Committee of Deans Meeting 5-1991

Meeting No. 5/91 of the Committee of Deans was held on Friday, 17 May 1991, in the James McNeill Room, University Offices, at the Clayton campus, between 8.30 and 11.00 am.

There were present:

Professor M.I. Logan, Vice-Chancellor, in the Chair, for items 38 to 42

Professor J.A. Hay, Vice-Chancellor (Academic), in the Chair for items 42 to 47

Professor G.N. Vaughan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor R.J. Pargetter, Dean, Faculty of Arts

Professor J. Miller, Associate Dean, David Syme Faculty of Business

Professor C.J. Bellamy, Dean, Faculty of Computing and Information Technology

Professor W.A. Sinclair, Dean, Faculty of Economics Commerce and Management

Professor D.N. Aspin, Dean, Faculty of Education

Professor P.LeP. Darvall, Dean, Faculty of Engineering

Professor C.R. Williams, Dean, Faculty of Law

Professor R. Porter, Dean, Faculty of Medicine

Professor R.J. Snedden, Dean, Faculty of Professional Studies

Professor I.D. Rae, Dean, Faculty of Science

Apologies were received from Professor P.C. Chandler, Dean, David Syme Faculty of Business and Professor T. Kennedy, Pro-Vice-Chancellor

In attendance were:

Mr A.L. Pritchard, Registrar

Mr P.B. Wade, Comptroller

Mr G.F. Neat, Director of Communications

Mr I.C. Gregory, Secretary

M I N U T E S

The minutes of Meeting No. 4/91 held on 23 April 1991, copies of which had been circulated, were confirmed and signed subject to adding to item 31.1 an additional sentence as follows:

"Professor Hay agreed to discuss with the Vice-Chancellor the question of appropriate representation of the Humanities/Social Sciences areas of the University".

39. Matters Arising From the Minutes

39.1 Research Initiative Funding

At the previous meeting of the Committee, item 31.2, it had been agreed that Professor Hay would request that the Office of Research make known to Deans the recommended allocation of research initiative funding for 1991. The Registrar informed the Committee that the delay had not been due to the Office of Research but rather the lack of the necessary enrolment statistics as at 31 March 1991. The Committee noted that although final statistics were still not available, Professor Vaughan had obtained the estimates from Planning and Analysis Branch and funds had been distributed to faculties on this basis. Whilst the allocation of these funds was a matter for faculties to determine, the Vice-Chancellor indicated the desirability of making small grants in the $500-1,000 range for minor research projects and also to encourage young staff members to develop research projects to a stage where they could attract outside funds. The Vice-Chancellor also suggested a procedure whereby staff might put in bids for funding and that interviews were a good way to proceed.

The Deans noted that although the funds had been allocated to faculties on a formula based on postgraduate research loads, it was not intended that such a formula should be used for distribution within faculties to departments.

The Committee also discussed ARC infrastructure funding and noted that these funds had been distributed to faculties. The Committee was informed that not all research funds received by the University had been reported to the Office of Research and as a result, some fine tuning might be required. Such adjustments were likely to be marginal.

39.2 Reorganisation of the University Calendar

The Committee received the attached memorandum from the Manager, Publishing and Advertising (D15/91), and noted that it incorporated the previous decisions of the Committee in regard to the 1992 Calendars/Faculty Handbooks.

40. Report of the Vice-Chancellor

40.1 Petition to Council

The Vice-Chancellor tabled a copy of the covering letter and the first page of a petition signed by approximately 200 members of the Academic staff who referred to themselves as the Teaching and Research Action Group. The Vice-Chancellor informed the Deans of the University's procedures in respect of handling petitions received by Council. He informed the Committee that he intended to take the petition to the next meeting of Council.

MIL

The Vice-Chancellor had met a group of 14 staff from the Teaching and Research Action Group and informed the Committee of their major concerns which included lack of research funding, some dissatisfaction with respect to the appointments of Associate Deans (Research) and a number of general complaints. The Vice-Chancellor said that he had agreed to continue discussing the concerns with the group.

