Committee of Deans Meeting 3-1995

Meeting No 3/95 of the Committee of Deans was held on Tuesday 28 February 1995, in the Council Room, University Offices, Clayton Campus, between 2.15 pm and 5.00 pm.

There were present:

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

Professor R J Pargetter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor P LeP Darvall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor J L C Chipman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor L H T West, Pro Vice-Chancellor

Professor M Quartly, Dean, Faculty of Arts

Professor A Russell for Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics

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

Professor R T White, Dean, Faculty of Education

Professor W H Melbourne, Dean, Faculty of Engineering

Professor C R Williams, Dean, Faculty of Law

Professor R Porter, Dean, Faculty of Medicine

Professor J W Warren, Dean, Faculty of Science

Professor C B Chapman, Dean and Director, Victorian College of Pharmacy

Apologies were received from:

Professor P C Chandler, Pro Vice-Chancellor

Professor J A Rickard, Pro Vice-Chancellor & Dean, Faculty of Business & Economics

In attendance were:

Ms O Cornelius, Academic Registrar

Ms C E Anderson, Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor

Mr P Summers, Policy Adviser

Mr J White for General Manager

M I N U T E S

1. Minutes

The minutes of Meeting No 2/95 were confirmed and signed, subject to the following amendments:

Page 5, dot point 3, line 2 Amend line to read '... promotion paths to Level E to Personnel Services ...'

Page 6, item 5, line 3 Amend line to read '... Monash Research Fund and that ARC and NHMRC fund applications were due out ...'

2. Matters arising from the Minutes not dealt with elsewhere in the Agenda

2.1 Berwick Campus

Mr Peter Annal, Director, Computer Centre and Mr Neil Clarke, Project Coordinator, Computer Centre presented to the Committee an overview of the Monash Tele Teaching Project, to ultimately provide for tele teaching across Berwick, Gippsland, Clayton and Caulfield campuses, and for introduction at Berwick by the beginning of 1996. The implementation schedule for the project provided for training and familiarisation of staff in the use of the new technology, and for the development of course materials, during Semester 2 1995 (D10/95).

Professor Chipman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor Bellamy, Dean, Faculty of Computing and Information Technology were invited to advise the Committee of progress in implementation of the Project.

2.2 1995 Student Selection

Professor Pargetter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, tabled documents detailing 1994 scaled scores corresponding to Board of Studies study scores, and VTAC analyses of the top 10% and 5% of candidates in the 1994 VCE in relation to certain areas of study (D16/95). He also advised the Committee of TER verification processes that would be implemented in 1996, to replace the case-by-case verification process in place in 1995.

The Committee noted that the verification of the VTAC selection process was under review by the Board of Studies.

3. Vice-Chancellor's Report

3.1 Directions for the Future

The Vice-Chancellor advised that a small group, possibly to include some Deans, had been established to set an agenda of items for consideration in drafting a document outlining future directions for the University. The document was to include a section which addressed University wide issues, such as funding, education policies and international students; the major part of the document was to present statements by Deans on their views as to the future of their faculties, with account being given to their presence on the various University campuses, where relevant.

The Committee noted that:

Professor Pargetter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, was to liaise with Deans on the development of faculty/campus submissions to the document, for referral to the Committee of Deans in due course;

the Dean, Faculty of Law was to forward to the Vice-Chancellor a draft of a position paper he had prepared relating to the Faculty of Law, for consideration as a guide to developing a format for faculty submissions;

it was anticipated that a finalised document would be available to be referred to Council in June or August 1995.

3.2 Arrangements in the Vice-Chancellor's Office 1995

The Committee received a tabled paper detailing the above information (D17/95).

During discussion, the Vice-Chancellor:

(i) confirmed the role of Deans as academic managers of their faculties and agreed that they should also have a role in University wide activities, such as involvement in planning the University's future directions;

(ii) agreed that the schedule of responsibilities of senior staff be amended to include those of the General Manager, and confirmed the joint responsibilities of the General Manager and relevant Deputy Vice-Chancellors for the development of policies relating to student services and personnel matters;

(iii) confirmed that University reviews of faculties were to be reconsidered and that Deans were to proceed with reviews of centres and departments, in accordance with policy.

With regard to the operations of the Education Committee, to be chaired by Professor Pargetter, Deans noted that a 6 weekly cycle of preparation for meetings was to be introduced, to ensure a focus by the Committee on faculty needs and the smooth referral of faculty submissions through the Committee to the Academic Board.

3.3 Monash Development Fund

The Vice-Chancellor advised the Committee that all commitments of the Fund made in 1994 and prior to that year were to be honoured. While Deans were expected in general to meet faculty needs for development funding in 1995 as far as was possible, the Vice- Chancellor would consider providing some assistance in exceptional circumstances.

