1. Preamble
Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU) is a public institution that makes significant contributions to society in teaching, learning, and research. The University was established in 1997, and has gone through an 18-year period of transformation and development. During that time, the University has trained thousands of graduates, and has significantly contributed to international scientific research.
The University is now entering a new phase of development. The University has established more than 23 laboratories and/or research groups which are led by leading scientists and professors worldwide. In addition, the University is collaborating with 76 international universities in the training of postgraduates and scientific research. In 2014, the University was conferred the 3-star status university from the QS group. In that year, for the first time, the University also received two patents from the USPTO. In late January 2015, the Prime Minister conferred the autonomous status to Ton Duc Thang University.
In order to prepare for the next phase of development, the University is working to attract excellent scientists and academics, including those from recognized overseas universities. The following guides have been developed to provide a general framework for promoting current staff and recruiting new staff for the position of assistant, associate and full professors. The intention is to help candidates in considering their own trajectories and track records against a set of common standards and criteria. The standards and criteria in this document represent minimum levels of achievements that TDTU expects from candidates.
2. Purposes:
The primary purpose of academic promotion is to:
• Identify teaching staff and scientists who have shown excellent and upward trajectories;
• Recognize staff for their excellent contributions to teaching and research;
• Build academic career for teaching staff and researchers using internationally recognized academic criteria.
3. Procedure
The procedure of promotion is designed to maximally use the peer review process in science. The University will form a Committee for Appointment and Promotion (CAP) to handle the appointment/promotion of professorial staff.
Candidates will prepare a dossier for review by the CAP. The CAP will have an initial check to ensure all the administrative details are met. Then the application will proceed as follows:
Step 1 - Peer review: Each candidate can recommend potential reviewers for his/her dossier. However, the CAP decides the list of external reviewers for each candidate’s dossier.
Step 2 - Interview: Based on the reviewers' reports, the CAP will arrange an interview with the candidate. The candidate will have an opportunity to present his/her case for promotion in face to face meeting with CAP members. The interview is expected to last for one hour, and all conversation will be recorded. Members of CAP will score the candidate based on the explicit criteria (see below). The Chair of CAP will then prepare a recommendation to the TDTU President.
Step 3 - Decision: Based on the CAP's recommendation, the TDTU President will make formal decision of appointment or promotion.
4. Track of Promotion
TDTU employs 2 tracks for appointment or promotion of individuals to the full time faculty: Teaching and Research. Teaching track is primarily for faculty whose primary contributions are in teaching and mentorship of students. Research track is appropriate for faculty involved in full time research programs with no or minimal teaching responsibilities. Candidates have to select either track for appointment or promotion.
5. Levels of Professor
In each track, TDTU considers 3 levels of faculty as follows:
• Assistant Professor;
• Associate Professor;
• Full Professor.
In addition, TDTU also appoints or promotes faculty members to a distinguished professorship. This title constitutes the highest honor that TDTU can accord a member of faculty. It is expected that distinguished professors are internationally-recognized, scholarly attainment in an individual discipline or field. These individuals are expected to make special contributions to the intellectual advancement of TDTU and Vietnam.
6. Duration of Appointment
Professorial appointment or promotion at the TDTU will be valid for a certain period of time. Each faculty will be reviewed for performance and decision of renewal will be offered based on the outcome of reevaluation.
7. Criteria for teaching track
Candidates for faculty position at the TDTU will be assessed based on 4 groups of criteria:
• Excellence in teaching and mentorship;
• Excellence in research;
• Contributions to the discipline;
• Contributions to Vietnam and TDTU.
Full Professor candidates have to demonstrate capacity of leadership in his/her discipline. Candidate for full professorship has also to point out 3 full professors in overseas universities whose work and track record are considered equivalent to those of candidates.
English skill: All candidates must be competent in the English language. Candidates will need to obtain 5.5 or above in Speaking and Listening on IELTS scale; or 500 on TOEFL BPT; or 61 on TOEFL IBT; or 600 on TOIEC.
7.1 Criteria for Assistant Professor
7.1.1 Teaching and mentorship
• Meet 2-year requirement for teaching; demonstrated excellence in teaching;
• Supervision of two master students;
• Edited lecture notes and textbook.
7.1.2 Research
• At least 3 peer reviewed publications (as the principal author) in Vietnamese journals;
• At least 2 peer reviewed publications in ISI indexed journals (with 1 being the principal author); or 2 peer reviewed publications indexed by Scopus (with 1 being the principal author) for social sciences and economic fields.
7.2 Criteria for Associate Professor
7.2.1 Teaching and mentorship
• Meet the 5-year requirement for teaching; demonstrated excellence in teaching;
• Supervision of 4 master students;
• Edited 1 textbook.
7.2.2 Research
• At least 5 peer reviewed publications (as the principal author) in Vietnamese journals recognized by the TDTU Committee of Promotion/Appointment;
• At least 5 peer reviewed publications in ISI indexed journals (3 as the principal author); or 5 peer reviewed publications indexed by Scopus (with 3 being the principal author) for social sciences and economic fields;
• Principal investigator of at least 1 project funded by FOSTECT, or by Provincial body, or by Ministry.
