§ 1 Objectives
The purpose of establishing tenure-track positions is to facilitate the recruitment of talented academic staff at universities and university colleges. The scheme will help to strengthen the institutions’ ability to compete for the best candidates internationally and impose an obligation on the institutions to contribute to the further development of employees’ competence in teaching, research and dissemination/innovation. Post holders will have predictability in their work by qualifying for a tenured position in teaching and research through a long period of employment, and will receive follow-up and resources from the institution.
University of Oslo’s supplementary provisions
Use of tenure-track positions shall support the University of Oslo’s ambitions to recruit highly qualified personnel, and to facilitate predictability in their work.
§ 2 Employment schemes
One of the requirements for appointment to a tenure-track position is that the public defence of the candidate’s doctoral thesis was held within the preceding 5 years. Additional time may be allowed for leave relating to childbirth or adoption.
The institutions can choose between the following two models for appointments to tenure-track positions:
- § 2a or 2b) shall decide whether the candidate should be offered a tenured position. If the requirements set out in the employment contract have been met, the candidate will be employed in the fixed combined teaching and research post they are qualified for as an Associate Professor or Professor in line with § 2a or as a Professor according to § 2b.
- Supplementary requirements for hirings for the period from April 1 2025
- Supplementary requirements prior to April 1 2025
- The Department of Social anthropology will arrange a mid-term evaluation at the beginning of the fourth year of the tenure-track period, adjusted for leave of absence the candidate is entitled to by law or collective agreement.
- The evaluation of progression is based on the requirements for the final evaluation.
- Six months prior to the mid-term evaluation, the head of department will give a deadline to the candidate for submission of the basis for the mid-term evaluation.
- The mid-term evaluation is carried out by a committee of four recognized researchers within the candidate’s field. Three of the researchers must be from international academic institutions and one from the Department of Social anthropology. The internal researcher will act as the committee coordinator.
- The four members of the committee must write individual reports in which they evaluate the candidate’s progression. The evaluation of progression is based on reaching the minimum requirements of four publication points as stipulated in the tenure requirements for post doc, tenure track position, supplementary provisions for the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo the mid-term evaluation [hyper linked], and the binding publication contract set by the academic assessment committee. The mid-term committee must take into account that the progression may be uneven. The report shall also provide feedback that may help the candidate meet the requirements for the final evaluation.
- The candidate is well placed to meet the requirements for the final evaluation
- Given that the current progression is continued, it is likely that the candidate will meet the requirements for the final evaluation
- The candidate has done made progress, but should improve his or her progression in order to reach the requirements for the final evaluation
- The candidate is far behind a reasonable course to be able to reach the requirements for the final evaluation
- The mid-term evaluation committee consists of four members, of which one, the administrator of the committee is internal and three are from renowned international academic institutions. The process is outlined in the supplementary provisions for the mid-term evaluation procedure at the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo.
- The final assessment is made by the adjudication committee which starts its work at the beginning of the seventh year. The committee consists of five members, of which four are from renowned international academic institutions and at least one took part in the mid-term evaluation. The adjudication committee’s assessment is based on the report from the mid-term committee and abides by the process outlined in detail below.
- Contribution to student recruitment, development and retention – this can include successful supervision of Bachelor and Master students and involvement in activities such as Open Days or student-organised events.
- Dissemination and public outreach – building the department’s profile nationally and internationally through publications or appearances in media outlets.
- Helping to build anthropological communities nationally and internationally – involvement in international or national associations, such as EASA, AAA and NAF/NAT.
- Involvement in joint staff activities – staff meetings, department seminars, joint applications for funding, workshops etc.
University of Oslo’s supplementary provisions
Nomination and appointment are in line with the ordinary procedures and authorization for appointments to positions as an Associate Professor and Professor at the University of Oslo. Decisions are made by the bodies granted nomination and appointment authorization respectively by the relevant unit, as defined in the individual unit’s administration regulations.
§ 8 Fixed-term appointments
Under the Act relating to universities and university colleges, institutions may make appointments to tenure-track positions in the academic environments that are entitled to offer a doctoral education, within quantitative limits set by the Ministry for the individual institution.
Pursuant to the Act relating to universities and university colleges, post holders at institutions can only be employed for one fixed-term period in a tenure-track position. Anyone employed for a fixed-term period of more than one year in an ordinary postdoctoral position pursuant to the?Regulations to the Act on Universities and Colleges?(lovdata.no) (Norwegian),?or who has held such a postdoctoral appointment at a foreign institution, cannot be employed in a fixed-term postdoctoral tenure-track position.
The fixed-term contract shall not include provisions on redundancy/severance pay.
University of Oslo’s supplementary provisions
The units shall report on the establishment of tenure-track positions in their own environments through the routine registration of employment contracts in SAP.
§ 9 Accelerated final assessment
An institution may authorise an employee to request an accelerated final assessment on tenure-track terms before the expiry of the fixed-term period. An?accelerated final evaluation may, at the candidate's request, take place even if the candidate has not received follow-up and guidance pursuant to Sections 3, 4 and 6. The candidate must apply in writing to be evaluated in accordance with section 5 before the end of the fixed-term period. If the evaluation shows that the requirements in the employment contract are met, the candidate will be provided with permanent employment pursuant to section 7. If the the requirements are not met and the accelerated assessment has a negative result, the institution will decide if the candidate can request a new final evaluation with the possibility of permanent employment.
