LECTURER/SENIOR LECTURER IN ––––––––––––

SCHOOL OF –––––––––––––

The School of ––––– has been aware of the need to fill the current vacancy for some time and members of the school have given serious consideration to what is needed to meet our longer term objectives. We have identified an important change in the nature of our student body over the last few years. Over 50% of the undergraduate students in the school are now from overseas or non-English speaking backgrounds in Australia. Increasing numbers of them are now also entering post-graduate work. We have recognised a need to provide some additional support for this group within the school.

At present, however, there are no academics in this school who have special skills in working with a culturally diverse student group and in the past we have had few applications from such people. Our school discussions have identified meeting this emerging need as a priority. Therefore we are particularly keen to attract a range of highly qualified applicants with relevant experience to this role.

During the past year members of staff have been using opportunities at professional conferences to meet academics working in this area and to note their areas of interest. We have kept a file on these and added to the file the names of those students who have previously completed their doctorates in this University. All members of staff have also been asked to review contacts within their professional networks in order to identify potential applicants or institutions with strong graduate programs in the advertised area.

In order to attract high quality applications from a more diverse range of people, as well as more applications from people with particular skills in teaching students from a range of cultural backgrounds, we intend to act as follows:

1. The advertisement will include the words: 'academics with an interest and capacity to advance the interests of students from a range of cultural and language backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply'.
2. The position will be advertised in two overseas journals with significant circulation in countries from which we draw large numbers of students.
3. We are writing to all universities with strong reputations in the advertised area asking them to disseminate the information about the position. We have engaged a post graduate student to analyse some of the recent literature in this area and to identify institutions and individuals whose research interests appear relevant so that they can be individually targeted.
4. We are contacting professional associations and, where they exist, specific sections of those associations in countries from which we draw large numbers of students. To encourage applicants from these countries we will ask for the names of individuals working in the field in which selection is to take place and send them the advertisement and selection criteria.
5. We are keen to attract staff with a commitment to support doctoral students with culturally diverse backgrounds and this is specified in the selection criteria.