Committee of Deans Meeting 10-1996
Meeting No. 10/96 of the Committee of Deans was held between 2.15 pm and
3.50 pm on Tuesday, 13 August 1996 in the Sir George Lush Room, Ground
Floor, University Offices 3a, Clayton Campus.
Janice H Newham
jahn
Secretary
96/0669
There were present:
Professor R J Pargetter, Acting Vice-Chancellor, Chair
Professor P LeP Darvall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Professor P C Chandler, Pro Vice-Chancellor
Professor J A Rickard, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean, Faculty of Business
and Economics
Professor M Quartly, Dean, Faculty of Arts
Professor C J Bellamy, Dean, Faculty of Computing and Information
Technology
Professor R T White, Dean, Faculty of Education
Professor M L Brisk, Dean, Faculty of Engineering
Professor C R Williams, Dean, Faculty of Law
Professor R Porter, Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Professor C B Chapman, Dean and Director, Victorian College of Pharmacy
Professor R W Davies, Dean, Faculty of Science
In attendance were:
Mr P B Wade, General Manager
Ms O Cornelius, Academic Registrar
Ms C E Anderson, Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor
Professor B Dunstan, Campus Director, Gippsland Campus
Ms J H Newham, Secretary
Present by invitation was:
Ms Val Clulow, SWAS
Apologies
Professor M I Logan AC, Vice-Chancellor
Professor L H T West, Pro Vice-Chancellor
Dr S Matchett, Executive Director, Marketing and Communications
M I N U T E S
1. Minutes
The Minutes of Meeting 9/96 were confirmed and signed, subject to
amendment as follows: Under the third dot point in item 7.1 1996 Academic
Promotions on page 5: "wishes" to read "wished". In the fourth paragraph
under item 9.1 Facilities and Services on page 8, the first sentence to
read: "Mr Trembath advised the Committee that the 1996 Voluntary Early
Retirement arrangements would, in the long term, save the University
approximately $15,000 pa per position, and that no diminution of service
would be experienced."
2. Matters arising from the Minutes not dealt with elsewhere in the
Agenda
There were no matters arising.
3. Vice-Chancellor's Report
Members were asked to note that following the departure of Professor J L
C Chipman from the University, Professor Barry Dunstan and Professor J
Anderson had been invited to attend meetings of the Committee of Deans in
their capacity as Campus Directors of Gippsland and Berwick Campuses
respectively.
Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor R J Pargetter referred to a recent
announcement from the Dean of Computing and Information Technology,
Professor C J Bellamy, about the Dean's impending retirement, on health
grounds, from the University. Professor Pargetter expressed the support of
the Committee members to Professor Bellamy. He suggested with Professor
Bellamy's agreement that Professor R Willis, who would be Acting Dean from 1
October 1996, might wish to attend meetings of the Committee before that
date.
3.1 Profiles
The Committee received and noted a statement provided by the General
Manager along with a copy of a letter from the Vice-Chancellor to DEETYA
dated 22 July 1996. (D100/96) The General Manager Mr P B Wade indicated that
he would make some remarks about Academic Profiles under item 3.2. The Dean
of Medicine, Professor R Porter, spoke of the uncertainty in relation to
medical student numbers. Suggesting that the University needed a framework
to deal with any government proposals to reduce student load in any course
or to redistribute load between faculties, Professor Porter requested that a
special meeting of the Committee of Deans be arranged to clarify the issues
and determine a position on possible changes of emphasis. The Committee
agreed to such a meeting, to be held after 22 August 1996 when the
implications of the federal budget for Monash would be better known. The
Acting Vice-Chancellor agreed to raise with the Vice-Chancellor the
possibility of the attendance of Vice-Chancellor Designate Professor D A
Robinson at the meeting. Further discussion of the issues involved in the
University's Profiles took place under item 3.2.
