YUFA is seeking a total of six (6) members from a range of disciplines to form an ad hoc working group tasked with evaluating the appropriateness of currently available performance analytic tools for measuring scholarly productivity across the disciplines.

Many of our colleagues here at York and at other universities have expressed concern about the proliferation of metrics for evaluating and quantifying the research contributions of faculty members. For example, York University now subscribes to SciVal, which is designed to compare and benchmark the research performance of individuals, departments and institutions. A recent Ontario government report clearly anticipates the development of more performance based funding for universities, which may involve increased tracking and benchmarking of research activity.

In order to develop a faculty perspective on these developments here at York, the YUFA Executive passed a motion on December 11 to establish a working group to assess the strengths, weaknesses and implications of new research performance analytics tools.

The working group will be composed of colleagues drawn from a cross-section of areas and disciplines. If you would like to be considered for appointment for this committee, please send a statement of interest to the YUFA Executive at [email protected] by 4 pm on Friday, January 8, 2016.  Please include in your statement a brief review of your qualifications and experience relevant to this work, and the reasons for your interest