Meeting No 6/2005 of the Academic Board was held on Wednesday, 5 October 2005, in the Council Chambers, Building 3A, Clayton Campus from 3:30 pm – 5:35 pm.

Professor C Browne (President), Ms J Adams, Professor S Adeloju, Associate Professor M Alam, Dr R Al-Mahaidi, Professor W Anderson, Mr C Avram, Mr J Beringer, Professors G Bouma, R Brooks, E Byrne, B Caine, P Cally, Dr I Cartwright, Professor R Cas, Dr D Casey, Associate Professor K Chalmers, Professors M Clayton, V Clulow, Dr B Cooke, Professors E Cornish, R Devenish, Associate Professor C De Wilde, Professors T Dingle, R Doherty, M Evans, Associate Professor A Farley, Professors M Fleer, A Freiberg, J Hamill, B Hoffert, Associate Professor S Joy, Professors J Kenway, R Larkins, H Le Grand, M Liddell, Associate Professor M Lindorff, Dr A Maharaj, Professor A Markus, Dr S Mayson, Ms C McLeish, Professors B McSherry, C Mingins, Mr J Munoz, Mr D Murphy, Professor R Nation, Dr B Naylor, Dr J Newton, Professor R Norris, Dr P O’Connor, Professors On Kit Tam, H Oppewal, G Palmer, S Parker, Associate Professor S Petrovic-Lazarevic, Professors D Poskitt, T Pretorius, J Redmond, Associate Professor S Robinson, Dr G Romeo, Associate Professor G Sanson, Professor J Sheridan, M Skully, J Smith, T Sridhar, B Srinivasan, Dr K Stewart, Professor P Stewart, E Storey, Ms K Styles, Professor J Teicher, Dr S Ventura, Professor M Vicziany, Mr I Walker, Professor J Walter, Mr D Watson, Professors G Webb, R Weber, R Willis, Ms A Wong and Professor W Young.

Associate Professor H Abachi, Professor D Abramson, Dr G Acquaah-Gaisie, Dr H Ballis, Professor J Bertram, Dr S Blackburn, Associate Professors B Canny, W Chiu, Professors G Coleman, S Crowe, Dr G Davies, Ms C Harboe-Ree, Professor G Hodge, Ms C Holgate, Professors O Hughes, K Langfield-Smith, A Lindsay, B Mackenzie, Dr L McCall, Professors S McKemmish, P Nagley, Associate Professor M Page, Professors L Piterman, M Pittard, Associate Professor C Porter, Professor P Steele, Dr G Taylor, Professors N Thomson, B Tonge, Mr M Vincent, Professors M Wallace and S Willis.

Professor Lee Poh Aun, Ms L Boston, Professor Pua Eng Chong, Ms C Cooze, Ms R Harris, Ms R Hinds, Ms M Mahat, Ms H Pavlovski, Professor Sivalingam, Mr C Vernon and Professor A Zaini.

Ms C Chatterton

The Chair, Professor Chris Browne, welcomed those in attendance via teleconference from the Malaysia and South Africa campuses, new members and observers. The Chair also welcomed Ms Lesley Boston, a member of Council, who attended as an observer.

Members noted that replacement pages 173-174 were tabled for item 24.

Members noted that some items had been starred in the agenda for discussion. Item no. 20.1 was starred at the commencement of the meeting.

There were no confidential items on the agenda at this meeting.

Documents were attached. (p 175-194)

Professor C Browne informed members that a revision to Statute 2.2 was necessary to reflect current practice and to bring the statute up to date. In order to minimise the need for further changes to Statute 2.2 in the future, it was proposed to make Regulations for the operation of the Academic Board.

Professor Browne drew the attention of members to an error in item 3.3.3 on page 179, which should read,

"3.3.3 six students, being –

3.3.3.1 two elected by and from the graduate students; and

3.3.3.2 four elected by and from the undergraduate students."

