Academic Board Meeting 2/2008 Report to Council

Under Statute 2.2, Academic Board is responsible to Council for, inter alia, the supervision and direction of the academic affairs of the university, including the maintenance of high standards in teaching and research.

1. Receipt of Report

Recommendation:

That Council receive and note the Report of Meeting 2 of 2008 of the Academic Board held on Wednesday 16 April 2008.

A. ITEM FOR DECISION BY COUNCIL

2. Supervision of Academic Affairs – University Academic Structure

Proposals for the establishment of new centres, departments and schools, or changes to current units, are submitted to Academic Board for consideration and then transmission to Council for approval.

2.1 Establishment of new Schools on Sunway Campus

The Board considered the proposals to separate the current School of Arts and Sciences into two separate schools. Members were advised that the proposal had been endorsed at Sunway campus by the combined School, by both discipline groups in that School, and by the campus Academic Advisory Board. It had also been endorsed by the Boards of the Faculties of Arts and Science and the Strategy and Resources Committee Meeting 3/2008, which also recommended that further consultation be undertaken by the Sunway campus with relevant faculties in Australia regarding the future direction of the proposed Schools and their appropriate nomenclature.

Noting the extensive consultation that had occurred, Academic Board endorsed, for transmission to Council, the proposal of the Sunway campus to:

• Disestablish the School of Arts and Sciences.
• Establish the School of Arts and Social Sciences.
• Establish the School of Science.

Recommendation:

That Council:

• Disestablish the School of Arts and Sciences, Sunway campus.
• Establish the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Sunway campus.
• Establish the School of Science, Sunway campus.

2.2 School re-organisation – Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Members noted that at its Meeting 1/2008, the Board of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences had endorsed the proposal for re-organisation of the Faculty’s schools, to align clinical schools with the corresponding health networks.

Academic Board endorsed, for transmission to Council, the proposal to:

• Establish the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
• Establish the Eastern Health Clinical School.
• Rename the Central and Eastern Health Clinical School as the Central Clinical School.

Recommendation:

That Council:

• Establish the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
• Establish the Eastern Health Clinical School.
• Rename the Central and Eastern Health Clinical School as the Central Clinical School.

2.3 Renaming of the Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies

Subsequent to Academic Board Meeting 2/2008, the Faculty of Arts indicated that there had been further consultation on the proposal relating to the above Centre. As a result, the recommended nomenclature will be reconsidered by Faculty Board on 28 May and, thence, Academic Board on 3 June.

The proposal will therefore be returned to the meeting of Council scheduled for 14 July 2008.

3. Supervision of Academic Affairs – Conferring of Degrees

s.23 (4) of the Monash University Act 1958 provides that “All degrees conferred by the University shall be evidenced by a certificate in such form as the Council may from time to time determine.”

3.1 Testamurs for PhD Cotutelle Candidates

Monash has entered into cotutelle or dual badged doctoral programs with three French institutions to date, with the first students due to graduate in May. Council has previously approved that "...certificates/testamurs from both institutions be generated for cotutelle and also joint/double-badged degrees," however the specific form of words to be used on the testamurs had not been approved by Academic Board or Council.

Arrangements for provision of an appropriate testamur which refers to the cotutelle arrangement were therefore considered by the Board, which endorsed, for Council’s approval the proposal of the Research Graduate School to add the following words to the testamur for PhD Cotutelle graduates - “This dual award was pursued under a cotutelle program between Monash University and (... insert partner institution name ...)".

Recommendation:

That Council approve addition of the following words to the testamur for PhD Cotutelle graduates:

“This dual award was pursued under a cotutelle program between Monash University and (... insert partner institution name ...)".

4. Governance

4.1 Faculties Regulations (Amendment no. 1 2008)

Statute 2.3 – The Faculties – provides for the making of Regulations by Council after consultation, in certain circumstances, with the Academic Board.

At its meeting, Academic Board considered and endorsed the proposals for amendment to the Faculties Regulations, Schedule 7 – Faculty of Engineering, and Schedule 9 – Faculty of Science. These amendments update membership of both Faculty Boards and make minor changes to the nomenclature of Schools in the Faculty of Science.

Recommendation:

That Council make Faculties Regulations (Amendment no. 1 2008).

