Committee of Deans Meeting 6-1991

Meeting No. 6/91 of the Committee of Deans was held on Monday, 3 June 1991, in the Council Room, University Offices, at the Clayton campus, between 2.15 and 4.45 pm.

There were present:

Professor M.I. Logan, Vice-Chancellor, in the Chair

Professor J.A. Hay, Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

Professor G.N. Vaughan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor T. Kennedy, Pro-Vice-Chancellor

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

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

Professor J.R. Greig, Associate 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 W.A. Brown, Acting 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 C.J. Bellamy, Dean, Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, Professor P.C. Chandler, Dean, David Syme Faculty of Business and Professor P.LeP. Darvall, Dean, Faculty of Engineering.

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

48. Minutes

The minutes of Meeting No. 5/91 held on 17 May 1991, copies of which had been circulated with the agenda, were confirmed and signed.

49. Matters Arising From the Minutes

There were no matters arising from the minutes.

50. Report of the Vice-Chancellor

50.1 Petition to Council

A copy of a memorandum from the Vice-Chancellor to Professor J. Monaghan in his capacity as convenor of the Teaching and Research Action Group, was tabled (D26/91). The Committee noted that Council had approved the recommendations of the Committee of Deans in respect of the establishment of a sub-committee of the Committee of Deans and had referred the matter to the next Academic Board. The Committee had a wide ranging discussion over the issues raised by the Action Group. The Committee resolved that the sub-committee (Vice-Chancellor, Professors Porter and Pargetter) should seek a final meeting with the Group now that the protest meeting had been held.

MIL

50.2 Decanal Membership of Council

A paper was tabled (D27/91) at the meeting from the Vice-Chancellor proposing a division of faculties into quasi non-laboratory/laboratory groups and that representation of Deans on Council rotate in alphabetical order allowing for the facts that the Deans of Law and Engineering have had quite lengthy terms on Council and that the Deanship of Computing & Information Technology has not yet been finalised. The division of faculties is as follows:

Arts Computing & Information Technology

Business Engineering

ECOM Medicine

Education Professional Studies

Law Science

The Committee of Deans therefore recommended the membership on Council of Professor Pargetter to 30 June 1993 and Professor Porter to 30 June 1992.

51. Urgent Matters

51.1 University Profiles

The Committee was informed that a paper on profiles should be available by the next Committee of Deans as the matter was being considered by the Central Budgets Committee on 4 June and a DEET visit was expected in July to negotiate profiles. The University was required to make a submission by the end of June.

51.2 Development Fund

Approximately $M2 was retained in the development fund. It was proposed to retain $M1 to support any successful CRC proposals which would allow $M1 to be made available for distribution. The Comptroller informed the Committee that the normal University policy was to guarantee funding for research projects for a two year period. After discussing alternative procedures for distributing the funds, it was agreed to obtain bids from Deans who would consult with departmental heads. The bids from the Deans should contain comments concerning how the research projects would fit into the academic planning of faculties and whether the projects had faculty support. It was noted that there could be some attractive across faculty proposals and others might be University initiatives proposed centrally.

51.3 Equipment Allocation

It was noted that a small sub-committee comprising Professors Sinclair, Darvall and Bellamy has been established to consider a formula or mechanism for the distribution of equipment grants. The Comptroller reported that a timetable was being produced which would indicate when information from the sub-committee would be required. It was noted that there was a carry forward of unspent funds, much of which was committed, from 1990 to 1991 which was noticeably higher than the carry forward from 1989 to 1990.

51.4 Procedures for Budget, Equipment, and Research Funding

The Comptroller informed the meeting that a timetable was being compiled which would include procedures for budget, equipment, and research funding that would result in funds being allocated by the end of the year and allow time for discussion on the proposed allocations.

52. Research Matters

The Committee of Deans was informed by the Vice-Chancellor that Co-operative Research Centre proposals were currently being examined. The Committee also noted that of some 280 ARC submissions, about 100 had not been accepted so that approximately 180 remained and this was considerably higher than at the same stage last year. A memorandum had recently been sent to Deans concerning the matter.

53. Overenrolment

The Committee of Deans received a paper from Professor Williams which had been deferred from the previous meeting (D16/91). The Comptroller informed the meeting that a paper containing the official statistics of enrolments as at 31 March would be submitted to the Central Budgets Committee meeting on 4 June and this would be forwarded to the next meeting of the Committee of Deans. The Committee discussed a number of reasons for the 1991 overload but agreed to defer further consideration of the steps that might be taken to prevent a re-occurrence of the situation in 1992 pending the receipt of official enrolment statistics.

54. Sir Hayden Starke Chair of Law

The Committee received a proposal from Professor Williams to fill the vacant Sir Hayden Starke Chair of Law which had been deferred from the previous meeting (D17/91). The Committee agreed to recommend to the Academic Board that the Chair be advertised.

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

The Committee received a paper from the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine recommending the advertising of a Chair of Hospital and Community Psychiatry (D20/91). The Committee of Deans agreed to recommend that the Academic Board approve the proposal.

56. Chair in Chemical Engineering

The Committee of Deans received a proposal from the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering for the filling of a Chair in Chemical Engineering (D21/91).

The Committee agreed to recommend that the Academic Board approve the proposal.

57. Staff Development for Senior Academic Staff

The Committee received a paper from Professor Rae which had been deferred from the last meeting of the Committee of Deans D19/91). The Committee agreed with the desirability of a training programme for senior academic staff and Professor Miller undertook to prepare a proposal on behalf of the David Syme Faculty of Business. The Committee considered that some funds should be made available for such training. It was further agreed that Staff Development and HEARU should be involved in the training process. Professor Rae indicated that he would pursue the matter in respect of his faculty.

58. Monash Departmental Scholarships and Monash Research Scholarships

A paper submitted by Professor Hay from Professor A.J. Duggan, Chairman PhD and Research (Scholarship) Committee was received (D22/91). Members expressed concern at the examples contained in the paper. The Committee resolved to refer the matter to faculties with comments being forwarded to the Committee of Deans.

59. Training Guarantee Act

The Committee received a proposal from Professor Hay concerning the inter-relationship of the Training Guarantee Act and Outside Studies Programmes (D23/91). The Committee noted the paper and the necessity for certification that Outside Studies Programmes would meet the requirements of the Act.

60. Semesters

The Committee of Deans received a paper from Professor Hay concerning semester arrangements (D24/91). The Committee resolved to refer the matter to faculties for comment with responses being forwarded to Professor Hay who would report on the matter to the Committee of Deans. It was agreed that responses should be obtained within a period of one month.

61. Responsibility of Individual Officers of the University with Respect to Compliance with OHS Legislation

The Committee of Deans received a paper submitted by Professor Vaughan (D25/91). The Committee resolved to refer the matter to Heads of Departments for advice and that comments should be forwarded to Professor Vaughan within one month.

62. Procedures for Establishing and Advertising Chairs

The Committee of Deans noted that the current procedures for the establishment of a chair, or the advertising of a vacant chair, was a three step process involving the obtaining of preliminary approval from the Committee of Deans, a recommendation from the Faculty Board, final approval from the Committee of Deans following which the matter was referred to the Academic Board and Council for approval. The Committee agreed to change the procedure so that recommendations would be forwarded to the Committee of Deans in the first instance for approval, following approval by the Committee of Deans the matter would be considered by the relevant Faculty Board, and recommendations should be forwarded to the Academic Board and Council by inclusion in the report from the Faculty Board.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Committee of Deans will be held on Tuesday, 25 June commencing at 2.15 pm in the James McNeill Room.