3.4 Development of Melbourne's Hospital Network

The Vice-Chancellor advised that the University had been invited to make a submission to the Committee established by the State Government to review the hospital network. The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine was preparing a submission for the University, and was liaising with staff of teaching hospitals and faculty staff.

3.5 World Conference on Status of Women

The Committee noted that the University was to fund a person to attend the above Conference, to be held in Beijing in 1995.

4. Personnel Matters

4.1 Review of Staff Selection and Associated Policies and Procedures

The Committee gave further consideration to the above document (D1/95) and to amendments proposed by the Dean of Law (D11/95).

The Committee agreed that, in the first instance, the document be amended as detailed below, and that it was to be given further consideration at a meeting of interested Deans, to be convened by Professor Darvall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, to be held at 8.00 am on 2 March, for finalisation and referral to the Vice-Chancellor to present to the next meeting of the Academic Board (meeting 2/95).

Preliminary agreed amendments were as follows:

Meeting 2/95 Agenda page

16 Selection Committee for Deans to include three (not two) professors

19 Selection Committee for Chairs to include three (not two) professors of the faculty nominated ...

4.2 Conversion of Contract Appointments

The Committee agreed that this matter was to be further considered at the special meeting cited above, with a more developed proposal to be referred to the next meeting of the Committee.

4.3 Enterprise Bargaining

Professor Darvall outlined details of the University's offer to the NTEU. It was agreed that Deans were to receive copies of the University's framework offer and of the original log of claims and that the matter was to be considered further at the meeting cited above.

4.4 Accelerated Appointment of Professors

A proposal on the above matter was to be considered at the special meeting cited above.

5. Research Matters

Professor Darvall outlined issues currently or recently under attention, as detailed in the document presented (D12/95).

6. International Matters

6.1 A Monash Campus in Malaysia

The Committee considered and gave in principle support to a proposal for the establishment of a Monash campus in Malaysia (D15/95).

7. Faculty Matters

7.1 Reviews of Faculties

The Vice-Chancellor suggested that consideration of the matter of regular University reviews of faculties and associated policy and procedures (D6/95) be deferred, pending a discussion with the Dean, Faculty of Law.

7.2 Sir John Latham Chair of Law

The Committee endorsed a proposal from the Board of the Faculty of Law to advertise and fill the Sir John Latham Chair of Law.

7.3 Review of the Faculty of Science

The Vice-Chancellor advised that a small sub-committee had been established to consider Recommendation 1 of the report of the review of the Faculty of Science. The sub-committee would report on its findings to the Committee of Deans; its membership comprised:

Professor R J Pargetter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Professor M Quartly, Dean, Faculty of Arts
Professor J Warren, Dean, Faculty of Science
Professor C R Williams, Dean, Faculty of Law
Professor R Porter, Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Mr P B Wade, General Manager, or nominee from Financial Services Division.

8. Reports of Administrative Divisions / Departments

The Committee noted that reports on the following areas will be presented to the next meeting of the Committee:

Personnel Services
Student Services
CASMAC

9. General Business

9.1 Joint Commonwealth/Industry Funded Additional Places Scheme

The Committee noted advice of the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training to the effect that the University was to be allocated $215,280 for new intakes under the above scheme in 1995, together with $71,210 for the pipeline effect of previously allocated places (D14/95).

9.2 Agenda Format

Proposals for inclusion of the following items on agendas were endorsed:

Financial Matters
Development and Planning
Urgent Matters (to follow the Vice-Chancellor's Report)

9.3 Proposal for a Valedictory Ceremony

Professor Pargetter advised that a proposal from the Education Committee concerning the introduction of a valedictory ceremony for the award of University medals was to be referred for consideration to the next meeting of the Committee.

9.4 Dean of Engineering

The Committee farewelled Professor Bill Melbourne, who was attending his last meeting as Dean, Faculty of Engineering; the new Dean, Professor M L Brisk was to take up his appointment on 1 March 1995.

9.5 Schedule of Meetings

The Vice-Chancellor advised that future meetings of the Committee were to be held on a three-weekly basis; he suggested that Deans may wish to arrange additional meetings, to which members of the Executive may be invited, to consider particular issues or to receive information.

10. Next Meeting

The Committee noted that the next meeting was to be held at 2.15 pm on Tuesday 21 March in the Deans' Meeting Room, Ground Floor, University Offices.

Distribution

Vice-Chancellor

Deputy Vice-Chancellors

Pro Vice-Chancellors

Deans

General Manager

Director, University Development

Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor

Deputy Dean, Business & Economics

Director, Organisational Development

Directors, Administrative Divisions

General Manager, OLA

University Librarian

Registrar, Victorian College of Pharmacy

Policy and Legal Counsel

Academic Projects Office

Policy and Planning Directorate (2)

Managers, Administrative Branches

Director, Computer Centre

Faculty Registrars

Director, Administration, Gippsland

Personnel Branch

Director, Professional Development Centre

Director, International Office

SWAS Members