UniSC has earned a prestigious recognition for gender equity – following a series of improvements to bring clarity about the path to academic promotion.
The Science in Australia Gender Equity organisation has awarded UniSC a SAGE Cygnet award, the first of five on the path to achieving Silver status. UniSC first achieved Athena Swan Bronze Award status in 2020.
SAGE Cygnet Awards celebrate organisations that have demonstrated progress in making their workplaces more equitable by removing or reducing a barrier to inclusion.
"Combined improvements have led to substantial increases in participation and success in promotion for women and part-time staff."
UniSC Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Michael Wilmore said the project focused on clearing the path to promotion.
“While women were equally likely to be successful in applying for promotion, they weren’t necessarily applying as often as men, often because the process wasn't clear,” Professor Wilmore said.
“So, we put mechanisms in place to ensure clarity. This included enhanced guidelines around achievement relative to opportunity; strengthened support at both the University-wide and school levels - such as school-based promotion support committees - and expanded mentoring and preparatory resources.
“These combined improvements have led to substantial increases in participation and success in promotion for women and part-time staff.
“The last round of promotions speaks for itself in terms of more women applying and achieving promotion successfully.”
SAGE CEO Dr Janin Bredehoeft said the award reflected UniSC’s work to address key barriers to attraction, retention and career progression for women and gender-diverse staff.
“In particular, we commend the commitment to iterative cycles of consultation, with staff reporting clearer processes, more constructive feedback and greater confidence in applying,” Dr Bredehoeft said.
“By inviting staff and supervisors to co-create fairer processes, the University is embedding equity at every level of promotion.”
Once an organisation has successfully achieved five SAGE Cygnet Awards, they are then eligible to apply for an Athena Swan Silver Accreditation Award – an award that recognises and rewards organisational maturity in gender equity, diversity and inclusion.
UniSC intends to apply for four additional SAGE Cygnet Awards in the remaining key priority areas of parents and carers, career support and development, recruitment and building a sustained pipeline of women in the School of Science, Technology and Engineering.
"This is just the start of a five-step process towards SAGE Cygnet silver status so the momentum will continue."
UniSC Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett, said that, as the University prepared to celebrate its 30-year anniversary in 2026, it was important to take stock and ensure equality of opportunities across the University.
“We’ve matured as a University very quickly, however being relatively young has allowed us to make systemic changes as we grow, and I could not be more pleased to witness the career progressions in the latest promotional round,” Professor Bartlett said.
“However, this is just the start of a five-step process towards SAGE Cygnet silver status so the momentum will continue, and I am pleased to share that we are already well advanced on the four remaining steps.”
About SAGE
Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) is Australasia’s leading advocate and accrediting body for equity, diversity, and inclusion in the education and research sector.
Using an evidence-based and impact-focused framework, SAGE helps institutions build systemic, structural, and cultural change. Their world-respected Athena Swan accreditation program drives and measures institutions’ progress against international benchmarks.
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