a named chair is located is to be disbanded or amalgamated, then the Vice-Chancellor and President, on the advice of the Vice-Chancellor's Executive, shall determine the future location of that named chair.

2. Specific Cases

a) Single Chair Schools
When the named chair in a School with one professor is vacated and is agreed that the School will continue, then the named chair shall be automatically assigned to the newly appointed professor.

b) Multiple Chair Schools
When a named chair in a School with multiple professors is vacated then the procedure in paragraph 1.a) above should be followed.

c) Discipline-based Named Chairs
When a named chair which attaches to a discipline or other specialization is vacated then the procedure in paragraph 1.a) above should be followed, subject to consideration of the notes below.

d) Sponsored Named Chairs
When a named chair funded in whole or in majority by an external organisation is vacated, then the chair (if it is to continue) may be filled either by advertisement or with reference to paragraph 1.a) above.

NOTES

1. If either or both The Queen Elizabeth Hospital or the Royal Adelaide Hospital cease to be teaching hospitals, then the allocation of discipline-based chairs located within the teaching hospitals would need reconsideration.

2. Also subject to continuity of the Royal Adelaide Hospital as teaching hospital, the Dorothy Mortlock Chair is specifically assigned to the RAH Department of Surgery.