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Roles and responsibilities

Policy information

Purpose

• This policy is intended to ensure that the University identifies and appoints the best available candidate who meets the position criteria and is a good fit in the Vice-Chancellor's executive team.
• Please read together with the University's general Academic Recruitment Policy.

Applicable to

• The recruitment and selection of new Deputy Vice-Chancellors.

Not applicable to

• The re-appointment of Deputy Vice-Chancellors. See Policy on re-appointment of incumbent Deputy Vice-Chancellors.

Policy details

1. Appointment conditions

   1. 1.1 The initial term of appointment of a Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) is for five years, unless there are special circumstances.

   2. 1.2 There is no limit to the number of contract renewals, which are subject to performance assessments, institutional need and the Policy on re-appointment of incumbent Deputy Vice-Chancellors.

   3. 1.3 Any renewal will be for a period not exceeding five years, but could be longer if Council decides, particularly where this would take the incumbent to normal retirement age.

   4. 1.4 Where a DVC is recruited from within the University, the successful candidate will have the right to return to his or her substantive academic post, in the event of the DVC contract not being renewed.

   5. 1.5 Where a DVC is recruited from outside the University, the Vice-Chancellor (VC) may, after consulting the successful candidate, recommend to:
      1. a duly constituted professorial selection committee that the Senate grant the DVC-designate professorial status for the duration of his or her appointment as DVC; and/or
      2. a duly constituted professorial selection committee (which would ordinarily be the same professorial selection committee, applying a different test) that the DVC-designate be offered a substantive academic position which he or she would be entitled to assume after successfully completing his or her term(s) as a DVC, should this occur prior to retirement age.
2. Specific criteria are used in the selection of Deputy Vice-Chancellors

   1. 2.1 A key criterion is a candidate's fit in the VC's executive team; i.e. that he/she enjoys the confidence of the VC.

   2. 2.2 The VC, after consultation with Senate, will draft the key criteria for each position, which will be submitted to the Institutional Forum.

   3. 2.3 The criteria will then be set by Council, after having taken and considered the advice of the VC and the IF.

   4. 2.4 The VC, with the assistance of the Human Resources department (HR) drafts the advertisement and position description taking into account the criteria above, and puts these to the selection committee at a search meeting, for approval.

3. In constituting the selection committee, the Chair of Council, in consultation with the Vice-Chancellor, consults with key constituencies across the University

   1. 3.1 As the process of constituting the selection committee is lengthy, it should begin twelve to eighteen months before the post becomes vacant.

   2. 3.2 HR, together with other administrative departments, assists the VC in compiling the selection committee.

   3. 3.3 The final composition of the selection committee is decided upon by the Chair of Council and the VC, which must include:
      1. Four members of Council, one of whom they will designate to Chair the committee, appointed by the Council (these four may include a DVC, but will otherwise be drawn from the external membership of Council);
      2. The Vice-Chancellor;
      3. Two Employment Equity Representatives, elected by the Chair of the Employment Equity Forum (EEF);
      4. Two Executive Directors, elected by that constituency;
      5. Two Deans, elected by Senate;
      6. Three academic members of Senate, chosen from a panel of five members of Senate (who may not be Deans), elected by Senate;
      7. Two members of the academic staff, chosen from a panel of four academic staff (who are not members of Senate), elected by the academic staff;
      8. Two members of the professional, administrative, support and service (PASS) staff ( who may not be Executive Directors), one of whom shall be chosen from a panel of two PASS staff in payclasses 1-4, elected by and from the PASS staff in payclasses 1-4, and one of whom shall be chosen from a panel of four PASS staff, elected by and from the PASS staff in payclasses 5-13. Note: The election process for PASS staff in payclasses 1-4 should take into account the fact that not all such staff will have regular email access.
      9. Two students nominated by the Students' Representative Council;
      10. Up to two further members (staff, students or Council members), nominated by the VC on grounds of diversity, experience or expertise.
      11. For the DVC portfolio which includes Human Resources, the staff bodies (unions) should be invited to nominate one member each.

   4. 3.4 No member of the selection committee may apply for, or accept nominations for the position of DVC.

   5. 3.5 The Registrar should remain independent of this appointment process and would therefore not serve on the selection committee.

4. The Chair of Council and the Vice-Chancellor report on the process of constituting the selection committee to the Institutional Forum and Council.
   1. 4.1 After the Chair of Council and the VC have constituted the selection committee, they must:
      1. Report on the process followed to the Chair of the Institutional Forum (IF) and invite the IF to advise Council as to whether the selection committee was constituted in terms of these rules and as to whether diversity, experience and expertise is provided for in the composition; and
      2. Put the composition and the IF's advice to Council for verification.
5. Terms of reference of the selection committee

   1. 5.1 The selection committee must attempt to reach consensus on a shortlist and a final candidate, voting only when this is not possible.

   2. 5.2 Where it votes, a two-thirds majority of those present will be required for a candidate to be recommended.