Professor Browne clarified that there would be no change to the statute in relation to the above. Students would be elected from the relevant student cohort, however, in the case of a casual vacancy, the relevant student association would be approached to fill the casual vacancy.

3.2 Election of President of Academic Board RMO2003/1681

A document was attached. (p 121-122)

Professor C Browne informed the Board that an election for the President of Academic Board would take place shortly for the term 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2007.

Discussion ranged around the issue of gender balance under dot point three and the Board decided to retain the requirement for a gender balance and alter dot point 3, to read "not more than two of the three positions (the President and two Vice-Presidents) would be filled by academic staff of the same gender during a given term".

In response to a query about dot point four and the requirement for a nominee for the position of President to be at the level of Associate Professor or above, Professor Browne made reference to the ‘Principles and Framework for electing a President of the Academic Board’ which was approved at Academic Board meeting 6/2003 on 19 November 2003. It was decided to delete the words "for this reason" under dot point four.

3.3 Election of Vice-President of Academic Board RMO2005/1331

A document was attached. (p 123-124)

Professor C Browne informed members that the guidelines presented would form the basis for the election of one Vice-President of Academic Board.

Responding to a query about succession planning and the assumption that a Vice-President would be the next President, Professor Browne clarified that a current Vice-President would not be precluded from nominating for the position of President.

3.4 Other matters RMO2004/0809

Professor C Browne informed the Board that he had presented an annual report on the activities of the Academic Board to Council at its meeting on 26 September. He would prepare a similar report for the next meeting of the Board and suggested that this could be an annual event for the President of Academic Board at the last meeting of each year.

4.1 Vice-Chancellor’s Report RMO2004/0369

A report was attached. (p 125-126)

Professor R Larkins, Vice-Chancellor, spoke to his report and updated the Board on progress with matters since submitting the report, as follows:

• Monash must have a conforming Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) in place by 30 November 2005. A meeting had been scheduled with Mr Peter Marshall and the NTEU to consider the requirements to make the draft EBA compliant.

• Monash was disappointed with the preferred model of the Research Quality Framework (RQF) with concerns about the accuracy of the method of dispensing a large amount of funding and the new model did not seem to be more reliable than the RGS.

• The Group of Eight (Go8) had expressed concerns about some aspects of the AVCC and instead of a common AVCC view, the views of Groups should be more important. It was suggested that the AVCC should comprise representatives of the Groups and the President of the AVCC should not be from amongst serving Vice-Chancellors. As the differentiation of universities becomes greater, the need for an independent voice is greater.

• The Voluntary Student Legislation had been deferred until November and it is possible that the prohibition on charging amenities fees might not occur till 2007. It was anticipated that there would be opposition to the legislation in the Senate.

• Overseas campuses: Enrolments at South Africa had increased. A rolling three-year plan had been put forward which envisages lateral as well as vertical expansion of the programs. The budget forecast was on target with a diminished deficit. The value of the property and buildings had escalated which had offset the operating losses. The building of the new campus had commenced in Malaysia and the planning of the new medical school was progressing.

In response to a question about the impact of the RQF on regional universities, Professor Larkins stated that the regional universities might get a degree of concession but the impact would be minimal, however the Go8 universities had more at risk in the process.

Responding to a query about the level of commitment that the university could make to the student union for 2006, to enable planning of activities, Professor Larkins informed members that a paper would be presented to VCG on 12 October, for consultation with the group representing the student organisations.

Answering a query about the introduction of a proposed amenities fee for international students, Professor Larkins assured members that Monash would not implement a fee which would have resulted in international students directly subsidising local students.

Responding to a question about honouring the commitment to salary increases despite the strong financial position of the university, Professor Larkins clarified that Monash had the highest borrowing to equity ratio which did not constitute a strong financial position and Monash was very dependent on the investment market. It was prudent for Monash to maintain a safety margin that was three times the interest charged on the loan and an operating surplus that was not lower than previous years.

