Committee of Deans Meeting 14-1992

Meeting No. 14/92 of the Committee of Deans was held on Tuesday, 15 September 1992, in Council Room, University Offices, at the Clayton campus, between 2.15 and 4.25 pm.

There were present:

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

Professor R.J. Pargetter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Arts

Professor T. Kennedy, Pro-Vice-Chancellor

Professor L.H.T. West, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Internat'l Programs and Development)

Professor P.C. Chandler, 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 D.M. deKretser, Acting Dean, Faculty of Medicine

Professor J. Zimmer, Acting Dean, Faculty of Professional Studies

Professor S.A. Crossley, Acting Dean, Faculty of Science

Professor C.B. Chapman, Dean, Victorian College of Pharmacy

An apology was received from Professor R. Porter

In attendance were:

Mr J.R. Leicester, Acting Registrar

Mr P.B. Wade, Comptroller

Ms C.E. Anderson, Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor

Mr M.D. Watson, Secretary

M I N U T E S

95. Minutes

The minutes of Meeting No. 11/92 held on 25 August, copies of which had been circulated, were confirmed and signed.

96. Matters Arising From the Minutes

No matters were raised from the minutes.

97. Vice-Chancellor's Report 97.1 Personal Chairs Professor Logan informed Deans of the view of the Personal Chairs Committee that personal chairs should continue to be restricted to those who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship, for the first twelve months at least since the introduction of fixed-term professorships as an alternative avenue of promotion. He advised Deans in any case to await the outcome of the current promotion round for readers and associate professors before considering any further chair-level appointments. 97.2 Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee Professor Logan briefed Deans on a matter that was discussed by a number of Vice-Chancellors present in Sydney on the preceding day for a meeting of the AVCC. 97.3 University Budget Professor Logan reiterated his view that the 1993 operating budget should strengthen the University's commitment to higher degrees by research. He said he would be highlighting this matter in his statement to accompany the budget, and reminded Deans of the decision taken at the previous meeting (Minute 94.2) for the University to try and fund ten additional Monash Graduate Scholarships for 1993. Deans were also reminded of the request for them to submit Deans 1000-word faculty planning statements suitable for incorporation with the 1993 budget papers.

97.4 Open Learning Initiative

Professor Logan informed Deans that he expected within the next day or so to receive an invitation from Mr Baldwin for Monash to manage the Commonwealth open learning initiative in terms that would be acceptable to the University. Although it would be managed by a company at arms length from the University, he said, the initiative raised important issues for Monash, and needed above all an absolute commitment to quality.

97.5 University Companies

In view of questions raised at Council of late about certain University-operated companies - the David Syme Management Education Centre Pty Ltd in particular - Professor Logan said he intended to have a set of guidelines prepared to govern the establishment and operation of companies formed pursuant to section 3B of the Act. Mr Wade said he would welcome comments from a faculty perspective that might assist in this exercise.

97.6 Profile Visit

Professor Logan reported that the DEET visit on 7 September in regard to the University's educational profile for the 1993-95 triennium had been low key with nothing much said. The only substantive issue raised was Education, which, he said, was currently being reviewed in view of concerns in some quarters about an over-supply of teachers and teacher training courses not being relevant to what was happening in schools. In this regard, Professor Pargetter tabled the appended paper summarising the issues raised in a DEET discussion paper on the subject released in August.

Professor Logan said it might be timely for a review to be undertaken of the Faculty of Education in which case, he said, it may be prudent to delay making appointments to the two advertised Chairs of Education. Professor Aspin said he was supportive of any review of his faculty but would like to take up with the Vice-Chancellor the question of the two chairs.

97.7 1993 Commencing Load

Further to the action agreed to at the previous meeting (Minute 94.3), Professor Logan tabled the appended paper giving details of the University's commencing student load for 1993 including decisions taken by him in regard to the bids made by Deans for the 110 additional DEET-funded EFTSU and the 552 new places foreshadowed by the Victorian coalition parties.

97.8 Communication with DEET

Professor Logan stressed to Deans the importance of all Deans communication with DEET being routed through the Vice-Chancellor's office. This was the only way, he said, that Monash could be seen to be communicating with Government with one voice.

98. Staff Development

The Committee received the appended paper tabled by Professor Pargetter and noted the three discrete sources of external funding available to support staff development initiatives.

On the related matter of quality, the Secretary was asked to MDW circulate with the minutes the University's response to the Chubb Report.

99. Senior Remuneration Programe

The Committee received but agreed to defer consideration of MDW until its next meeting the appended paper tabled by Professor Pargetter.

100. Admissions Matters

The Committee received and noted the appended papers and recent editions of Schools Update tabled by Professor Pargetter largely expanding on the oral report he made at Meeting No. 11/92, Minute 87.4.

101. Graduation Ceremonies

The Committee received the appended paper and proposed Deans schedule of graduation ceremonies for 1993 tabled by Mr Leicester. It was agreed that Deans should canvas views within their faculties on the matters raised therein and convey their preferred positions to Mr Leicester within the following week.

102. Graduate Scholarship and Support Matters

The Committee agreed that the appended paper referred to it PRH from the PhD and Scholarships Committee be considered by the Central Budgets Committee in the first instance.

103. HECS Matters

The Committee received and noted without substantive comment PRH the appended paper referred to it by the PhD and Scholarships Committee.

104. Chair of Psychiatry, Box Hill Hospital

After noting the action taken by Academic Board at its VMK meeting on 9 September, the Committee received and endorsed the appended proposal from the Board of the Faculty of Medicine for a wholly externally funded Professor/Associate Professor - Director of Hospital and Community Psychiatry at Box Hill Hospital, D58/92.

105. Course Regulations in Faculty Handbooks

The Committee endorsed the proposal contained in the appended JRL paper submitted by the Acting Registrar, D59/92.

106. Committee of Associate Deans (Research)

The Committee deferred consideration of the appended minutes MDW of the meeting of CADRES held on 23 July pending the return from leave of Professor Porter.

Next Meeting

It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee was scheduled to be held at 2.15 pm on Tuesday, 6 October, in the First Floor Meeting Room, B Block, Faculty of Medicine, at the Clayton campus.