7.2.3 Contributions to the profession
• Demonstrated contributions to the profession through convening conferences.
7.2.4 Contributions to Vietnam and TDTU
• Participated in the promotion of TDTU nationally and internationally;
• Published commentaries or articles in magazines and popular media relating to the candidate's work.
7.3 Criteria for Full Professor
7.3.1 Teaching and mentorship
• Meet the 8-year requirement for teaching; demonstrated excellence in teaching;
• Supervision of 2 PhD students;
• Edited 2 textbooks published by recognized publishers.
7.3.2 Research
• At least 10 peer-reviewed publications (as the principal author) in Vietnamese journals recognized by the TDTU Committee of Promotion/Appointment;
• At least 10 peer reviewed publications in ISI indexed journals (with 7 papers as the principal author); or 5 peer reviewed publications in ISI indexed journals (3 as the principal author) for social sciences and economic fields;
• Principal investigator of at least 2 projects funded by FOSTECT, or by Provincial body, or by Ministry;
7.3.3 Contributions to the profession
• Served as a reviewer for at least 1 ISI indexed or Scopus indexed journal;
• Convener or member of organizing committee of internationally recognized scientific conferences;
• Served as head of a department or a research group.
7.3.4 Contributions to Vietnam and TDTU
• Participated in the promotion of TDTU nationally and internationally;
• Published commentaries or articles in magazines and popular media relating to the candidate's work.
8. Criteria for research track
The following minimal criteria are guides for research track professorial positions.
8.1 Criteria for Assistant Professor
8.1.1 Teaching and mentorship
• There is no specific requirement, but a good track record of teaching and mentorship is considered a competitive advantage.
8.1.2 Research
• At least 4 original papers in ISI indexed journals, with 3 papers being the main author; or 2 original papers in ISI indexed journals, with 1 being the main author, for social sciences and economics fields;
• The number of citations should be at least 12 (or 6 for social sciences and economics fields).
8.1.3 Contributions to the profession
• There is no specific requirement. However, evidence of contribution to journal editorial board and/or peer review is a definite advantage.
8.1.4 Contributions to Vietnam and TDTU
• There is no specific requirement. However, candidates will have competitive advantage if they have contributed to the management of school/faculty, and to the promotion of TDTU in the community.
8.2 Criteria for Associate Professor
8.2.1 Teaching and mentorship
• Have lectured at least 3 courses;
• Supervision of 2 master students and 1 PhD student.
8.2.2 Research
• At least 10 original papers in peer-reviewed ISI indexed journals, with 7 being the principal author; or 5 papers in ISI indexed journals (with 3 papers being the main author) for candidates in social sciences and economics fields;
• The number of citations should be 30 or higher (or 15 for candidates in social sciences and economics fields);
• Principal investigator of at least 1 projects funded by FOSTECT, or by Provincial body, or by Ministry.
8.2.3 Contributions to the profession
• Served a reviewer for at least 2 ISI or Scopus indexed journals (or 1 journal for candidates in social sciences and economics fields);
• Served as member of organizing committee of national and international scientific conferences.
8.2.4 Contributions to Vietnam and TDTU
• Participated in the promotion of TDTU nationally and internationally;
• Published commentaries or articles in magazines and popular media relating to the candidate's work.
8.3 Criteria for Full Professor
8.3.1 Teaching and mentorship
• Have lectured at least 5 courses;
• Supervision of 4 master students and 2 PhD students.
8.3.2 Research
• At least 20 original papers in ISI indexed journals (with 15 being the main author); or 10 papers in ISI indexed journals (with 7 being the main author) for candidates in social sciences and economics;
• The number of citations should be 60 or more (or 30 for social sciences and economics); Published book chapters in textbooks (not proceedings);
• Principal investigator of at least 2 projects funded by FOSTECT, or by Provincial body, or by Ministry.
8.3.3 Contributions to the profession
• Served a reviewer for at least 4 ISI or Scopus indexed journals (or 2 journals for candidates in social sciences and economics fields);
• Served as head of school/department or faculty;
• Served as member of organizing committee of national and international scientific conferences;
• Chair of session or plenary lecture in national or international conferences.
8.3.4 Contributions to Vietnam and TDTU
• Participated in the promotion of TDTU nationally and internationally;
• Published commentaries or articles in magazines and popular media relating to the candidate's work.
8.4 Criteria for Distinguished Professor
8.4.1 Teaching and mentorship
• Supervision of at least 8 master students or 4 PhD students.
