Academic Board Meeting 3-2008 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 3 of 2008 of the Academic Board held on Wednesday 4 June 2008.
A. ITEMS 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 the Centre for Multimedia Computing, Communications and Applications
(Attachment 1)
Academic Board Meeting 7/2007 endorsed in principle the proposal to establish the Centre for Multimedia Computing, Communications and Applications subject to further consultation between the Faculties of Art and Design and Information Technology, and noted that the proposal would, following agreement between the two faculties, be returned to the Board for its formal endorsement and then transmission to Council.
Academic Board Meeting 3/2008 subsequently received a memorandum from the Dean, Faculty of Information Technology regarding the process of consultation between the Faculties of Art and Design and Information Technology and endorsed, for transmission to Council, the proposal to establish the Centre for Multimedia Computing, Communications and Applications.
Recommendation:
That Council establish the Centre for Multimedia Computing, Communications and Applications.
2.2 Establishment of the Department of Architecture (Attachment 2)
Academic Board endorsed for submission to Council the proposal from the Board of the Faculty of Art & Design to establish a Department of Architecture. In so doing, it noted that:
-
The Bachelor of Architectural Design commenced in the Faculty of Art & Design in 2008.
-
Given the predicted size of the discipline, the proposal to establish a Department of Architecture was in line with the departmental responsibilities for other discipline areas within the Faculty.
Recommendation:
That Council establish the Department of Architecture.
2.3 Renaming of the Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies (Attachment 3)
The Faculty of Arts proposed that the Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies (CMMIPS) which was formally inaugurated in January 2007, be renamed and refocussed. The Centre will continue to undertake research on Muslim minorities living in Western democracies and on related policy responses but will also examine Islam and politics and Islamic social movements around the world.
Subsequent to the Board’s endorsement at Meeting 2/2008 of the proposal to rename the above Centre as the Centre for Islam and Modernity, the Faculty of Arts indicated that there had been further consultation on the proposal and that the recommended nomenclature would be reconsidered by Faculty Board on 28 May and returned to Academic Board.
Academic Board subsequently endorsed for submission to Council the proposal from the Board of the Faculty of Arts to rename the Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies as the Centre for Islam and the Modern World.
Recommendation:
That Council rename the Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies as the Centre for Islam and the Modern World.
3. Supervision of Academic Affairs – Award 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 Master of Psychology /Doctor of Philosophy (MPsych /PhD) –Testamur to be awarded
Academic Board Meeting 7/2007 approved introduction of the proposed MPsych /PhD practitioner/research degree. Following further consultation, the Research Graduate School Committee (RGSC) Meeting 1/2008 agreed that the program was a single combined degree, to be awarded at the completion of the PhD thesis. RGSC Meeting 4/2008 then recommended the following nomenclature:
-
Master of Psychology (Counselling)/Doctor of Philosophy; and
-
Master of Psychology (Educational and Developmental)/Doctor of Philosophy
and also recommended that these names be used on the relevant testamur.
Academic Board:
Recommendation:
That Council approve use of the following names on the testamur for the MPsych /PhD practitioner/research degree:
4. Governance – Legislation
4.1 Victorian College of Pharmacy (Attachment 4)
To date, the Victorian College of Pharmacy (VCP) has been a college, not a faculty, of the University. The attached proposals give effect to the VCP proposals to change from a College to a Faculty of the University, and at the same time change the nomenclature from “Pharmacy” to “Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences”.
Academic Board endorsed, for submission to Council:
-
The proposal to amend Statute 2.3 – The Faculties (Amendment no. 1 2008).
-
The proposal to repeal Statute 2.14 – Victorian College of Pharmacy.
-
The proposal to amend the Faculties Regulations (Amendment no. 2 2008).
-
The proposal to repeal the Victorian College of Pharmacy Regulations.
Recommendations:
That Council make Statute 2.3 – The Faculties (Amendment no. 1 2008).
That Council repeal Statute 2.14 – Victorian College of Pharmacy.
That Council make the Faculties Regulations (Amendment no. 2 2008).
That Council repeal the Victorian College of Pharmacy Regulations.
4.2 Discipline (Attachment 5)
Proposals were put to Academic Board to expand the category of examination-related general misconduct covered by Statute 4.1, increase the authority of the Chair of the Appeals Committee to dismiss an appeal determined to be frivolous, vexatious, misconceived or lacking in substance, and also fold non-examination assisting to cheat into the University’s Statutory framework.