The Committee of Deans discussed the nature of the complaints being made at some length and how the matter should be addressed. There appeared to be a lack of knowledge amongst some academic staff relating to the effect on the University of the clawback arrangements and what work has been undertaken to generate more research funds.

The Vice-Chancellor tabled a paper which he proposed to distribute to Council members and members agreed to adopt this paper with a number of amendments. The Vice-Chancellor also undertook to prepare a document outlining the action taken by the Central Administration to generate additional research funding and what representation had been made on behalf of the University.

MIL

In an endeavour to improve communications with academic staff, both the Vice-Chancellor and the Deputy Vice-Chancellors had attended some Faculty Board meetings to provide information and to obtain comments from staff. He further mentioned to Deans that the Registrar and the Comptroller had offered to attend Faculty Board meetings if invited to do so.

41. Urgent Matters

41.1 Academic Profiles

The Committee was informed that the University's academic profiles information was required by 30 June and the Comptroller will be distributing a timetable to the Deans for the steps involved in this process. The Deans agreed that some special meetings may be required to consider this matter. Mr Wade also informed the Deans that a sum of $M1.1 had been deducted from the University's budget by the Commonwealth as a repayment of a loan previously made to provide for early retirement, and as the University had made provision in the budget for this sum, this amount would be available for distribution in accordance with the formula used to distribute the budget across the University. A paper was tabled outlining the distribution.

41.2 Budgetary Process

The Comptroller tabled a paper concerning the University's budgetary process and in speaking to the matter, Mr Wade mentioned the necessity for getting an input from the Deans early in the deliberations. The Deans agreed to consider ways in which meetings could be held to consider the process. It was also noted that Planning and Analysis Branch and Budgets were endeavouring to quantify a number of plans which had been put forward last year. The Committee considered that there were a number of philosophical issues which could be addressed including the relative funding model and a number of other matters prior to figures being produced. Professor Porter also mentioned that an input from the PhD and Scholarships Committee was required.

At this stage of the meeting the Vice-Chancellor retired and Professor Hay assumed the Chair.

It was agreed that an informal meeting of Deans be convened by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) to discuss the academic basis of the budget process as soon as possible. Deans were asked to supply a list of points requiring consideration.

42. Research Matters

Professor Vaughan mentioned DEET requirements in regard to research statistics and informed the Committee that he considered the research management process which had been implemented this year was starting to work.

43. Overenrolment

This item was deferred as Professor Williams had to leave the meeting early.

D16/91

44. Sir Hayden Starke Chair of Law

This item was deferred as Professor Williams had to leave the meeting early.

D17/91

45. Establishment of Chair of Hospital and Community Psychiatry, Alfred Hospital

This matter was deferred until the next meeting of the Committee.

46. Chair of Respiratory Medicine

A paper was tabled at the meeting and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine spoke to the matter. The Committee gave approval to the proposal for the Chair of Respiratory Medicine.

47. Establishment of Position of Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medicine

The Committee received a proposal (D18/91) for the establishment of a position of Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medicine. Professor Porter explained the background to the proposal and arrangements which had been implemented in the Faculty of Medicine in the last year or two. Professor Porter said that the occupant of such a position would concentrate on internal administration whilst the Dean spent much of his time on external relationships with affiliated hospitals, Victorian Department of Health and so on.

The Deans gave preliminary support to the proposal noting that the issues of establishing a Deputy Deanship and establishing such a post at professorial level needed to be separated. The Committee agreed that provision should be made for the creation of Deputy Deans in other faculties where appropriate. A consequence of the change would be the necessity to reconsider the role of Associate Deans.

48. Staff Development for Senior Academics

It was agreed to defer this item until the next meeting of the Committee.

D19/91

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Committee of Deans will be held on Monday, 3 June commencing at 2.15 pm in the Council Room.