8.4.2 Research: Demonstrated to be a prominent leader in the candidate's field of research, or ranked in the top 1% in the world:
• Qualified as an Expert Class II by the criteria of international university ranking;
• At least 20 papers in number 1 journals in the field; papers in general science journals such as Nature, Science, Cell, JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, BMJ, Lancet, etc; or awarded special prizes in science;
• Published books or contributed book chapters to textbooks;
• Principal investigator of at least 4 projected funded by FOSTECT, or by Provincial body, or by Ministry;
• Principal investigator of at least 1 project funded by an international agency;
8.4.3 Contributions to the profession: Recognized as a leading scientist through:
• Editorial board member of premier journals indexed by ISI or Scopus;
• Reviewer for at last 4 ISI indexed journals;
• Head of laboratory, school, department or faculty;
• Chair of session in international meetings;
• Visiting professor of universities in QS's Top 800 universities worldwide;
• At least one plenary or invited lecture in international meetings;
• Convener of national and international conferences;
• Research has been translated into practical applications and/or have great impact to society.
8.4.4 Contributions to Vietnam and TDTU
• Served as advisor to the University, government;
• Contributions to policy debates in popular media in Vietnam;
• Technological transfer to benefit Vietnam;
• Contributions to research capacity and science policy for Vietnam.
9. Application Process
Candidates will prepare a dossier for review. The dossier will include the following documents:
• An up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV);
• Application for promotion or appointment;
• Copy of some major research work;
• Evidence of teaching and mentorship;
• Evidence of contributions to the profession, University, and Vietnam.
9.1 Curriculum vitae
Candidates should prepare an up-to-date CV in the traditional scientific format. In other words, the CV should provide adequate information concerning the candidate personal history, research background, and track record of publications. Specifically, TDTU suggests the following structure:
• Personal vital data and current address;
• Education: Please provide information concerning school/university, discipline, degree, and period of study;
• Past and current appointments: Organization, department, position, and main responsibilities;
• Research interests: A paragraph to state the candidate's research interests;
• Professional activities: Provide information concerning institutional services, teaching, training, extramural membership of learned societies, editorial responsibilities; review responsibilities;
• Grants awards: Past and current grant awards, name of organization, role of the candidate in the grant application; outcomes of project;
• Research collaboration: Information concerning national and international research collaboration, name of institution, duration of collaboration, outcome of collaboration (eg papers and/or patents);
• Honors and Awards: Name of awards, conferring organization, year, and reason of award;
• Conferences: Year of attendance, role in the conference (eg convener, invited lecturer, oral presentation, poster presentation, attendee without presentation).
• Publications: Please provide the list of publication with full authorship, journal name, impact factor, ISI or Scopus indexed, and the number of citations. Please divide the list of publications by subheading as follows.
o Original papers;
o Reviews, case report, letters, editorials;
o Books and book chapters;
o Abstracts.
9.2 Application
In this part of the dossier, candidates will provide a narrative account of their career and achievements. The document must not exceed 10 pages in length, and should cover the following items:
• Summary: Candidates provide a 500-word summary of their education, employment, research/teaching achievements, and vision for future.
• Research and impacts: Description of the candidate's research direction, achievements, and societal impacts. Please focus on recent work (eg 5 year window). If possible, candidates should show actual data concerning research output trajectories, impact factors, and citations. In multiple authorship publications, the candidate should state their role in the work.
• Leadership: Candidates provide evidence of leadership in the profession, independence in research. Evidence may include letters of reference from colleagues, chairmanship of national and international conferences, invited lectures, invited editorials, editorial board membership, etc.
• Mentorship: Candidates provide evidence of supervision of postgraduate students. It is relevant to give information concerning the employment of graduates (eg institution of employment, position, trajectories).
• Contributions to the profession: Candidates can provide additional information concerning their contributions to their research discipline that are otherwise not stated in the CV.
9.3 Best publications
In this section, candidates should provide reprints of 3-5 most significant publications during the past 5 years, and 3-5 significant publications careerwise. In each publication, please provide a narrative account of:
• Significance of the work;
• Rank of the journal in the field;
• Citations;
• Role of the candidate in the work;
• Professional and societal impacts of the work.
In instances where a substantial amount of the published work is co-authored, the candidate may choose to include a document here that explains the candidate's role and contributions on co-authored works. This description may be supported by solicited letters from the candidate's collaborators.
9.4 Evidence of excellence in teaching and mentorship
Candidates should prepare a document describing the candidate's teaching philosophy and pedagogical approach (at both the undergraduate and graduate levels). Please provide a list of courses taught, course design, number of students, outcomes, etc. In addition the candidate should describe his/her involvement in mentoring and advising activities, as well as any involvement in curriculum development and professional development in the form of faculty development workshops focused on teaching or specific pedagogical techniques or issues.
9.5 Evidence of contributions to the profession, University, and Vietnam
The candidate should describe with evidence his/her contributions to the development of the TDTU (at all levels), professional, and community services. The candidate should state motivations behind various types of service, and the value of service within the candidate's professional activities.
It should be noted that contributions to the TDTU may include involvement in committee service, distinctive contributions on behalf of core functional areas (eg consulting, mentoring special student groups, contributions to the development of new policies or services to enhance university efficiency, effectiveness or excellence, generation of reports of recommendations upon request by university leadership, etc.). Services to the profession includes activities such as journal article reviews, journal editorships, leadership of conferences, invited presentations, active involvement and leadership in professional societies and organizations, and production of texts, other publications and media products which are widely used tools that contribute to a profession's collective effort aimed at research and education.