Academic Board endorsed for submission to Council the proposal to amend Statute 4.1 – Discipline.
Recommendations:
That Council make Statute 4.1 – Discipline.
4.3 Miscellaneous Statutes Review 2008 (Attachment 6)
The amendments proposed are largely housekeeping in nature e.g. remove material relating to parts of the University that no longer exist, update references to titles and nomenclature, and make the necessary consequential changes.
Academic Board endorsed for submission to Council the making of the statute entitled Miscellaneous Statutes Review 2008.
Recommendations:
That Council make the statute entitled Miscellaneous Statutes Review 2008:
-
Repeal of Statute 2.3.1 - The Subfaculties.
-
Repeal of Divisions II and IV of Statute 2.5 - Committees, Boards of Studies and Institutes.
-
Further amendments to Statute 2.5.
-
Statute 3.5 – Administrative Staff.
-
Chapter 5 –The Library and Computer Centre.
-
Statute 6.1.2 – Courses and Degrees.
-
Repeal of Chapter 6B – Multi-faculty degrees.
5. Governance – Membership of the Board of the Faculty of Law
Section 7.6 of Schedule 7 to the Faculties Regulations – Faculty of Law provides for appointment by Council of certain external members to the Faculty Board.
Academic Board endorsed for transmission to Council the recommendation to appoint the following external members of the Board of the Faculty of Law, with a period of office from March 2008 – March 2011:
-
The Hon Justice Shane Marshall, Federal Court of Australia
-
Mr David Fanning, Magistrates Court of Victoria
-
Ms Kristine Hanscombe SC
Recommendations:
That Council appoint the following external members of the Board of the Faculty of Law, with a period of office from March 2008 – March 2011:
B ITEMS FOR INFORMATION OF COUNCIL
6. Formal Business
6.1 President’s Report
Professor Godfrey addressed the Board on a range of issues, including:
-
The election of Professor Barbara Caine as the new Vice President of Academic Board (to 31 December 2008).
-
Vice-Chancellor selection, including the Academic Board Discussion Forum on 5 May 2008.
-
Her meeting with DVCs to commence review of the Board’s standing committees, with the aim of developing a structure that worked effectively and efficiently and reflect structural changes within DVC Portfolios.
-
Endorsement on behalf of the Board of two new professorial positions fully funded from outside the university:
-
Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics and Head, Nutrition and Dietetics Unit
-
Professor (or Associate Professor) of Aged Psychiatry and Director, Aged Psychiatry Service.
-
Participation in several professorial selection committees and ongoing work to enhance the profile and contribution of Academic Board, including attendance at several Faculty Board meetings.
-
In response to a student appeal against Exclusion for Health Reasons, approval on behalf of the Board of the membership of the Appeals Committee.
6.2 Review of the Composition of Academic Board
Professor Godfrey introduced the “Review of Academic Board: Discussion Paper”, emphasising that:
-
The Review was critical to ensuring that the Board’s composition was appropriate to the discharge of its responsibilities to direct and supervise the University’s academic affairs.
-
A significant element of the Working Party’s approach to the review had been to include in the Board’s revised membership those in charge of leading/supervising academic affairs (Heads of Academic Units).
-
The Discussion Paper should be viewed as the beginning of the review process and the first phase of consultation.
Member views articulated in subsequent discussion included:
-
That the Board was too large, which was counter-productive to debate.
-
The need for diversity of membership and input.
-
The importance of having members who were responsible for implementing the Board’s decisions.
-
The critical nature of the role of the Head of Academic Unit (HoAU) and consequent need for appropriate definition.
-
That the key issue was to ensure the quality of debate.
-
The Board’s role as a very public check/counter-balance, with membership therefore potentially allocated on a basis other than that of contributing to debate.
-
The need for student membership to be fostered and protected.
-
The need to facilitate closer alliance between the campuses.
-
The importance of maintaining balance between membership cohorts.
Professor Godfrey advised members that the issues raised would feed directly into the Working Party’s deliberations and the next iteration of the Discussion Paper, which would be released to the broader academic community for input.
6.3 Questions on Notice
6.3.1 Following a member question regarding the currency of any review of the Discipline Statute, the Board directed the Education Committee to commence review of Statute 4.1 – Discipline.
