Aurora Leadership Development Programme 2016 – Important Information for
Applicants & Application Form
University College Dublin
What is Aurora?
Aurora is a leadership development programme aimed primarily at women. It was developed by the
Leadership Foundation for Higher Education in the UK in response to research which indicated that
the level of women in influential and senior positions in higher education is now lower than 10 years
ago.
Further
information
is
available
at:
http://www.lfhe.ac.uk/en/programmes-
events/you/aurora/more-information.cfm
The Aurora programme is targeted at women in lecturer, senior lecturer, research and professional
services equivalent roles across all academic disciplines and throughout HE administration. It is
designed to introduce key leadership topics and skills in 4 workshops (each x 1 day), complemented
by networking, role models and guest speakers at each event. Further, on-going support is ensured
through action learning, online resources and institutional level support including mentoring and
Aurora Champions.
UCD HR Learning and Development are offering ten scholarships to facilitate women, faculty and
staff, across the university to avail of the 2016 Aurora programme.
Who can apply?
The following are the eligibility criteria which govern application to the programme:
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Must be female
For faculty applicants it is open up to senior lecturer level
For staff applicants, it is open to Staff at Grades from A02 (Administrative Officer Level 2) to
SA04 ( Senior Administrative Officer Level 4)
For technical staff applicants, it is open to Technical Officer and Senior Technical Officer level
At the time of application, applicants must have completed at least 2 years service in UCD
For those on contracts, there must be a minimum of 2 years remaining on their contract of
employment at the closing date for receipt of applications, i.e. October 19th
Must be endorsed with a letter of recommendation from their Head of School/Unit
Must be nominated by the relevant College Principal/ Director of Unit
Must be willing to commit to mentoring
Must be available for all of the training days both internal and external
Must complete a personal statement which does not exceed 800 words
Requirements of UCD Aurora Participants
Participants will be:
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Committed to the full Aurora process, attending all four development days plus the action learning
set day and be prepared to undertake some self-directed study
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Ready to embrace the mentoring relationship, and actively work with their mentors to address
their personal development and build their self-reliance
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Committed to a career in higher education and prepared to devote some time to thinking about
and planning their career
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Prepared to embrace the extensive networking opportunities and participate fully in Aurora
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Willing to undertake projects or assignments for their institution in order to build on their
developing leadership skills
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Prepared to participate in a longitudinal study to gauge the effectiveness of Aurora
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Willing to act as mentors or role models to future participants.
Application and Nomination Process
In order to apply for a scholarship place on this leadership development programme, applicants are
required to complete the Aurora 2016 application form which includes the following elements:
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Complete a personal statement of no more than 800 words, indicating the following: ‘Why
you believe you should be supported to attend the Aurora Leadership Programme;
what you want to achieve from participation and how the Programme is a good fit for
your development needs in UCD’.
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Consider and propose a potential mentor who will support you through the programme
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Applicants must confirm their availability for all workshop dates (internal and external) and
hold these dates pending successful application
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As there is a significant institutional commitment to supporting participation on the Aurora
programme, applicants must be supported by a nominator. To satisfy this, applicants
must:
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Seek nomination for their application through the completion of a meeting with their
Head of School/Unit to discuss their application. It is recommended that applicants
provide their application form for review in the first instance to their Head of
School/Head of Unit. Evidence of this meeting in the application must be supported
by a signed letter of endorsement from their Head of School/Unit. This must include
reasons why the Head of School/Unit is supporting this application. Please note: It is
at the discretion of the relevant Head of School/Head Unit to make a decision as to
whether or not to support the application.
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If the application is approved by the Head of School/Unit, it must be further endorsed
with a signature by their relevant College Principal or Director of Unit. Applications
cannot proceed without the endorsement of a nominator i.e. relevant College
Principal or Director of Unit.
In assessing the applications, a Head of School/Unit will take into the consideration the following:
1. Leadership Potential
2. Readiness to Engage with the Programme
3. Fit with Academic/Professional Development Plan in School/Unit
Page 2 of 6 Aurora Application Form 2016
The applicant is also requested to propose a mentor who will support them during the programme.
The Role of the Mentor
It is a requirement of the programme that each Aurora participant would work internally with a mentor
as a support.
The mentor’s role will be as follows:
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The mentor as a more senior/experienced person remembers the challenges of career
progression; is a good listener and can support their mentee to develop good problem-solving
skills.
