Registration Term 1 Seminar 25-26
The Role of Teaching and Scholarship Contracts in Higher Education: Reflections and Realities
Professor Mario Pezzino, University of Manchester
This talk offers a critical reflection on the contributions and challenges associated with teaching-focused and scholarship contracts in Higher Education (HE), drawing on the speaker’s personal experience as an Economics educator and member of the Senior Leadership Team in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Manchester.
It will examine the potentially transformative role of teaching-focused academics in shaping leadership practices and fostering a sense of belonging within HE institutions. Anecdotal evidence highlights persistent concerns around the lack of parity of esteem between teaching and research career pathways, particularly within research-intensive environments; it also reveals experiences of isolation and diminished belonging in cultures that prioritise individual prestige over collective achievement. In contrast, teaching-focused academics can bring cultural change by modelling leadership approaches grounded in collaboration, care, and shared responsibility.
The talk will also address structural challenges that may hinder the full realisation of this potential, including issues related to performance evaluation, probation and promotion criteria, and institutional support. If left unaddressed, these barriers risk undermining professional expectations, career progression, and the broader contributions of academic departments to disciplinary knowledge and pedagogical excellence.
We thank colleagues in Economics for opening this planned Economics Teaching & Learning Seminar to be available to the whole Faculty.
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