In answer to a query whether there were other groups of universities besides the Go8 that would be relevant for Monash to be a member of, Professor Larkins responded in the negative. The other groups are the innovative universities, the new generation universities, the regional universities and the non-aligned universities.

A report was attached. (p 127-142) Professor S Parker, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor spoke to the report informing members that the focus was on a smaller number of KPIs, with a target for each one, which was a new way of planning and managing overall performance. The targets were for Council approval. The indicators were grouped in new ways tracked from Monash Directions 2025. Professor Parker commended University Planning, in particular Ms Marian Mahat, for compiling the report.

Responding to a question whether central charges would increase if interest rates rise, Professor Parker stated that the targets were related to the McKinnon benchmarks which DEST adopted. A considerable portion of the debt had been re-packaged at fixed interest rates.

In response to a comment that the core business of teaching and research was well below target, Professor Parker responded that the targets set were ambitious and implied a substantial increase in performance and the degree of effort to put into it. The implementation strategy would be outlined in the new Education Plan which would identify areas of underperformance. Resources would be diverted to improve performance in under-performing areas and collective resolve was the key to achieving the targets.

A member commented that the share of VTAC first preferences may not be a good indicator of performance as it was not necessarily a measure of intrinsic quality or market appeal.

4.3 ‘Still Learning’ Mid-Term Report RMO2002/0263

Documents were attached (p 31-44).

The ‘Still Learning’ Mid-Term Report as well as a document entitled ‘Commentary on Still Learning Mid-Term Report’ had been forwarded by the Vice Chancellor’s Group (Quality) to the Academic Board for consideration. Professor G Webb, Pro Vice-Chancellor Quality invited Ms Robyn Harris to comment.

Ms Harris informed the Board that out of the 33 recommendations in the Still Learning report, 21 had been addressed, nine had been listed as ongoing and would continue for some time, and three were identified as not having been addressed. The Commentary included a brief summary of the recommendations not yet addressed. The Vice-Chancellor’s Group (Quality) had produced an action plan for them and would continue to monitor them along with the recommendations identified as ‘work ongoing’.

4.4 Quality Matters RMO2001/1011

A report was attached. (p 1-2) Professor G Webb, Pro Vice-Chancellor Quality, updated members on developments since submitting the report as follows:

• in relation to the AUQA audit, the first draft of volume 3 had been circulated to South Africa. The exposure draft of volume 1 would be available within a week on the CHEQ website. A global email would be circulated notifying staff and inviting comment.

• The MEQ05 had been administered recently with a response rate of 41% compared to 40% for MEQ03. Monash College had administered their own modified MEQ05 with a response rate of 80%.

• The second MEQ symposium held on 20 September discussed management practices within faculties to embed good practice. Summary reports were available on the CHEQ website.

• AUQA would be interviewing student associations. In conjunction with the students, a Student Association Quality Guide had been developed to guide their approaches to quality in their processes and procedures.

• The Committee Effectiveness Paper had been developed to assist committees to demonstrate their effectiveness. It would be used in the briefing materials for committee secretaries.

Academic Board noted the advice of Professor Webb, Pro Vice-Chancellor Quality and received the report submitted by the Centre for Higher Education Quality (CHEQ).

4.5 International Rankings of Universities RMO2000/0932

A paper was attached. (p 3-4) Professor S Parker, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, informed members that the paper outlined the performance summary and the methodology for the indices used. Monash would use these ranking exercises to set targets.

Board members requested further analyses of the raw data by segment to obtain information on the output required to improve the rankings. Professor M Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Planning, agreed to provide further analyses.

Responding to a query about the credibility of the rankings, Professor Parker stated that views about their credibility differ and it had not stabilised yet. The Chronicle of Higher Education in the USA was working on a world ranking.

Professor G Palmer, Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics, informed the Board that the Monash MBA was ranked 59^th in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2005 MBA rankings. It was the highest ranked MBA in Australia. It was ranked 6^th in the world in the ‘personal development and educational experience’ category, ahead of Yale, London and Chicago universities.