B ITEMS FOR INFORMATION OF COUNCIL

5. Formal Business

5.1 President’s Report

Professor Godfrey addressed the Board on a range of issues, including:

• Professor David Suter’s resignation and the election to fill the consequential casual vacancy for the position of Vice-President, Academic Board (until the end of 2008).
• Her attendance at several Faculty Board meetings and observation of the range of exciting initiatives occurring within faculties, including initiatives that have application across other faculties; and her participation in Faculty Operational Plan meetings.
• Consideration by the Academic Board Composition Working Party of several revised membership models, and proposed presentation of options to the next Board meeting. Meetings to commence reviewing the Board’s principal standing committee structure were also being arranged.
• A recent meeting with student representatives to discuss their role on Academic Board.
• The over enrolment of international students in the Faculty of Business and Economics in second semester. She contextualised her comments within the University’s aim to maintain international enrolments on the larger campuses and to increase enrolments on smaller campuses, while maintaining academic standards in the process. Members were advised that the university was currently working on solutions for the near term and to ensure a robust, quality-driven solution for the future. In the ensuing discussion, it was confirmed that: the most immediate requirement was to ensure the robustness of data and accuracy of predictors of enrolments. Projections would be available very shortly, and work was underway to improve data reliability. A quality-driven, long-term framework encompassing a range of matters related to staffing and space, etc. was agreed to be imperative to planning and managing enrolments, particularly international load.

6. Direction of Academic Affairs

6.1 Vice-Chancellor Selection Process

Members discussed the composition of the selection committee, the selection process and criteria for selection of the new Vice-Chancellor. Professor Godfrey advised that a summary of the comments made during the meeting would be added to the suggestions already emailed from members, and that they would be available to the Chancellor and to members for discussion on 5 May 2008, when the Chancellor would meet with members to discuss the Vice-Chancellor selection process.

6.2 Environmental Scan – Graduate/Postgraduate trends

The Board received the latest environmental scan (on graduate/postgraduate trends) provided by University Planning and Statistics, noting, inter alia:

• Growth in Coursework masters degrees, to the extent of their evolution as a mass market.
• Upwards creep in employment qualifications requirements and higher salaries for Masters-qualified employees.
• The changing nature of a Coursework Masters – although Monash distinguished between graduate and postgraduate Masters degrees, not all institutions did likewise.
• It would be necessary for Monash to balance the demands of each segment of the Coursework masters student population to ensure the continued success of these programs, and to ensure it kept a watching brief on developments in other sectors.

6.3 International Initiatives

The Board received a report from the DVC (International) on initiatives planned for the International Portfolio during 2008, noting that the major focus would be on broadening and deepening the relationships between Monash and a few selected institutions, but that work with the faculties on strengthening their relationships with other strategically aligned universities would also be ongoing.

Work would progress on building international funding for HDR students, international research funding, to increase collaborations and to increase staff and student mobility opportunities.

6.4 Academic Plan Progress Report

The Annual Plan is a summary of university-wide strategies and actions for a particular year. It has been part of the Monash planning framework and cycle since 2004 and its purpose is to give an institution-wide account of important initiatives to be managed and resourced.

Noting that a status report on the outcomes of the most recent year’s Annual Plan is provided at the mid-point and end of each year Academic Board received and noted the report on the status of progress toward the 2007 Annual Plan.

7. Supervision of Academic Affairs

7.1 Load and Admissions Report

The Board noted that:

• Although there were fewer overall applicants for university places as at 31 March 2008, Monash maintained its first preference application numbers. Monash received the highest number of first and total Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) VTAC applications.
• CSP load targets would be met overall for the university, despite shortfalls at some campuses.
• Other fund source load targets were expected to be met following mid-year enrolments.

C OTHER ITEMS

8. Formal Business

Academic Board received and noted the Report of the Vice-Chancellor, including a report on the award of the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws to Mr Nick Cave.

9. Governance

9.1 Academic Board Membership and Structure

Academic Board approved:

Special Leave for:

Nominations to vacancies on the Board of:

9.2 Reports from Standing Committees

Academic Board received and noted the reports of:

• Education Committee Meeting 1/2008, including the Academic Progress Intervention Strategy Procedures.
• General Library Committee Meeting 1/2008.
• Monash University Research Committee Meeting 1/2008.
• Research Graduate School Committee Meeting 1/2008.
• Honorary Degrees Committee Meeting 1/2007.

9.3 Reports from Faculty Boards

Academic Board received and noted the reports of:

• The Board of the Faculty of Engineering Meeting 5/2007
• The Board of the Faculty of Faculty of Business and Economics Meeting 1/2008
• The Board of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Meeting 1/2008
• The Board of the Faculty of Science Meetings 6/2007 and 1/2008
• The Board of the Faculty of Information Technology Meeting 1/2008
• The Board of the Faculty of Arts Meeting 1/2008

9.4 Reports from Faculty Discipline Committees

Academic Board received and noted reports on proceedings of Faculty Discipline Committees for the Faculties of Information Technology, Engineering, Arts and Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, as required by Statute 4.1 – Discipline, Clause 17.1.2.