Committee of Deans Meeting 14-1993

Meeting No. 14/93 of the Committee of Deans was held on Tuesday, 16 November 1993, in the Council Room, on the Gippsland campus, between 2.00 and 3.45 pm.

There were present:

Professor I.W. Chubb, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics, in the Chair

Professor W.A. Brown, for 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 M. Quartly, 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 E.M. Campbell, for Acting Dean, Faculty of Law

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

Apologies received from Professor M.I. Logan, Professor P.LeP. Darvall, Professor R.J. Pargetter and Professor R. Porter.

In attendance were:

Professor J.A. Harris, Director, Distance Education Centre (Gippsland campus)

Ms O. Cornelius, Academic Registrar

Mr P.B. Wade, Professor R.McD. Anderson and Mr G.F. Neat were unable to attend the meeting.

M I N U T E S

Distance Education/Open Learning at Monash University

Prior to the commencement of the meeting, the Committee was addressed by Professor J.A. Harris, Director, Distance Education Centre, Gippsland campus.

Professor Harris spoke to a tabled paper, and outlined the dimensions of operations, including student numbers, courses available and disciplines offered through the Monash Distance Education Centre at Gippsland campus. The organisation of the Centre was outlined, together details of the services for development, production and delivery of DEC courses, teaching/learning materials and methods, and recent publications of the DEC.

The Committee received Professor Harris' report with interest.

116. Minutes

The minutes of Meeting No. 13/93 held on 26 October 1993, previously circulated, were confirmed and signed subject to replacement of the report of item 115.1 with the following statement:

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.

117. Matters Arising From the Minutes not listed elsewhere in the RP Agenda OC

117.1 Medical School in Malaysia

The Committee received a tabled paper prepared by Professor R. Porter which detailed a proposal to co-host a clinical medical College in Malaysia.

Salient features of the executive summary of the conditions of the proposal were noted, including:

. a Malaysian commitment to fund construction of the College and to employ essential full-time faculty staff;

. guaranteed membership of the Board of the College for the University;

. appointment of a full-time Planning Dean for 1994, with the first intake in 1995;

. the University to have control of the selection of students and to determine criteria for selection.

The Committee approved the proposal for referral to the Academic Board.

118. Report of the Acting Vice-Chancellor

118.1 Faculty of Business and Economics IWC

The Acting Vice-Chancellor and Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics outlined the major features of a proposed restructuring of the Faculty of Business and Economics, including its reorganisation on a departmental basis and the amalgamation of its two existing graduate schools to form a new Graduate School of Business and Government.

The Committee endorsed the concepts as presented, and noted that a developed proposal was to be referred to the faculty Board, in the first instance, and to the Academic Board for consideration in 1994.

118.2 Industrial Dispute SEH

The Committee noted that, at the most recent hearing before the Industrial Relations Commission on 12 November 1993, the Commissioner had determined that the parties to the dispute, AHEIA and the NTEU, were required to reach conciliation. The Commissioner had suggested that, in event of conciliation not being reached, he would be prepared to arbitrate on the issues at hand. The Commissioner required that the NTEU lift work bans before conciliation commenced, and this issue was to be considered at State Branch meetings of the union in Victoria and NSW on 17 November 1993.

118.3 Enterprise Bargaining

A paper entitled `Answers to some common questions about enterprise bargaining', issued by Professor J Niland, Vice-Chancellor, UNSW, was tabled for information.

During discussion, the Committee noted that:

. the `enterprise' was most likely to be the University rather than the system as a whole;

. it was likely that, within a national framework, the University may be able to negotiate a local agreement;

. while the single bargaining unit would be the NTEU, it may be possible for non-union staff to negotiate in groups on their own behalf.

The issues raised in Professor Niland's paper were identified for further consideration, with views of Deans to be sought at the next meeting. It was suggested that issues the University would wish to include on the enterprise bargaining (EB) agenda would include:

. a bona fide staff appraisal system, flexible enough to suit the needs of faculties but with agreed common principles, such as equity, which would provide for increments to be awarded on the basis of merit, not automatically;

. internal procedures to handle unsatisfactory performance;

. the facility to suspend staff without pay in certain circumstances;

. appeals to be based only on procedural grounds;

. limitation on the accumulation of recreation leave;

. grievance procedures.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor advised that the issue of staff IWC remuneration was currently being explored, and agreed that allowances for Heads of Departments were to be reviewed. He agreed also to arrange for Deans to be provided with data detailing union membership of staff by faculty and campus.