   3. 5.3 No member of the selection committee may vote on the final candidate if he or she was not present at an interview of all of the candidates who are considered in that vote.

6. Quorum

   1. 6.1 The quorum for all meetings of the selection committee is half of its full composition, which must include an employment equity representative.

7. Recruitment and selection procedure

   Search meeting

   1. 7.1 The selection committee meets first as a search committee, to ensure that it has a common understanding of the criteria for appointment and to determine the search methods and the timeframe for the recruitment and selection process, and to finalise the advertisement and position description.

   2. 7.2 The University's Employment Equity Policy applies at all levels within the University and recruitment decisions at the senior level must show commitment to the policy. Every effort must be made to draw on the widest pool of talent available in filling the post of DVC.

   3. 7.3 The search methods may include advertising publicly, a direct search for an internal or external candidate, or any other appropriate course of action.

   Shortlist

   1. 7.4 The selection committee receives applications and creates a shortlist of candidates for further assessment and selection.

   2. 7.5 The selection must be based on the normal requirements of a letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae, referees' reports and any other information which the selection committee determines, but must maintain the privacy of individuals and the confidentiality of its proceedings until a decision has been made on the final shortlist for interviews.

   Open process prior to interviews

   1. 7.6 The selection committee will normally require short-listed candidates to meet and engage with members, or groups or members of the University in an open process.

   2. 7.7 The form of the process will be determined by the selection committee and could entail a public presentation to staff or groups of staff (which will be advertised internally in the University), whereafter these groups may submit comments to the selection committee.

   3. 7.8 At this point the names of the shortlisted candidates will become public and each candidate on the shortlist must confirm his/her candidacy and agree to participate in the open process.

   4. 7.9 A candidate who wishes to maintain confidentiality of his/her application will understandably not wish to participate in an open process. The selection committee may then decide to forgo this step in the process for all candidates, or to proceed with the open process, in which case the candidate concerned is free to withdraw his/her application before the shortlist is made public.

   Final interview and recommendation

   1. 7.10 The selection committee must interview each candidate on the final shortlist. The structure of the interview is determined by the selection committee and HR may advise the selection committee on appropriate selection methodologies to use.

   2. 7.11 The selection committee then makes a recommendation. It must make every effort to reach its decision by consensus. Failing this, a recommendation requires at least two-thirds majority of the members present to be in favour of the decision. This majority excludes those who abstained.

8. The approval procedure

   Senate

   1. 8.1 The selection committee submits the name and full curriculum vitae of the recommended candidate/s to a meeting of the Senate, and presents its reasons for the recommendation.

   2. 8.2 If in a secret ballot at least two-thirds of the members of Senate present and voting express confidence in the candidate/s, and provided that the members present at the meeting constitute a quorum, the selection committee forwards its recommendation to Council.

   3. 8.3 If the candidate/s fails to gain this level of confidence in the Senate, the selection committee must meet a committee elected by the Senate to discuss Senate's response.

   4. 8.4 After considering Senate's view, and after giving due weight to the importance of ensuring that the new Deputy Vice-Chancellor has the support of Senate, the selection committee decides whether to submit its recommendation to Council, or to continue the selection process, or to submit a report to Council and request Council to make a decision as to the way forward.

   5. 8.5 If the selection committee decides to submit its recommendation to Council, Senate will be entitled to submit a report on its views direct to Council.

   Institutional Forum

   1. 8.6 The selection committee reports on the process followed to the Institutional Forum (IF) including steps taken to meet equity targets, but not the names of any candidates or the recommended candidate/s. The IF then submits its report to Council verifying the process that has been followed, with any further recommendations.

   2. 8.7 If the IF is not satisfied that the correct process has been followed, it must state its reasons and make suggestions as to how any actual or perceived deficiencies should be resolved as part of a dialogue with the selection committee. These matters, including outcomes, must be reported to Council, which makes the final decision on how to proceed.

   Council

   1. 8.8 The selection committee submits a full report on the recruitment and selection process, together with the reports of Senate and the IF, to Council. This report includes an abbreviated curriculum vitae of the recommended candidate/s, the selection committee's reasons for recommending the candidate/s and the names of the other short-listed candidates.

   2. 8.9 Every Council member has the right to inspect the full selection committee record (including all applications and referees' reports). This is made available to Council members by the HR department.

   3. 8.10 Council may choose to meet the candidate, on a formal or informal basis, prior to making its decision.

   4. 8.11 Council is entitled to take a decision in this matter by simple majority, but it may determine that a greater majority is required with respect to this particular matter. Should Council not approve the recommendation, it refers the matter back to the selection committee for further consideration.

   5. 8.12 Ordinarily, Council will decide the matter by ballot.

Related links

Process flow

Academic recruitment policy

Policy on re-appointment of incumbent Deputy Vice-Chancellors

Employment equity policy

Roles and responsibilities

This is a guideline to the internal UCT roles and responsibilities involved in the appointment process for new Deputy Vice-Chancellors.

Read in conjunction with HR Delegated Authorities.

Page last updated: 12 September 2017