6.3.2 In response to a question regarding the legality and ethics of live animal experimentation for educational purposes, the Board was advised that following reviews conducted by the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, the University and the Bureau of Animal Welfare, Monash was found to be strictly compliant with all relevant legal frameworks, guidelines and policies in proposing, approving and conducting the specific practical sessions. The Board was also advised that a review of educational policies relating to 3rd year practical classes was being undertaken by the relevant School and that the Education Policy and Programs Committee (a sub-committee of Education Committee) would develop a policy relating to the use of animals for research or teaching purposes throughout Monash.
7. Direction of Academic Affairs
7.1 Australian Federal Budget 2008/09
Academic Board received a briefing on the higher education initiatives in the Federal Budget and noted that these initiatives should be viewed in the context of the Bradley Review and Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) Initiative.
7.2 Intellectual Property (IP)
The Board received a briefing from Mr Peter Marshall on implications for Monash of the recent Federal Court decision in the case of the University of Western Australia v Gray and actions being undertaken to ensure compliance with the University’s IP Statute and Regulations. Members noted that a key point of difference between the IP regimes of UWA and Monash was that Monash’s IP Statute was made properly, signed and stamped.
7.3 Faculty Presentation – Pharmacy
The Board received a presentation from Professor Bill Charman, Dean, Victorian College of Pharmacy on the directions in which the Faculty was moving, including the establishment of the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) and the opportunities this would offer to improve Monash’s focus on translational activities surrounding the development of new medicines.
Professor Charman explained that MIPS brought together the largest and most experienced group of pharmaceutical scientists in Australia, and highlighted its therapeutic themes, including infectious disease, cancer and neuroscience. The key themes of collaboration and significant and lasting impact were also emphasised.
8. Supervision of Academic Affairs
8.1 Education Portfolio Organisational Changes
The Board received a report from Professor Adam Shoemaker on changes to the structure of the Education Portfolio including the transfer of quality activities to the portfolio of the new PVC (Planning and Quality) and creation of a new PVC (Learning and Teaching) position.
8.2 Establishment of the eEducation Centre
Noting that the eEducation Centre would focus on technology as it supported pedagogy (with a parallel in the eResearch Centre) and that as the proposal was further developed it was expected that more detail would be brought to the Board for consideration and approval, Academic Board endorsed the proposal to establish the eEducation Centre.
8.3 Quality Audit Progress Report
The Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) requires Monash to provide information about the University’s response to the 2006 AUQA Audit Report. This information is expected to demonstrate the ways in which the University has addressed the recommendations and affirmations included in the report. The full AUQA audit report (recommendations/ affirmations/commendations) was tabled at meeting 1/ 2007 of Academic Board.
In response to the audit report, an action plan was developed and responsibility for each item in the action plan was assigned to an organisational area. That plan was endorsed by VCG (Quality) at its Meeting 1/2007.
Academic Board received the draft AUQA Progress Report, encompassing progress updates from each responsible area, noting that it would be submitted to AUQA in June 2008 and posted on the Monash AUQA audit website. It also noted that Monash had fulfilled its obligations and in almost every area had done so very well.
C OTHER ITEMS
9. Formal Business
Academic Board received and noted the Report of the Vice-Chancellor, including a report on the awarding of honorary degrees.
10. Governance
10.1 Academic Board Membership and Structure
Academic Board received and noted the Declaration of the Poll for the:
-
Election of Vice-President, Academic Board.
-
Election of Professorial Members to Academic Board.
-
Election of Academic Staff (other than the Professors) to Academic Board.
10.2 Policy Development and Review
Academic Board approved the Course and Unit Handbook Policy and noted the Course and Unit Handbook Procedures.
10.3 Reports from Standing Committees
Academic Board received and noted the reports of:
-
Meetings 2/2008 - 4/2008 of the Research Graduate School Committee.
-
Meeting 2/2008 of the Education Committee.
-
Meeting 2/2008 of the Monash University Research Committee.
10.4 Reports from Faculty Boards
Academic Board received and noted the reports of:
-
Meeting 6/2007 of the Board of the Faculty of Art & Design.
-
Meeting 1/2008 of the Board of the Faculty of Engineering.
-
Meeting 1/2008 of the Board of the Faculty of Law.
-
Meeting 2/2008 of the Board of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences.
10.5 Reports from Faculty Discipline Committees
Academic Board received and noted the Reports from the Discipline Committees of the Faculties of Science, Law, Business and Economics, Education, as required by Statute 4.1 – Discipline, Clause 17.1.2 and also received and noted a Report from the Dean, Faculty of Information Technology regarding faculty discipline statistics.
|