Deans noted that the University would find it difficult to fund productivity linked pay rises. In order to meet that challenge, consideration would need to be given to employing fewer staff, which would increase staff student ratios, or to seeking supplementation from the federal government in the form of a cheap loan which would have to be repaid.

Deans were invited to bring to the next meeting additional Deans suggestions for inclusion on the EB agenda, and noted that another EB workshop was to be conducted.

119. Urgent Matters

119.1 Quotas

In response to a query, the Acting Vice-Chancellor confirmed the following:

. if a faculty exceeded its EFTSU target in a given year, it would not be funded for the excess EFTSU in the following year;

. if a faculty under-shot its EFTSU target in a particular year, its target load would be reduced accordingly, with adjustments for the pipe-line effect, in the following year.

119.2 Funding Model and Control Mechanisms IWC

The Acting Vice-Chancellor confirmed that this matter would be considered at the next meeting.

120. Research Matters

No items were reported.

121. Divisional Administrative Reports

The Committee noted reports received from Heads of Divisions, the University Librarian, the Director of the Computer Centre and the Academic Registrar (D54/93-D61/93).

With regard to the report from the Director of the Computer PRA Centre, the Committee sought clarification of the standard form of address for University generated e-mail, and noted that an instruction book and adequate directory were required by e-mail users.

122. Representation of the Committee of Deans on University Bodies

OC

The Committee determined nomination of its representatives to University bodies as follows:

(i) Occupational Health and Safety Committee

Appointment of a non-laboratory dean, for a term of office of two years from 1 January 1994.

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

(ii) General Library Committee

Appointment of a dean to complete Professor Aspin's term of office, for the period 1 February 1994 - 31 December 1994.

Professor R.T. White, in-coming Dean, Faculty of Education

(iii) Publications Committee (Chair)

For recommendation to the Academic Board, for appointment for a term of office of 3 years, from 1 January 1994.

Professor R.G. Fox, Faculty of Law

(iv) Monash University Club Management Committee

Appointment for a term of office of one year, from 1 January 1994.

Professor L West, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International Programs and Development)

123. Proposed Schedule of Decanal Presentations to Council 1994

OC

The Committee approved the previously circulated proposal (D62/93), with Decanal presentations to Council to take place as follows: Deans 11 April 1994 Professor C.B. Chapman Dean, Victorian College of Pharmacy 27 June 1994 Professor R.T. White, Dean, Faculty of Education 19 September 1994 Professor R. Porter, Dean, Faculty of Medicine 12 December 1994 Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics

124. Other Business

124.1 Accrued Entitlements of Annual Leave

The Committee received a tabled paper which detailed accrued entitlements of annual leave of 40 or more days. Noting the implications for budgets if such accrued leave were required to be paid out, the Committee agreed that measures were to be taken to ensure accrued leave was reduced promptly.

124.2 Faculty Performance Report

A document detailing faculty performance in terms of the 1993 operating budget as at 31 October 1993 was tabled and noted.

124.3 Address by the Hon Kim Beasley, MP

A copy of an address delivered by Minister for Employment, Education and Training on 15 November 1993 was tabled. The Committee noted that the Minister was considering: . reduced funding for undergraduate teacher training courses in Victoria; . allocation of funding/places to institutions on the basis of institutional performance in relation to criteria such as graduate employment outcomes. In this context, the Acting Vice-Chancellor advised the Committee that he was seeking federal government funding to develop an econometric model of the University which would enable proposed adjustments to the University's profile to be trialled and their likely effects noted before decisions were put in place. In due course the implications of the Minister's address were to be considered in the development of the University's strategic plan.

124.4 Developments in Malaysia and Indonesia

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International Programs and Development) briefed the Committee, on the University's recent initiatives in Malaysia and Indonesia. He advised that visits to the University by officials from ventures in both countries would take place before the end of the year, in which Deans would be invited to participate.

125. Next Meeting

It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee was scheduled to be held at 2.15 pm on Tuesday, 7 December 1993, in the Council Room, University Offices, at the Clayton campus.