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Mentors can be male or female - but the mentor and the participant must get on well and the
mentor should be able to make time available to work with their mentee.
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Aurora Mentors need to:
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Have a genuine interest in helping women to develop their careers
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Be considered successful in their careers
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Be knowledgeable and experienced in UCD and understand its culture so as to be able
to offer advice and support
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Have time to work with their mentee – 1 meeting 1.5 hrs every 6 weeks for 1 year
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Have a coaching style of communication
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Be willing to engage in mentoring training.
Evaluation of Applications
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All applications must be completed on the Aurora Application Form, pg 5 & 6 below.
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Please submit only the application form including a scan of the page with the relevant
signatures as well as scan of the letter of support from your Head of School/Head of Unit.
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All applications are to be submitted electronically to Ms Edel Quinn, (edel.quinn@ucd.ie), by
12 noon Monday October 19th.
Where more than 10 applications are received, a sub-Committee of the Equality, Diversity and
Inclusion subgroup, chaired by Professor Maeve Conrick, UCD Aurora Champion, will evaluate the
applications to award the ten L&D scholarships.
Applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria above will not be considered.
The criteria to evaluate the applications include:
1. Leadership Potential
2. Readiness to Engage with the Programme
3. Fit with Academic/Professional Development Plan and Succession Plans in School/Unit
Page 3 of 6 Aurora Application Form 2016
4. Representative balance across Schools/Units in the University
Communication of Outcomes
The HR Learning and Development department will communicate the outcome to all applicants by
Friday November 13th 2015.
For those who are unsuccessful in securing a scholarship, the relevant College or Unit may decide to
financially support that individual application. In the event that a decision is taken at School/Unit level
to support an individual financially, this must be communicated in writing to Learning and
Development edel.quinn@ucd.ie by Friday November 20th.
All those who are selected for the programme will be treated equally, irrespective of how their
nomination is being funded i.e. there will be no distinction between those who achieved a scholarship
and those being directly funded by their respective School/Unit
Further Information
For further information, please contact Edel Quinn HR Learning & Development edel.quinn@ucd.ie
extension 4975
Page 4 of 6 Aurora Application Form 2016
Application Form: Aurora Leadership Development Programme 2016
University College Dublin
Please complete the following information regarding your Application
Name of Applicant (individual intending to participate on Aurora Programme)
School/Unit/Research Centre of Applicant
Email address of Applicant
Present position/grade and title of Applicant
Remaining time on contract (if applicable)
Personal Statement
 Please use the space below to complete your personal statement indicating why you
believe you should be supported to attend the Aurora Leadership Programme; what
you want to achieve from participation and how the Programme is a good fit for your
development needs in UCD.
No more than 800 words
Page 5 of 6 Aurora Application Form 2016
I confirm that I am available for all external full day Workshop Dates for the Aurora Dublin
Programme:
Identity Impact & Voice
Power & Politics
And Action Learning
Core Leadership Skills
Adaptive Leadership Skills
Thu 7 Jan 2016
Thu 18 Feb 2016
Tues 15 Mar 2016
Thu 28 April 2016
Thu 19 May 2016
I confirm that I am available for all internal Workshop Dates/Meetings for the Aurora Dublin
Programme.
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Thursday November 26th 9:30am – 1:30pm (Introduction to Aurora and Overview of the role
of mentee)
Friday December 11thth 11am – 1pm ( Aurora 2015 close/ 2016 launch)
Tuesday March 22nd 11am – 1pm (Mid Aurora review)
Thursday June 2nd 11am – 1pm ( Post Programme Review)
I confirm that I am willing to engage in ongoing mentoring as part of the Aurora programme and have
identified a mentor whom I would like to work with.
Mentor Name: ___________________________
Aurora Applicant __________________________(Signature)______________________________
(Name of Applicant, Block Capitals)
Head of School/ Unit:
_____________________________Signature_________________________
(Name of Head of School/Unit Block Capitals)
I support the above applicant and will undertake to facilitate attendance at all Aurora
Workshops and related internal events.
Nominator____________________________________(signature)__________________________
(Name of College Principal /Unit Director, Block Capitals)
I support the nomination of the above applicant from my School/Unit.
As there is a significant institutional commitment to supporting participation on the Aurora programme,
applicants must be supported by a nominator. Your Nominator must be the College Principal/ Unit
Director with line management responsibility for the School/Unit in which you are employed.
Page 6 of 6 Aurora Application Form 2016