Committee of Deans Meeting 15-1993

Meeting No. 15/93 of the Committee of Deans was held on Tuesday, 7 December 1993, in the Council Room, University Offices, at the Clayton campus, between 2.15 and 4.15 pm.

There were present:

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

Professor R.J. Pargetter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Projects)

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

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

Professor J.S. Whitelaw, for 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 W.A. Brown, for Dean, Faculty of Engineering

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 I.D. Rae, Dean, Faculty of Science

Apologies were received from Professor Logan, Professor Darvall and Professor Snedden

In attendance were:

Mr P.B. Wade, General Manager

Professor R.McD. Anderson, Campus Director, Frankston

Ms O. Cornelius, Academic Registrar

Mr G.F. Neat, Executive Director, University Development

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

M I N U T E S

126. Minutes

The minutes of Meeting No. 14/93 held on 16 November 1993, copies of which had been circulated, were confirmed and signed.

127. Matters Arising From the Minutes

Nil.

128. Report of the Acting Vice-Chancellor

128.1 1994 Undergraduate enrolment targets

The Committee received a tabled draft document which detailed DEET and state funded 1994 school leaver/TAFE transfer targets, together with estimated commencing undergraduate and total undergraduate student load targets. The data presented were intended to be a guide for deans to assist them in achieving targets.

During discussion, the Committee noted that:

. the DEET school leaver target of 4050 was to be increased to reflect a school leaver intake to Nursing of approximately 200;

. if the total undergraduate load target was not met, the University's funding from the federal government was to be reduced accordingly, at a rate of 1xHECS for each unfilled place;

. if faculties over-enrolled, costs were to be covered by the faculties concerned;

. a conservative number of first round offers, with any shortfall to be addressed through final round offers, was a strategy Deans may wish to employ to assist in achieving targets;

. while under enrolment in some faculties could be covered by over enrolment in others, such variations needed to be planned and approved by the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor;

. a Selection and Enrolments Processes Committee had been established, with membership comprising faculty registrars and staff from the statistics office and MUSIS; the Committee was to ensure faculties received appropriate statistical information in a timely fashion, to monitor the offer/enrolment processes and implement mechanisms for adjustment as required;

. the new common application form for admission to universities and TAFE colleges appeared to have had some impact on applications for admission, with an apparent drop in applications for courses offered at Gippsland and Frankston; some impact on applications to the faculties of Engineering, Computing and Information Technology, and on the Sub-Faculty of Art and Design had also been identified;

. a finalised document, including Nursing targets was to be IWC distributed to deans in the near future; . on receipt of DEET guidelines for local fee-paying PBW postgraduate courses, a clear policy statement on the matter was to be distributed to deans; postgraduate students who sought loans to assist them in paying fees could approach their banks for a personal loan.

128.2 Report of the Executive

The Committee received a tabled paper which listed items discussed by the Executive at meetings held on 23 November, 2 December and 6 December 1993.

Deans were advised on the following matters.

i) Quality Visit

Deans noted that:

. the visiting team were particularly interested in the University's procedures for monitoring activities in faculties and for ensuring faculty procedures complied with University policies;

. preparation for the next Quality review, which was to focus on teaching and learning, was to commence early in 1994.

ii) The new structure of the Personnel Services Division

The Committee received a tabled paper which showed the new structure of the Division, and noted its focus on client services.

iii) Monash international activities in Malaysia and Indonesia

Deans noted the advice of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International Programs and Development) that while the University had reduced its exposure in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, it was anticipated that the current political dispute between the Malaysian and Australian governments could result in a decline in applications for admission in 1994 from Malaysian applicants.

It was also anticipated that the commencement in June 1994 of the English for Academic Purposes course in Indonesia, offered in conjunction with UNSW, would go some way towards covering any decline in enrolments of Malaysian applicants.

The Dean of Medicine briefed the Committee on progress in relation to the proposal to conduct clinical medical education in Malaysia through a twinning arrangement, advising that a planned meeting in November with Malaysian representatives had not eventuated and that no further contact from Malaysia had been received.

The Committee noted that the decision of the Singapore authorities to register for medical practice only graduates of courses offered by the Universities of Sydney and Melbourne had been raised by deans of faculties of medicine with the Minister for Employment, Education and Training. It was also noted that the Australian Medical Council, the body responsible for accrediting medical schools, had stated that there was no academic ground for the Singapore decision.

(iv) Berwick

The Acting Vice-Chancellor advised that the government was proceeding to purchase land at Berwick, that $11m was available to the University for capital development of the site, and that the government wanted a commitment from the University to proceed with development.

The University was interested in offering some courses at the site, but did not wish to transfer student load to the campus, given its view that load was appropriately associated with faculties/courses, not with campuses. Its request for an additional $16m to develop the site had been declined by the government.

A proposal was being developed to proceed with developing the campus, allocating $9m of available funds to buildings and $2m to establishing network faculties to provide for transmission of teaching from other campuses.

(v) Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics

The Committee noted that an offer of appointment to this position had been declined; the process to appoint to the position was to re-commence.

129. Urgent Matters

129.1 Faculty of Professional Studies Deficit

The General Manager advised that the accumulated deficit of the Faculty of Professional Studies was not to be transferred to host faculties. It was to be carried by the central administration for 12 months, at the end of which time it was to be funded by an allocation `off the top' of the 1995 budget to host faculties. Any additional deficit in the area relating to the former faculty would be the responsibility of the host faculty.

The Committee noted that a Monash Restructuring/Early Retirement Fund was to be established, and, while details of its operation were yet to be finalised, it was anticipated that:

a) where restructuring occurred as a result of decisions taken by the University, the Fund would contribute to the costs of associated redundancy/retirement payouts;

b) faculties would be able to apply for a loan from the Fund in order to expedite redundancy/retirement processes initiated by them.

130. Research Matters

No matters were raised.

131. Enterprise Bargaining

IWC OC

The Acting Vice-Chancellor advised that he had invited the local branch of the NTEU to consider the establishment of an enterprise bargaining framework agreement at this University as soon as possible. Such a framework would identify issues for inclusion in an enterprise agreement.

Deans were invited to refer to Professor Chubb recommendations for issues to be included in the framework agreement.

The Committee noted that the matter was to be further considered at the February 1994 meeting, when approximately one hour was to be set aside for the purpose. A paper detailing issues raised by deans was to be circulated prior to that meeting.

132. Funding Model

The Acting Vice-Chancellor was to keep the Committee informed IWC of developments in this area.

133. Other Business

Nil.

134. Next Meeting

The Committee noted that the next meeting of the Committee was scheduled for 2.15 on Tuesday, 18 January 1994, in the Faculty of Arts, Room S703, Humanities Building, at Clayton Campus.