Committee of Deans Meeting 13-1993

Meeting No. 13/93 of the Committee of Deans was held on Tuesday, 26 October 1993, in the Civil Engineering Seminar Room, 1st floor, Building 60, Faculty of Engineering, at the Clayton campus, between 2.15 and 3.40 pm.

There were present:

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

Professor I.W. Chubb, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics

Professor P.LeP. Darvall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Dean, Faculty of Engineering

Professor L.H.T. West, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International Programs)

Professor J.L.C. Chipman, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Gippsland Campus)

Professor G.C. Clark, Acting Dean, Faculty of Arts

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

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

Professor A.J. Duggan, Acting Dean, Faculty of Law

Professor R. Porter, Dean, Faculty of Medicine

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

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

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

An apology was received from Professor R.J. Pargetter.

In attendance were:

Professor R.McD. Anderson, Campus Director, Frankston

Ms O. Cornelius, Academic Registrar

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

M I N U T E S

105. Minutes

The minutes of Meeting No. 12/93 held on 5 October 1993, and of the Special Meeting held on Monday, 11 October 1993, copies of which had been circulated, were confirmed and signed.

106. Matters Arising From the Minutes

No matters were raised from the minutes.

107. Report of the Vice-Chancellor

107.1 Stopwork Action - Academic Staff - 14 October 1993 The Deputy Vice-Chancellor reported on the impact of the recent MIL stopwork action, and the Committee noted that approximately 254 IWC academic staff and 140 general staff were reported to have been on SEH strike and that, while some lectures were rescheduled few were cancelled outright.

While the effect of the strike was seen to be patchy, concern was expressed about proposed industrial action to withhold students' annual assessment results (with some exceptions) and to publicise union grievances in overseas media.

Following discussion it was agreed that consideration be given, after the Council meeting of 1 November 1993, and in the light of relevant outcomes of that meeting, to distributing to all staff a letter from the Vice-Chancellor which outlined the University's position on the issues of concern to the union.

107.2 Executive Report

Deans were briefed on matters discussed at meetings of the Executive on 11 October and 18 October 1993, including:

. the Monash research image and advertising;

. proposed stocktake on agribusiness courses;

. an increase in applications for admission in 1994 from international students; a strategy for management of the international students' program, to be developed through the International Programs Board; and the initiation by the Vice-Chancellor of a paper on the meaning of an international university and how that works;

. a workshop for senior staff on enterprise bargaining was to be IWC held on 2 November 1993. It was agreed that a glossary of terms, PBW prepared by Professor John Niland, UNSW, was to be distributed to OC participants prior to the workshop, and, after the workshop, Deans would develop an agenda of issues for negotiation under enterprise bargaining;

. the Monash Society in Indonesia;

. MUFY (Monash University Foundation Year) in Indonesia;

. engineering courses by Distance Education at Gippsland;

. recent staff training programs on how to handle bomb threats. PBW It was agreed that Telecom should be approached for assistance in tracing bomb threat phone calls; and

. the establishment of twenty short-term visitor parking places.

108. Urgent Matters

108.1 Responsibility for Course Advice Deans approved the following disclaimer for the Student Information Deans Handbook and for faculty handbooks, for insertion in a prominent place GFN and ideally in the front of handbooks.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR COURSE ADVICE Students are advised that, while the Faculty will endeavour to give every possible assistance and advice concerning subject choice, the onus is on students to ensure that subjects selected meet the degree regulations and requirements. This is not the Faculty's responsibility and the Faculty does not take any responsibility for error in subject selection.

The Committee noted that, for 1994, the statement could be inserted only in the Student Information Handbook and in faculty handbooks where deadlines allowed.

108.2 Medical School in Malaysia

The Dean of Medicine reported that he was finalising a document, for RP referral to the Vice-Chancellor, on the conditions for a twinning arrangement with a private institution in Malaysia, to provide a Monash medical degree to students who had completed three years pre-clinical study in Australia/New Zealand and three years clinical experience in Malaysia.

109. Research Matters

109.1 NHMRC Grants

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) advised that it appeared likely that approximately 40% of Monash applicants for grants had been successful. This information was yet to be confirmed, and reflected a lower success rate than had been achieved in 1992.

109.2 Advertising and the Monash Research Image

The Committee noted that a range of publicity initiatives was under consideration to reflect the width and depth of research undertaken at the University.

110. Proposal for an Induction Program for newly appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Pro Vice-Chancellors and Deans

The Committee approved the previously circulated proposal (D50/93) IWC and agreed that an additional item be included on the induction SEH program, to provide for newly appointed senior staff to visit all Deans/faculties/campuses.

Suggestions relating to meetings of such staff with student bodies and staff associations were noted.

111. Proposal for a Postgraduate Education Committee

Following consideration of the proposal (D51/93), the Committee OC agreed that it would be more appropriate to recommend to the Academic Board the establishment of an Education Committee, as detailed in the attached document.

112. Chair at Syme Business School - Gippsland

The Committee approved, for referral to Council, a recommendation OC from the Board of the Faculty of Business and Economics for the BRM establishment of a Chair at the Syme Business School, Gippsland (D52/93).

113. Appointments

The Committee noted that, in due course, the Vice-Chancellor was to MIL bring forward a nomination of a Dean to succeed Professor Freebairn on Council's Personal Chairs Committee under the category of `Two Deans'.

114. 1994 Meetings - Venues

The Committee approved the following venues for meetings scheduled Deans for 1994. OC

Tues 18 January 2.15 pm Faculty of Arts

Wed 02 February (AB) 12.00 noon Council Room

Tues 22 February 2.15 pm Faculty of Science

Wed 16 March (AB) 12.00 noon Council Room

Wed 06 April (Easter) 2.15 pm Faculty of Law

Wed 04 May (AB) 12.00 noon Council Room

Tues 24 May 2.15 pm Clayfield Room, Caulfield Campus

Wed 08 June (AB) 12.00 noon Council Room

Tues 28 June 2.15 pm Faculty of Education

Wed 20 July (AB) 12.00 noon Council Room

Tues 09 August 2.15 pm Frankston Campus

Wed 31 August (AB) 12.00 noon Council Room

Tues 20 September 2.15 pm Victorian College of Pharmacy

Wed 12 October (AB) 12.00 noon Council Room

Tues 01 November 2.15 pm Gippsland Campus

Wed 23 November (AB) 12.00 noon Council Room

Tues 13 December 2.15 pm Faculty of Medicine

115. Other Business

115.1 Australian College of Law

The Acting Dean of Law advised that an `Australian College of Law' had advertised that it was intending to provide University of London law courses, and that, apparently, enrolled students would have access to the Monash Library. The Committee noted that the matter was being investigated and, if necessary, would be referred to the University Solicitor.

Next Meeting

It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee was scheduled to be held at 2.00 pm on Tuesday, 16 November 1993, at Gippsland Campus and that arrangements were in hand for transport and lunch at the campus prior to the meeting.