3.2 Federal Budget
The Committee received the Higher Education Budget Statement dated 9
August 1996 (D102/96) and a summary of key features in the Budget Statement
(D103/96) prepared by Mr J Levine, Manager Budget and Statistical Services,
both of which had been hand delivered to members during the morning of 13
August. The General Manager informed the Committee that he had set up a
working party, to be chaired by the Director, Student Services, to identify
the likely implications of the Budget for MUSIS, enrolment procedures, etc,
to develop proposals and timetables to implement any necessary changes for
1997, and to report to the Deputy General Manager in order that a discussion
paper be brought to the Vice- Chancellor's Executive Committee and the
Committee of Deans. Mr Wade said that he had asked the working party to
advise him of issues to be explored at a meeting of Minister Vanstone with
Monash representatives scheduled for 22 August 1996. Professor Pargetter
briefed the Committee on a meeting he had attended that morning with the
State Minister for Education, mentioning in particular the Minister's
undertaking to assist universities and facilitate rational planning in
response to the pressure brought to bear by budgetary changes on engineering
enrolments. Members of the Committee raised a number of issues related to
the provisions of the Budget, including: the means of assessing any change
in demand for places, including for courses at regional campuses; the
implications of a student with a load of over 1.00 EFTSU attracting a higher
HECS fee; complexities relating to HECS contributions being differentiated
by discipline; the relationship between the fee income to a faculty, and
HECS liability; cross subsidy between courses, between years of a course and
between faculties; opportunities for greater flexibility in fee structure,
for example, reducing or increasing funding per EFTSU and thereby
overenrolling or underenrolling a particular course; the date on which the
new HECS charges would apply; the question of common or differential HECS
for PhD students; the basis on which the University might take additional
Australian students above the DEETYA funded load; the calculation of HECS
liability for current or past Open Learning students who enrol in an on
campus course after 1997; the timing of the anticipated staff salary
increase and the means of funding it; the possibility of offering a
particular course solely at one campus. Confirming the decision made under
item 3.1 for the Committee to meet to discuss these matters, the Acting
Vice-Chancellor said that members would be contacted and a date set when the
outcome of the meeting of 22 August in Canberra was known.
3.3 Medical Student Numbers and Developments in the Hospital System
The Dean of Medicine, Professor R Porter, tabled a paper dated 12 August
1996 which he had used on that date as a basis for briefing the University's
Council on political, structural and organisational issues affecting the
Faculty of Medicine and the University as a whole. The briefing paper was
received.
(D104/96)
The Committee noted Professor Porter's suggestions as to action to be
taken in the event that medical student places were to be reduced, and his
advice concerning the plans for the Latrobe Regional Hospital and new
hospitals in Knox and the Berwick-Cranbourne corridor.
4. Urgent Matters
4.1 Review of Structure and Reporting Lines in the Subfaculty of Nursing
The Dean of Arts, Professor M Quartly, raised the matter of the report on
Nursing prepared by herself and the Dean of Pharmacy, Professor C Chapman.
She asked if the report could be released as a matter of urgency, to reduce
speculation and to begin the process of consultation and implementation. In
response Acting Vice- Chancellor Professor Pargetter advised that the
Vice-Chancellor's Executive Committee had considered that the report raised
staffing issues and might also have cost implications. Professor Pargetter
said that in view of such issues the Vice-Chancellor had referred the report
for comment to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Darvall and to the Dean of
Medicine before it was to be released publicly, and had documented this in a
memorandum to Professors Chapman and Quartly.
Professor Pargetter undertook to pass on Professor Quartly's concerns to
the Vice- Chancellor and suggested that Professors Darvall, Chapman, Quartly
and Porter meet with the Vice-Chancellor on his return to the University.
5. Research Matters
5.1 Publications Audit
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor P LeP Darvall informed the Committee
that the ARC - KPMG audit of research publications had proven Monash to be
conducting exemplary practice in regard to such matters as certification of
refereed publication, with a few minor exceptions.