4.6 Learning and Teaching Performance Fund 2006 RMO2003/1412

A report was attached. (p 5-30) Professor S Parker, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, drew members’ attention to the Monash response to DEST with comments on the methodology and the ways in which the Monash scores were to be interpreted. The performance analysis by campus and faculty would be useful to identify areas that need improvement, which is a pre-condition to meeting the targets in the KPIs.

In response to a query about the response rate and the students being asked to fill in too many questionnaires, Professor Parker stressed that the information is imperative for the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund. Actions taken, which were on the CHEQ website, would demonstrate to the students that the results are taken seriously by the university. In the last ten years, the response rate had been declining and a change in methodology was needed, as low response rates were a system-wide problem. A single national agency should be created to conduct the surveys on a sample basis rather than nationally.

Responding to concerns that the employability of Monash graduates was declining, Professor Parker stated that there did not appear to be a reason for this decline besides the downturn in the IT industry and, perhaps, inadequate career advice.

In response to a question from a student representative on the surveillance of students and disclosure of student library borrowing records to outside agencies, in particular the Federal Police, Professor Larkins reiterated the words of the Librarian at meeting 5/2005 that the incident the student was referring to had been misrepresented in the press and the borrowing activities of students had not been disclosed. Monash had an obligation under to the law to divulge information upon receipt of requests that the Solicitor’s Office deem to be legitimate.

Ms Christine Cooze, representing the University Librarian, added that the Library had not received any requests for information and, in any case, did not keep a record of past borrowings. Only legitimate requests from the courts would be accepted. A paper would be presented to the next meeting of the General Library Committee.

Action/Information: Ms C Harboe-Ree

Responding to a concern from the students that outside agencies were targeting certain student groups such as the Islamic Students Society and the Queer Students Society and that Monash should put measures in place to keep this information confidential, Professor Larkins stated that when requests are received, legal advice is obtained before information is disclosed. Professor Larkins offered to investigate any particular incident of disclosure to an outside agency that might be of concern to students.

In response to a request for a summary table of Monash performance, Professor Larkins stated that last year he had delivered a ‘State of the University’ address to Council and Academic Board. It might be possible to deliver something similar this year, although the AUQA portfolio would contain the indicators. The University Planning website, which is under construction, would also contain this information.

A minute of thanks was proposed by the Vice-President to acknowledge the contribution of Professor Alan Farley, a long-standing member of the Board, and the Executive Chair of the Admissions Committee of the Board, who was leaving Monash after decades of service. Members of Academic Board applauded Professor Farley for his contributions to the work of the Board.

This item originated at item 20.1 of the agenda. This item was starred at the commencement of the meeting.

A document was attached. (p119-120)

A number of memberships of the Exclusion Appeals Committee expire at the end of 2005. The Exclusion Appeals Committee had received nominations for membership for the 2006-2008 term. In addition the following nominations were received from the Faculty of Law:

• Dr Jonathan Clough
• Dr Brian Donovan
• Dr Olyjoke Akindemowo
• Dr Elise Histed

A report was attached. (p 45-48)

8.1.1 Exam Timetabling RMO2005/1005, RMO2001/1407

A report was attached. (p 143-154). At meeting 4/2005 of Academic Board, the endorsement provided by the President of Academic Board to the change in the Special Consideration Policy was not ratified by the Academic Board and instead the proposal was referred back to the Education Committee to explore long-term solutions to the underlying problem of scheduling of examinations. An Exam Timetabling Working Party of Education Committee was set up to consider the issues and submitted a report endorsing and recommending the existing Week 13 Policy and proposing recommendations for semester 2, 2005, with full implementation of further options for next year. Education Committee noted that a formal proposal for a process to consider issues such as swot vac and semester length would be submitted to a future meeting of the Education Committee.