§ 10 Working hours
Employees are subject to the applicable laws and agreements on working hours, holidays and sickness absence.
University of Oslo’s supplementary provisions
Post holders of tenure-track positions at the University of Oslo will generally fall under the legal term “particularly independent”, and thus be exempt from some of the provisions on ordinary working hours, cf. Regulation of working hours for employees in scientific posts at the University of Oslo.
§ 11 Leave of absence and extension of employment period
Candidates’ entitlement to leave of absence pursuant to legislation or collective agreements shall not be included in the calculation of the period of employment. Extension shall be granted for reduced working hours in accordance with the Working Environment Act § 10-2, fourth paragraph (arbeidstilsynet.no), where it is necessary to provide care for children or close family. Decisions on extensions of the employment period will be made by the appointing body.
Supplementary provisions for the Department of Economics
Supplementary provisions for the the Department of Social anthropology
Mid-term evaluation
Adopted by the Board of the Faculty of Social Sciences 11 June 2021
Supplementary provisions for the Mid-term evaluation procedure for Post Doc, tenure track position at the department of Social anthropology, University of Oslo.?
Each individual report should end in a?tentative conclusion that the candidate can be placed within one of the four following categories.
The reports are sent to the committee coordinator.
If all committee members conclude with categories 1, 2, or 3, the candidate is considered to have satisfied the academic requirements to continue in the tenure track.
The committee coordinator submits the four reports to the Department of Social anthropology, which then submits the verdict to the candidate for comment. The reports form the basis for further follow-up of the candidate at the Department.
If one or more members of the committee tentatively conclude that the candidate is in category 4 (far behind a reasonable course), the committee shall write a joint evaluation of whether the candidate meets the academic conditions needed to continue in the tenure track.
The committee coordinator submits the evaluation to the Department of Social anthropology, which sends the evaluation to the candidate. The candidate is given a period of two weeks to comment on the evaluation in writing.
The evaluation, the candidate's written comments, and the head of Department's recommendation are sent to the faculty.
Final evaluation
Adopted by the Board of the Faculty of Social Sciences 11 June 2021
Tenure requirements for post doc, tenure track position:
Supplementary provisions for SAI
The candidate must demonstrate excellence in i) research, ii) teaching, and iii) academic citizenship, including a strong potential for contributing to the further development of the department’s teaching and research portfolio.
Evaluation committees
The evaluation process will consist of a mid-term evaluation and a final assessment which will take place at the beginning of the seventh year.
Both committees are appointed by the Dean following a proposal for the Head of Departement of Social Anthropology.
Research
1) In order to be considered eligible for a tenured position, the candidate must satisfy the following requirement for publications during the tenure period:
By the end of the sixth year, the candidate must have published the equivalent of:
i) One research monograph published by a reputable academic publisher.
ii) Three single-authored articles in level 2 journals as rated by Norsk publiseringsindikator (NPI), or comparable, equally reputed journals, at the time of publication. (One of the three can be a revise and resubmit with a clear path to publication, the others have to be published. One of the three articles can be replaced by either two co-authored articles in level 2 journals; two single-authored articles in level 1 journals; or an edited, or co-edited, book or special issue in which the candidate has authored or co-authored the introductory chapter / the introductory article. These need to be published in reputed journals or Academic presses comparable to level 2).
2) A candidate who satisfies the above minimum requirements is evaluated by the tenure committee. The committee is asked to evaluate whether:
a. The candidate can be ranked as a potentially leading international researcher in her or his field.
b. The candidate is deemed competitive for a relevant international grant (such as ERC, Wenner-Gren etc).
If the committee’s assessment is positive, the candidate will be considered as meeting the research requirements for a permanent appointment.
Teaching and academic citizenship
The evaluation of the candidate’s teaching, academic citizenship and language proficiency is conducted by the Department of Social Anthropology and uses input from the Head of Department.
Teaching
By the mid-term evaluation the candidate should have completed or be enrolled in the University of Oslo’s pedagogical course Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. The teaching should be of high quality and the candidate is expected to contribute by renewing courses or developing a course related to her or his ongoing research interests. The candidate should also be able to teach across the discipline of anthropology outside of their own areas of specialization. The candidate should present a teaching portfolio to the evaluation committee that includes teaching plans. Members of the committee should be able to witness a lecture or listen to a recorded lecture as part of their evaluation. Student evaluations can be taken into account with the caveat that these are sometimes unbalanced.
Academic citizenship
The committee should evaluate the candidate’s ability to contribute to a positive working environment and to building a strong anthropology department. Different candidates will be able to contribute differently depending on their backgrounds and the skills that they come in with, so the particular contributions that they might be expected to make might include some of the following.
The candidate is expected to be physically present at the Department of Social Anthropology in Oslo, except during fieldwork and research leave, and to actively contribute in matters of importance to the department. This includes activities such as recruitment of new faculty, regular participation in seminar series, committees, active participation in the development of the department’s teaching portfolio, social and intellectual milieu, and research dissemination.
Language proficiency
For candidates that do not master a Scandinavian language, the University of Oslo’s Norwegian course level 1-3 need to be passed by the end of the second year. At the end of the third year the candidate must have acquired the language proficiency needed to conduct administrative responsibilities including active participation in board meetings, drafting short documents, evaluate and conduct written and oral examinations in Norwegian. The time spent on language training will replace required hours for teaching, and count towards a reduction in the teaching load as stipulated under “other work” in the Work duty account for academic employees at the Faculty of Social Sciences.