Professor Darvall also informed the Committee of impending changes in
personnel in the Research Services Division.
6. International Matters
There were no matters arising.
7. Special Items
7.1 Cost of Note Taking Service Provided by the Disability Liaison Office
In the context of the discussion under item 5.1 about academic staff
carrying out certain obligations in relation to research publications, the
matter of disability support was raised. The Acting Vice-Chancellor and the
General Manager informed Deans that one item in the increasing budget of the
Disability Liaison Office was to pay for note taking where teaching staff
refused to wear microphones to permit audiotaping of the lecture. Deans
agreed that staff should be encouraged to assist students with disabilities
where possible. While it was acknowledged that legislative requirements
existed to ensure assistance for students with disabilities, the Dean of Law
Professor C R Williams warned against the assumption that the legislation
enforced all the activities of the Disability Liaison Office, and said that
reports of problems raised required further investigation.
8. Matters Raised by Deans
8.1 Implications for Monash of Potential Changes to the Metropolitan
Hospitals System in Melbourne, and proposed regional developments
This matter was covered under items 3.1 and 3.3.
9. Reports of Administrative Divisions/Departments
9.1 Professional Development Centre
The Committee was advised that the report which was scheduled for this
meeting from the Professional Development Centre (PDC) would be presented to
the Committee when the current review of the PDC had been completed.
In response to a query about the status of the review, Professor Darvall,
Chair of the review panel, indicated that a report would be available within
about two weeks.
10. General Business
10.1 Report of the Associate Deans (Teaching)
The Committee received and noted the report of Meetings of the Associate
Deans (Teaching) held on 13 February, 29 March, 7 May and 19 June 1996.
(D101/96)
10.1.1 Timetabling of Classes
The Associate Deans Teaching had asked if the new timetable arrangements
(on-the-hour commencement of classes from 1997) were to apply to the
Victorian College of Pharmacy, as this Faculty / Campus had no students
enrolled from other campuses and no tele-teaching.
As the Dean of Pharmacy saw no problem with the new timetable, it was
agreed that the new arrangements would include Parkville campus.
10.1.2 Information Days
Professor Pargetter informed the Deans that the proposal from the
Associate Deans (Teaching) to hold an Information Day before first round
enrolments had emanated from a study at the University of Melbourne. He said
that the study demonstrated a notable reduction in the number of course
changes during the academic year after that University introduced an
Information Day to assist new students with their subject selections.
The Committee agreed to the proposal to trial an Information Day at the
Clayton Campus in certain faculties on the day before VTAC first round
enrolments in 1997.
Faculty Registrars
10.1.3 Receipt of Proceedings
The Committee of Deans received and noted the Proceedings of the meetings
of the Associate Deans (Teaching), under the following item headings:
Discipline Statute;
Admission matters;
Degree legislation and tagged/parent degrees;
Compulsory subjects in degree structures;
Transition;
Enrolment adjustment.
11. Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Committee of Deans will be held at 2.15 pm on
Tuesday, 3 September 1996 in The Sir George Lush Room, Ground Floor,
University Offices 3a, Clayton Campus.
Distribution
Vice-Chancellor
Deputy Vice-Chancellors
Pro Vice-Chancellors
Deans
General Manager
Academic Registrar
Executive Director, Marketing & Communications
Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor
Special Adviser, Information Systems
Professor B Dunstan, Campus Director, Gippsland
Professor J Anderson, Campus Director, Berwick
Head, Sub-faculty of Nursing
Director, Monash University College of Art and Design
Head, Monash Mt Eliza Business School
Deputy General Manager General Manager, Monash International
Directors, Administrative Divisions Managing Director, Open Learning
Agency
University Librarian Director, Computer Centre
Director, Professional Development Centre Policy and Legal Counsel
Managers, Administrative Branches University Solicitor
Faculty Registrars SWAS 1994, 1995, 1996
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