Cape Town - A pilot project at UCT will aim to advance the development of the next generation of professors, particularly black and female staff at the university.
The Next Generation Professoriate initiative was launched last week and will strive to address the paucity of senior black academics, according to an article on the university’s website.
“Consisting of a cohort of 34 members, the Next Generation Professoriate initiative will ensure that the pipeline to transform the professoriate is expanded and accelerated.” It will focus on mid-career academics.
At the launch of the initiative last week, vice-chancellor Dr Max Price, said the project would not promote diversity just for the sake of it.
“The initiative is about ensuring we have role models that will inspire aspiration in students as well as creating a more inclusive environment for all academic staff.”
The project forms part of the Recruitment, Development and Retention Programme (RDR), which will provide academic staff with greater clarity in their career paths and provide targeted support to help them succeed.
A key feature of the programme will be the identification of a career path with clearly defined milestones.
“The programme will initiate and support a triangular relationship between the cohort member, the head of department and a mentor in the form of a senior academic whose contribution will be elevated and formalised,” the article stated.
Further features will include teaching relief and small research grants awarded to cohort members on a competitive basis. There will be writing workshops and one annual writing retreat. They will also have access to conference travel funding.
The university has in the past come under harsh criticism about the pace of staff transformation and some academics have shared their experiences in articles to newspapers.
In February, UCT lecturer Dr Siona O’ Connell said she had received hundreds of hate e-mails and was “pretty much ostracised” on campus after writing a column for the Cape Argus in which she raised questions about transformation at the institution.
The column, “What UCT’s not telling their first-years”, was published in January where she wrote that she doubted that first years would be told that their chances of being taught by a black professor would be slim.
She said by 2013 the total number of black academics at UCT was 48 out of total of 1 405 and there was not a single “black African” South African woman who was a full professor at UCT.
Last year, in an article on staff transformation at UCT, Price wrote: “We remain frustrated at the slow progress but foresee a future with a majority of academic staff being black - as is already the case with non-academic staff (72 percent black)”.
Cape Argus