9 REPORT OF THE GENERAL LIBRARY COMMITTEE RMO1997/0902

A report was attached. (p 49-56)

10.1 Receipt of Report of Meeting 7/2005 RMO1997/1156

A report was attached. (p 57-60)

10.1.1 Request for Course Amendment and Unit Amendment: Faculty of Arts RMO1997/1365

The committee endorsed the proposal from the Faculty of Arts that

• The Master of Arts by research be offered on the Malaysian campus; and

• An MA in Interpreting and Translation Studies by coursework and research be established.

10.2 Receipt of Report of Meeting 8/2005 RMO1997/1156

A report was attached. (p 61-64)

11.1 Receipt of Reports of Meetings 3/2005 and 4/2005 RMO1998/0456

A report was attached. (p 65-96)

12.1 Receipt of Reports of Meeting 4/2004, 1/2005, 2/2005 and 3/2005 RMO1998/1367

Reports were attached. (p 97-104)

13.1 Receipt of Report of Meeting 3/2005 RMO1998/1368

A report was attached. (p 105-106)

14.1 Receipt of Reports of Meeting 4/2005 and 5/2005 RMO1997/1159

A report was attached. (p 107-110)

15.1 Receipt of Report of Meeting 2/2005 RMO1998/1743

A report was attached. (p 111-112)

The Board of the Faculty of Law recommended approval of the renewal of the following external member of the Faculty Board for a further three years, from July 2005 to April 2008 inclusive. The membership falls under Regulations of the University, Faculties Regulations, Part III – Faculty Boards, Schedule 7 – Faculty of Law, Subsection 7.6.2.

Mr Jack Fajgenbaum QC.

16.1 Receipt of Report of Meeting 4/2005 RMO1998/0708

A report was attached. (p 113-114)

16.2 Receipt of Report of Meeting 5/2005 RMO1998/0708

A report was attached. (p 115-116)

17 PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH AND FILL THE POSITION OF PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR REGIONAL STUDIES, GIPPSLAND CAMPUS RMO2001/1639

A proposal was attached. (p 155-158) The proposal of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) had been submitted by the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor to Academic Board for endorsement and transmission to the Vice-Chancellor for approval.

18 PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH AND FILL THE POSITION OF PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR, MONASH INSTITUTE FOR NANOSCIENCE, MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURE RMO1999/1617

A proposal was attached. (p 159-160) The proposal of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) had been submitted by the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor to Academic Board for endorsement and transmission to the Vice-Chancellor for approval.

A document was attached (p 117-118) that included election results of two Graduate Student members of Academic Board to hold office from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2006.

19.3 Casual vacancy on Academic Board as at meeting 6/2005 RMO2004/1174

The following casual vacancy exists on Academic Board as at meeting 6/2005:

This item was starred at the commencement of the meeting and is dealt with at item 6.1 of the minutes.

21 ACADEMIC BOARD NOMINEE FOR THE SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR THE VICE-CHANCELLOR’S AWARDS FOR DISTINGUISHED TEACHING RMO1997/0534

A request had been received for the nomination by Academic Board of a member of the academic staff to be a member of the above panel.

22 ACADEMIC BOARD NOMINEE FOR THE SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR THE VICE-CHANCELLOR’S AWARDS FOR POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION RMO1997/1540

A request had been received for the nomination by Academic Board of a member of the academic staff to be a member of the above panel.

23 PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH AND FILL THE POSITION OF PROFESSOR AND HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS LAW AND TAXATION, FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS RMO2001/1346

A proposal was attached. (p 161-172) The proposal of the Faculty of Business and Economics had been submitted by the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor to Academic Board for endorsement and transmission to the Vice-Chancellor for approval.

24 ACADEMIC BOARD DATES 2006 RMO1997/0898

A revised schedule of dates for 2006 was tabled. (replacement pages 173-174)

The next meeting of the Academic Board will be held on Wednesday, 23 November 2005 in the Council Chambers, first floor, Building 3A, Clayton Campus from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm.