Committee of Deans Meeting 15-1996

Meeting No. 15/96 of the Committee of Deans will be held at 2.15 pm on Tuesday, 26 November 1996 in the Sir George Lush Room, Ground Floor, University Offices 3a, Clayton Campus.

jahn Janice H Newham

96/1050 Secretary

AGENDA

1. Minutes

The Minutes of Meeting No. 14/96 have been circulated.

For confirmation and signature.

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

2.1 1997 Budget Planning, and Services to International Students

At the previous meeting, the Committee agreed to a proposal from the General Manager that the amount listed for LLSU in 1997 be brought up from $400,000 to $600,000 by using $100,000 of surplus LLSU funds not able to be spent in 1996, plus $100,000 representing a mix of contributions from Monash International and the Faculties of Business and Economics and Computing and Information Technology (Minutes 14/96, item 2.2). The Committee is now advised that the $200,000 will be made up of $90,000 of surplus LLSU funds and $110,000 of contributions from Monash International and the two faculties.

For noting.

2.2 Supervision/Evaluation of Staff

At the last meeting (Minutes 14/96, item 3.2), the Vice-Chancellor referred to the Report of the Review of the Professional Development Centre and Council's interest in staff development and performance appraisal within faculties. Professor Logan wrote to Deans and the General Manager on 11 November requesting responses on this matter by 22 November 1996. The attached responses have been received so far:

• Professor R W Davies, Dean of Science
• Professor C R Williams, Dean of Law
• Professor R T White, Dean of Education
• Professor M Brisk, Dean of Engineering
• Professor C B Chapman, Dean of Victorian College of Pharmacy

D137/96
p5-18

For information and discussion.

3. Vice-Chancellor's Report

3.1 Environment Issues in the APEC Region: A Regional Business Perspective

The Australian APEC Study Centre was invited by a group of Australian companies to bring a group of regional business leaders together to consider the importance of environmental issues. The group of regional business leaders, which has become known as the Monash Group, is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor M I Logan AC. Enclosed with this Agenda is a kit containing a statement by the Monash Group together with a review by Regional Business Centres.

For information.

3.2 Report on AVCC Meeting

The Vice-Chancellor will speak to this item.

4. Urgent Matters

5. Research Matters

6. International Matters

7. Special Items

8. Matters Raised by Deans

8.1 Restructure of the Faculty of Business and Economics

At Academic Board Meeting 7/96 held on 16 October (item 8.1) it was agreed that consideration of the name of the proposed Department of Business and Taxation Law be deferred until the Board Meeting 8/96 to be held on 27 November.

A memorandum from Professor J A Rickard, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, dated 18 November 1996, regarding the proposed name of a new department, is attached.

D138/96
p19-20

A memorandum from Professor C R Williams, Dean of the Faculty of Law, dated 13 November on the same matter is attached.

D139/96
p21-24

Professors Williams and Rickard will speak to this item.

For recommendation to the Academic Board and Council.

9. Reports of Administrative Divisions / Departments

9.1 University Development

A report dated 26 November from Ms J Chandler, Director, University Development, is attached. Ms Chandler will be present to give a brief presentation to the Committee.

D140/96
p25-28

For information.

9.2 CASMAC

A Report on CASMAC dated 26 November 1996 prepared by the Deputy General Manager, Mr J S White, is attached.

D141/96
p29-30

For information.

9.3 Research Services

A Report from Research Services Division by Dr T Stokes, Director, Research Services Division, and Mr R Burnet, Acting Director, Research Services Division, is attached. Incorporated in the document are Reports from the Managers of the Research Grants and Ethics Branch, Research Training and Support Branch and the Executive Officer, Animal Ethics.

D142/96
p31-52

Mr Burnet will be present at the meeting to speak to the report.

For information.

10. General Business

10.1 Principal Dates for 1997

The Committee is asked to note that the principal dates for 1997 are accessible on the World Wide Web at:

"http://www.monash.edu.au/unisec/prindates/index97.htm"

11. Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Committee of Deans will be held at 2.15 pm on Tuesday, 28 January 1997 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
Executive Director, Marketing & Communications
Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor
Academic Registrar
Campus Director, Gippsland
Campus Director, Berwick
Campus Director, Caulfield
Campus Director, Peninsula

Agenda for the current meeting is available on the web at:

http://www.monash.edu.au/unisec/notice.htm

Agenda and Minutes for previous meetings available on the web at:

http://www.monash.edu.au/unisec/ctees/ag-min.htm

a:(Deans96)Agenda/15agda96.doc

Committee of Deans 15/96
26 November 1996
Item 2.2
D137/96

Committee of Deans

Meeting 15/96

26 November 1996

RESPONSES TO VICE-CHANCELLOR'S REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON SUPERVISION/EVALUATION OF STAFF

Table of Contents

1. Memo from Professor M I Logan AC to Deans and General Manager dated 11 November 1996

2. The following responses to above memo have been received so far:

• Professor R W Davies, Dean, Faculty of Science
• Professor C R Williams, Dean, Faculty of Law
• Professor R T White, Dean, Faculty of Education
• Professor M Brisk, Dean, Faculty of Engineering
• Professor C B Chapman, Dean, Victorian College of Pharmacy

Document 137/96 is not available electronically

Committee of Deans 15/96
26 November 1996
Item 8.1
D138/96

Committee of Deans 15/96
26 November 1996
Item 8.1
D139/96

Documents 138/96 and 139/96 are not available electronically

Committee of Deans 15/96
26 November 1996
Item 9.1
D140/96

_____________________________________________________________

MONASH UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT

A PRESENTATION TO COMMITTEE OF DEANS

November 26, 1996

_____________________________________________________________

Sometimes, academic excellence hinges on discretionary funding. The capacity to fund a visiting scholar; to provide specialist resources for an outstanding researcher; or to initiate visionary teaching programs which go beyond the mainstream can often requireaccess to funding in addition to that allocated to core programs.

And increasingly, as government allocated resources become compressed, the funding of this margin of excellence will be dependent on how well Monash University enlists the support of the community.

Alumni, corporations, foundations, individuals, friends, parents of students and staff are all potential benefactors to the University, but in seeking a share of their wealth we need to interest and enthuse them about particular programs and ensure they are both nurtured and involved in the University.

It's a truism that people rarely give large amounts of money to strangers - generally they give where they are involved, where their association satisfies their needs for affiliation, status, recognition or more altruistically, where they believe their investment in a program will help change the way people live or work. People give to people and for this reason it's vital that members of the University build and expand their relationships with key prospective donors.

Earlier this year, a University Development office was established, funded by the Monash University Foundation. Ms Jenni Chandler has been appointed as Director and the role of the area is to establish and structure the development function to help the University and its faculties achieve non-government funding in support of academic priorities.

Following a ten week study tour of 11 universities on the west coast of USA (including six weeks with the development staff at UCLA), Jenni Chandler is now working towards the implementation of a development structure which recognises that faculty and academic unit priorities will drive the fundraising function.

The various building blocks to this goal include:

Faculty involvement

Donor prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation and recognition.

Database management

Identification and cultivation of lead volunteers

Policy development

Faculty involvement

Fundraising is never better or clearer than the strategic vision for a faculty and it will be faculty priorities that determine the fundraising priorities.

As a first step, faculties need to identify the giving opportunities for the faculty. Developed as a wish list, these giving opportunities will help set priorities and enable the Office of University Development and the faculty to identify key prospects and seek appropriate matches of opportunity and donor. Giving opportunities may include:

• chairs
• professorships
• scholarships
• bricks and mortar needs
• equipment requirements
• research funding
• naming opportunities
• overseas lectureships

In many ways, the development role is one of brokering the dreams of the faculty -- but an important prerequisite is to know those dreams and their order of importance -both to the faculty and to the University.

Prospect identification

Potential donors are everywhere, and an important role for the Office of University Development is to help faculties identify and research prospects.

An obvious starting point is within the alumni body. Monash has some 90,000 alumni, and faculties to varying degrees are supportive of alumni associations and programs. Generally though we know little about our alumni. Their professional roles, their attitudes to Monash, how they affiliate with the University, their net worth, and their business, philanthropic and community affiliations are all unknown quantities.

Many of our alumni would like to be more involved with the University and many may become significant donors to Monash. The task is to identify these people. To this end the Office of University Development is proposing an Alumni Census, to be mailed in the first quarter 1997 with a covering letter from the new Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Robinson. It is expected that about 30% of alumni will complete the survey and about 30% of those who respond will complete the optional financial data.

The valuable information gleaned from the survey will be available to faculties and academic units to enable them to target key individuals and to begin to cultivate their involvement.

Other donor prospects include foundations, corporations, parents of students, and individuals. The Office of University Development, through its prospect research area, will help identify prospective donors within these constituencies and will work with academic units to maximise, over time, the useful gift support donors are able to provide.

As a first step, the Office of University Development is compiling a catalogue of Foundations, indexed by area of giving. This catalogue will be available to faculties and academic units to enable them to take advantage of the opportunities for funding that foundations provide.

Database management

The current alumni database is more than ten years old and limited in its ability to store data. As a priority in 1997, the Office of University Development in concert with the Alumni Office, will purchase and implement a state-of-the-art alumni/development database. To be fully integrated with existing University systems, the database will give University leaders access to details of alumni, prospects and donors. It will also allow for on-line entry of contact reports so that individual involvement with the University can be easily ascertained and updated.

Top 200 clearing house

A key donor list incorporating high net worth individuals, families, trusts and companies will be compiled by the Office of University Development. The list will be closely managed and it is expected that any approaches to this group will require approval by an appropriate committee. This clearing house approach will ensure that gifts are maximised, that each faculty has the opportunity to approach key donors and that key donors are not subject to simultaneous requests for funds from a variety of areas of the University.

Identification and cultivation of lead volunteers

Groups of volunteers can maximise the fund raising potential of the University. When they believe in the worthiness of philanthropic support, volunteers can take a lead role in identifying, cultivating and asking prospects for gifts. Steering Committees, Boards of Benefactors, Development Boards, or Friends of ... groups comprised of volunteers can serve as advocates with a vested interest in particular faculties or academic units and, if well chosen and well briefed on their role, these board members can be both individual donors and askers of funds.

In developing a volunteer board, faculties should identify one or two key people - people with an interest in the work of the academic unit or faculty, an affiliation with Monash and a capacity to donate. This selection may take some time, but the right initial choices will bring others on to the board. The Office of University Development is available to assist faculties and academic units in identifying and briefing prospective volunteer board members.

Policy issues

Because faculties do not operate in a vacuum, the Office of University Development will work to develop appropriate University-wide policies and procedures which assist the development process. Policy issues such as how gifts should be acknowledged and handled, how donors should be recognised, and what monetary values should be placed on chairs, scholarships, centres etc. will need to be agreed and promulgated.

The Role of the Dean

The fundraising role will be of increasing importance to the future of faculties and to the University as a whole. To enable it to happen, Deans have four tasks:

1. Priority setting

2. Representing the faculty to key alumni, parents, corporations, foundations and faculty friends

3. Asking for gifts

4. Stewardship of donors

The stewardship of donors is vital for several reasons, not least of which is the on-going recognition of donors gifts, but also because donors are key prospects. The most likely person to give to University programs is someone who has already given.

Resources

In assisting the faculties meet their fundraising goals, the Office of University Development will provide resources such as prospect identification, prospect research, database management, policy guidance, planning, training, and advice. In addition, the office will work closely with the Top 200 prospects and will assist in developing appropriate approaches to them.

It is envisaged that through the Office of University Development, three Faculty Advancement Officers will be funded in 1997. These officers will work closely with faculties to help develop and implement fundraising programs.

_____________________________

The fundraising area is a new and exciting challenge which can literally bring big rewards. I look forward to working with you to help you secure your vision for the faculty and to keep Monash at the forefront of university excellence.

Jenni Chandler
Director University Development

November 1996
Committee of Deans 15/96
26 November 1996
Item 9.2
D141/96

MONASH UNIVERSITY

REPORT ON CASMAC TO COMMITTEE OF DEANS

MEETING -26 NOVEMBER 1996

Progress on development and delivery of the five main UniPower CASMAC applications is as follows:

FINANCE

Final stages of acceptance testing of the Finance application are currently taking place at Monash University on software which was delivered by CHA on 11 November 1996 and which includes corrections to errors, the Chart of Accounts enhanced functionality and some of the data loading and interface facilities requested by Monash through UniPower. Formal acceptance of the software is scheduled to occur in early to mid December 1996. A further software delivery will occur during December to provide the remaining data loading and interface facilities and the electronic IDN enhancement.

HUMAN RESOURCES

The Human Resources application was formally accepted by UniPower in October, and will be implemented by the Lead Site, RMIT, early in 1997. A presentation and workshop demonstrating the application, to assist universities planning to implement the software in the near future, will occur at the University of Queensland on November 14th and 15th, 1996.

PHYSICAL RESOURCES

The Physical Resources Application Product Team is currently involved in acceptance testing of the latest version of software. The final version of the software is due for delivery on November 15th for acceptance testing and it is anticipated that acceptance of the application will occur around the end of November, 1996.

STUDENT RECORDS

The preparation of legal agreements covering the recommencement of the Student Records development for the de-scoped application are well under way. RMIT has been selected by UniPower as the Lead Site for the development, which will deliver software for implementation at the Lead Site for the 1998 academic year.

RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY

The Research and Consultancy User Group, following acceptance of the product in 1995, are currently working through requests for enhancements to the application from UniPower member universities.

AT MONASH

Preparation for MUFIN's implementation at Monash is progressing, with the development of data conversion programs and the MUFIN/ISIS and MUFIN/MUSIS interfaces well advanced. The development of these programs has been facilitated by the addition of short term analyst and programming resources in A&MIS.

A major focus currently is the determination and documentation of the financial and administrative procedures within which the MUFIN system will operate. Also, strategies are being prepared for the testing of the software at Pharmacy then Gippsland campuses in parallel with their existing financial systems.

The GUI version of the training materials for MUFIN are close to completion and detailed, hands-on training of Pharmacy staff in the use of the system has commenced.

Other implementation issues such as the confirmation of hardware requirements, system security processes, and additional reports and/or enquiries required by Monash are still being progressed.

Because of the slippage in delivery and acceptance of the Finance software by UniPower from CHA and the resulting clash with end-of-year finance activities, the Monash implementation schedule has been revised. Parallel running at Pharmacy is now planned for late January 1997 and all campuses live on 5 May, 1997.

John S White
Deputy General Manager

Committee of Deans 15/96
26 November 1996
Item 9.3
D142/96

RESEARCH SERVICES DIVISION

REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE OF DEANS

NOVEMBER, 1996

Detailed reports from the Managers of the Research Grants and Ethics Branch, and Research Training and Support Branch, and the Executive officer, Animal Ethics are attached. The Director and Acting Director wish to highlight the following matters:-

Director's consultancy

For six months from September, 1996, to March, 1997, the Director, Research Services, Dr Stokes, is Special Adviser to the Australian Research Council. During this period, the Director, Student Services, Mr Burnet, is Acting for Dr Stokes - who has, however, continued to undertake certain projects for the University, being present on the Clayton campus about one day a week.

Additional administrative load

The year to November, 1996 saw the Research Services Division provide administrative support for two significant initiatives - the Logan Research Fellowship scheme and a second University committee dealing with applications for the use of human subjects in research. Both placed a major strain on the Research Grants and Ethics Branch.

There is little doubt that the Logan Fellowship scheme was a success in its initial round. The five successful applicants are of a quite outstanding calibre, and the scheme has been imitated by several other Australian institutions.

International advertisement of the Logan Fellowships attracted widespread interest and, in the event, just over one hundred applicants. Although an attempt was made to maximise use of the World Wide Web to provide information about the scheme, in fact a considerable number of inquiries had to dealt with by email or hardcopy. In addition, the key staff member within the Research Grants and Ethics Branch was unexpectedly absent on sick leave throughout the selection process.

The decision of the Academic Board to accept the recommendation of its Standing Committee on Ethics on Research on Humans to establish a second central committee doubled the administrative load in this area, with a meeting of committee A or committee B being held every three weeks. Because several subordinate committees were abolished, these new arrangements meant a net transfer of administrative costs from faculties to the General Manager's administration. This is in marked contrast with developments in relation to animal ethics, described below.

No additional staff resources were provided to service the Logan Fellowships, but a position held vacant to meet the reduction in the 1996 budget was eventually filled to provide additional support in human ethics. The Committee of Deans may wish to consider whether these new human ethics arrangements are sensible in the context of subsequent budget cuts.

The second round of Logan Fellowships have now been advertised, with no additional resourcing. In order to support this round, the Research Grants and Ethics Branch will have to reduce service in other areas. Withdrawal of assistance to fast track research contracts is one likely cost.

Animal ethics

As the Deans are aware, the Standing Committee on Ethics in Animal Experimentation has recommended new arrangements for dealing with applications for the use of animals in teaching and research. If approved by at the November Academic Board, these should not only improve timeliness in the dealing with such applications, they should also significantly reduce the administrative load within the Division, assisting it too meet the required budget cuts. An addition, a period of estrangement between the University and the RSPCA has been brought to an end, providing the possibility of the Society's senior officers, voluntary members, and its professional veterinary staff serving on University animal ethics committees.

During the past year, the University has been subjected to a campaign against its use of non-human primates in the study of Parkinson's Disease. As the work is important, funded by the NHMRC, and had proper ethical approval, the University has supported the researchers concerned, and sought to allay public concern about their work.

Use of information technology

The Research Services Division has been a leader in the General Manager's administration in the use of information technology to achieve both increased efficiency and increased effectiveness in its work. The Division and both its Branches have extensive pages on the World Wide Web. Of course these provide a great deal of information to external enquirers, but they have an even more important function in addressing the needs of internal clients - researchers, research administrators, and research students.

One limitation for the Research Training and Support Branch is the patchy and, indeed, somewhat indeterminate extent to which research students have access to email and the Web.

Whilst initially, the use of the Web and email was aimed at improving client service, budgetary constraints have increasingly meant that attention has focussed on reducing the administrative load associated with the delivery of client service. A major effort to extend these economies will be undertaken in the next year.

CASMAC research and consultancy module

During 1996, the CASMAC research and consultancy module was partially implemented by the Lead Site, La Trobe University, and at the University of Adelaide. The University of South Australia and the University of Newcastle are currently beginning to implement the module. At present, only the Sponsors and Applications sub-systems have been thoroughly implemented at La Trobe and Adelaide. The Grants and Project Management sub-system will probably be used for the first time 'in anger' in 1997. Some patchy application of the Ethics sub-system has been done to date. It will probably be fully implemented at some institutions during 1997. La Trobe should also utilise the Publications sub-system in 1997. No institution has yet evinced interest in the Intellectual Property sub-system.

With priority at Monash being given to the implementation of MUFIN, and then to the human resources module, the second quarter of 1998 appears to be the earliest the research and consultancy module could be implemented. The decision to do so, however, remains to be made.

PhD completion and examination

As the Manager, Research Training and Support Branch notes below, average candidature for a PhD at Monash remains four and a quarter years - far too long. On the other hand, average examination time - four months - seems satisfactory. Serious attention should be given to devising mechanisms which bring average candidacy under four years. One possible option would be to introduce it as an element in the formula used to determine the notional quota of scholarships allocated to faculties.

Postgraduate centre

Whilst the Postgraduate Centre has undoubtedly been a success, it makes a significant call on the resources of the Research Training and Support Branch. With two thirds of the users coming from the Faculty of Arts, and PhD students comprising only just over half of users, the question must be asked whether the facility is genuinely needed by all faculties, and whether its administration should remain a central responsibility.

Research grants and fellowships

Generally, Monash performance in attracting research income from the main agencies has been static relative to its competitors for several years (ranked about fifth). The main exception has been in relation to NHMRC project grants, where overall ranking has improved markedly. The Division made a particular effort to target interest in the ARC Collaborative Research Grants scheme during late 1995 and 1996. Although this resulted in a significant improvement in both the number of applications, and of successful applications, our view is that the scheme is still under appreciated. The success rate, 50%, is more than double that for the ARC Large Grants Scheme, as is the average grant . Furthermore, the Federal Government proposes to increase the funding available in both 1998 and 1999. Academic interest is still focused on the ARC Large Grants Scheme, however, even in faculties where support might be more readily available through the Collaborative Research Grants scheme.

Research and research training development activities

At the initiative of the Director, and with the support of Professor Darvall, a successful retreat for the members of the Committee of Associate Deans (Research) was held during 1996. This took place in Bairnsdale, in association with a meeting of CADRES at the Gippsland campus.

The Director was allocated $30,000 in round 3 Quality funding, which has been committed for development of research off the Clayton campus in nursing, art and design and at the Peninsula campus.

On the negative side, previous collaboration between the Research Services Division and the Professional Development Centre took place at a markedly lower level during 1996. The Director of the PDC considered that previous involvement by the Division in staff induction was no longer appropriate - although the Division continued its involvement in staff development for senior academic managers. The Director, Research Services, made a submission on this subject to the 1996 Review of the PDC.

Publications audit

The University' 1994 research publications data, supplied for use in calculation of the Research Quantum, has been audited by KPMG on behalf of DEETYA. The indications are that KPMG found a much higher error rate than we believe to be the case. KPMG are visiting the University on 22 November to provide a detailed de-brief. Our view is that the level of detail provided must be such as will enable reconciliation of the discrepancy. It is currently proposed that, at the same time as the 1996 data are collected, institutions will be asked to re-visit their 1996 data, following which a full audit will be undertaken. Heavy financial penalties (funding + 100%) for unacceptable error rates are proposed. The resource implications of a double collection are very considerable.

New line reporting arrangements for Research Services

The incoming Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robinson, has indicated that from January, 1997, the Director, Research Services Division will no longer report to the General Manager. Instead Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Darvall will have line responsibility for the Division.

Terry Stokes Bob Burnet
Director Acting Director

November, 1996
RESEARCH SERVICES DIVISION

REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE OF DEANS

RESEARCH GRANTS AND ETHICS BRANCH

1. STAFFING

During the year there have been several minor staffing moves:

On 2 February, 1996 Mrs Jean Lacey, secretary to the Executive Officer, Animal Ethics, resigned from her position. Ms Angela Penney was appointed as Administrative Assistant to the Executive Officer, Animal Ethics, from 22 April.

Ms Kylie Philippe was appointed from 30 April, to the position of Administrative Assistant (Grants and Ethics). This position is shared between grants and human ethics, as the workload for ethics has expanded considerably with the additional meetings.

Mrs Fiona King resigned and has been replaced on a casual basis by Mr Dennis Batson from 30 September.

Ms Vivienne Kelly has been on a six-month period of long service leave and annual leave effective from 1 July, 1996.

During this time, Ms Mary Joy Gleeson and Ms Sarah Watson have been appointed to the positions of Acting Manager, and Acting Deputy Manager, respectively. Mr Andrew Evans has been appointed for a six month period to assist with the Branch's workload..

Mrs Christina Perret had unexpected extended leave from 25 March to 19 August, 1996, and her absence put the Branch under considerable pressure.

2. ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY

The Branch continues to take advantage of the opportunities for improvement of processes and procedures afforded by the DITS technology. As an example, Microsoft Access has been extensively used this year for the creation of a number of databases to improve the management of central files, documents, and grant applications in the Branch.

In relation to the GrantMaster database, which contains comprehensive details of all grant applications since 1989, the Branch is currently negotiating with MasterSoft for the provision of software to allow appropriate Faculty and Department staff access to the grants database.

The Branch's WWW page continues to provide a valuable method of communication and distribution of information. The Research Digest, application forms and guidelines for major schemes such as ARC, NHMRC and Logan Fellowships are available on Branch's homepage, as well as general information, publications, and useful links to other relevant government and research homepages.

In 1997 a number of granting bodies, such as the ARC and NHMRC are planning to introduce electronic application forms and submission. Staff of the Branch will be required to familiarise themselves with these new processes and to assist research staff make the transition from paper to electronic applications. This is a major challenge which the Branch is ready to meet both in terms of physical and personnel resources.

3. LOGAN RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

The Branch provided administrative support to the 1996 round of Logan Research Fellowships from early November, 1995 to early June, 1996. Five Fellows were selected in June from a field of 105 applicants.

All applications were considered at the first meeting of the Section Committee. Four selection panels, covering science, humanities, engineering and biomedicial disciplines, shortlisted a total of 26 applicants. Based on additional referee reports, and interviews, the selection panels recommended 10 applicants to the Selection Committee from which five were selected for the award of the Fellowship. The second meeting of the Selection Committee, chaired by Professor PLeP Darvall, comprised of the Associate Deans (Research) and several members who were coopted from the panels.

4. MILESTONES - STATISTICAL DATA

• Research Grants Analysis

In the period between 1 November, 1995 and 31 October, 1996, the Research Grants and Ethics Branch processed 1,829 applications with a potential value of $123,839,537. Almost 264 separate granting bodies and granting schemes were approached to support research at Monash. In this period 485 applications for support were successful, resulting in $31,425,081 being awarded to Monash researchers.

• Data Collections

In 1996 the Branch coordinated the collection of research publications data for publications produced by Monash staff for 1995. In the report of publications data to DEETYA for the Research Quantum data collection, 5093.22 publications were reported. Late in 1996, 8,840 research publications from all departments and centres of the University will be reported in the publication, Research, scholarship, creative and performing art, 1995.

The Branch coordinated the collection of research expertise data from 1,260 academic staff covering more than 120 departments and centres. Research expertise was reported for 445 fields of research and 110 industrial classification codes. The Directory of Expertise will be produced by Marketing and Publications in 1996 using this data.

5. RESEARCH GRANT OUTCOMES

• Australian Research Council - Large Grants and Fellowships

Monash University was awarded 48 new ARC Large Grants out of 214 applications, amounting to $2,562,500 funding for 1997. The success rate of Monash applications was 22.4% compared with the national average of 21.2%. Compared with last year's ARC Large Grants results (51 awarded out of 201 applications, 25.4% success rate), Monash has slightly decreased the number and rate of success of ARC Large Grant applications.

Monash was awarded 1 Senior Research Fellowship out of 4 applications.

Professor Alan Bond, Faculty of Science, was awarded an ARC Special Investigator Award which is valued at $200,000 each year for three years. This is the second Award to Monash since the introduction of the Special Investigator Awards in 1995.

• National Health and Medical Research Council - Project Grants, Equipment Grants, Program Grants, Fellowships

Monash was awarded 45 new grants of $3,009,426 from 104 applications. Of the new grants, 39 were for projects (including one priming grant for a new investigator who has not previously received a project grant), and 6 were for equipment.

Professor David de Krestser was awarded a program grant for five years with funding of $980,000 for each year.

Monash was awarded 1 R Douglas Wright Award, and 2 CJ Martin Awards.

• Public Health Research and Development Council

Monash was awarded one grant of $76,340 from nine applications for project grants.

• ARC Collaborative Grants

ARC awarded 201 grants under this program which had a national success rate of 47.4%. Monash was awarded 11 Collaborative Research Grants from 22 applications (50% success rate) amounting to 1997 funding of $722,841.

Collaborative Grants were awarded to researchers in the Faculties of Science (Earth Sciences (3 grants), Chemistry and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), Arts (Social Work and Human Services (2 grants)), Medicine (Pharmacology (2 grants)), Engineering (Mechanical Engineering), and the Victorian College of Pharmacy.

Funding was provided from the Monash Research Fund for a consultant, Mr Alan Nichols, former DEETYA administrator, to present the aims and objectives of the ARC Collaborative Grant program to Monash researchers, and to review draft applications for the 1997 round.

• Australian Postgraduate Awards (Industry)

Monash University was awarded 10 new Australian Postgraduate Awards (Industry) from 14 applications. Monash's success rate was 71.43%, compared to a national success rate of 45.76%. The number of new awards received by Monash is slightly higher for 1997 than in previous years: in 1995 Monash was awarded 7 new APA(I)s, and in 1994, 8.

• ARC Small Grants

Monash University was awarded $1,882,200 by the ARC for distribution to researchers via the 1997 ARC Small Grants Scheme, compared to $1,791,400 for 1996, and $1,492,400 for 1995. Monash ranked fifth overall behind UNSW, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and University of Queensland in terms of the amount of money allocated. This year the Committee of Associate Deans (Research) has decided to continue to use the formula for the allocation of ARC Small Grants funds to faculties, whereby 25% is based on the number of ARC Large Grant applications made in the current year, and 75% is based on the dollars awarded in the Small Grants round in the previous year. A central moderating committee, with two external members, will examine the faculties' application rankings to ensure equivalence across the University. It is expected that ARC Small Grant awards will be announced in mid-December.

• ARC Research Infrastructure (Block Grants)

Monash University was awarded $5,126,701 in the ARC Infrastructure Block Grant scheme. The Monash University Library was allocated $766,200, to be distributed amongst the Library's branches. The Committee of Associate Deans (Research) decided to allocate $218,701 of the funds centrally to support infrastructure programs within faculties. The remaining $4,141,800 was distributed to faculties based on the proportion of National Competitive Grant funds awarded.

• ARC Research Infrastructure (Equipment and Facilities)

Monash University was awarded $1,026,000 for 1997 for eight projects to be administered by this University. Six additional projects, in which Monash is to participate, were also funded. Compared with last year, Monash has been awarded funding for more projects as the lead institution (two projects in 1996 and five in 1995), fewer projects as an associated institution (eight in 1996 and 1995), and less money than in 1996 ($1,400,000 in 1996 and $1,120,000 in 1995).

• Monash Research Fund (Travel)

Round 1

A total of $48,000 was awarded to 61 researchers for travel in the first half of 1996. Travel support was provided to researchers in each of the University's nine faculties; $600 being allocated for travel to Asia (excluding Japan), $800 being for travel to the UK, Europe, Japan and USA.

Round 2

A total of $71,200 was awarded to 73 researchers for travel in the second half of 1996. Researchers from each of the nine faculties were awarded funds and one grant was made to a researcher in the Accident Research Centre.

In this round it was agreed that the the amounts of funding would be increased to $800 for travel to Asia (excluding Japan); $1,000 for travel to UK, Europe, Japan and USA.

• Monash Research Fund

Monash Research Fund grants will be allocated in December to support research in 1997. At the end of 1995 a total of $1,056,156 was awarded to support 35 projects during 1996. Final reports for these projects will be reqested early in 1997.

6. STAFF DEVELOPMENT

An outline of staff development activities Branch staff have been on during 1996:

7. COMMITTEE SUPPORT

Committee of Associate Deans (Research)

The Branch provides committee support to CADRES for each of its meetings. The Branch also supports its six subcommittees dealing with the allocation of internal research funds, and the guidelines for the internal allocations, for Monash Research Fund, Monash Research Travel Fund (two rounds yearly), Collier Charitable Fund, ARC Research Infrastructure (Targetted Needs) Program, and ARC Small Grants Moderating Committee.

Standing Committee on Ethics in Research on Humans

SCERH operates as an Institutional Ethics Committee under the NHMRC Guidelines. In 1996 SCERH expanded to operate two human ethics committees under the Chair of Professor Gary Bouma. The enlarged SCERH, Committee A and Committee B, is functioning very well with significant support from its membership. The meetings of SCERH are scheduled on a six weekly cycle so that a meeting (either Committee A or Committee B) occurs every three weeks from February to December. For the period 1 January to 1 November, 1996, the SCERH had received 461 applications from staff and postgraduate students for ethics clearance, compared with 377 in 1995 and 311 in 1994 for this comparative period.

The Quality III grant awarded to SCERH for 1996 has proved to be valuable in planning for the operation of the expanded Committee. A training workshop for members was held on 11 April, and the success of this initiative demonstrated the need for it to be held annually. In-service education for IEC members is one of the recommendations of the Ministerial Report of the Review of the role and function of Institutional Ethics Committees (March, 1996). Accordingly SCERH has allocated funding for this purpose in 1997/98.

Biosafety Committee

This Committee is a committee of Council which operates as an Institutional Biosafety Committee under the guidelines of the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee. During 1996 the Biosafety Committee met on seven occasions and considered 33 research proposals. The Committee is also responsible for PC2 level containment laboratories located at the Clayton and Caulfield campuses, the Alfred and Box Hill Hospitals, and the Monash Medical Centre. The Committee conducts an annual inspection of these laboratories.

From October, 1996, the Biosafety Committee transferred to the administration of the Office of the Deputy General Manager, and Ms Christel Kent assumed responsibility for servicing it.

Logan Fellowship Selection Committee

This committee was also supported by the Branch and its activities have been reported in section 5.

Mary Joy Gleeson
ACTING MANAGER
mjg

14.11.1996

RESEARCH SERVICES DIVISION

REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE OF DEANS

RESEARCH TRAINING AND SUPPORT BRANCH

STAFFING

Establishment

The Branch currently has a staff establishment of 11.6 with the conversion of the Postgraduate Centre Supervisor position to a full-time Branch appointment (Mr Grant Johnston) and the transfer of a former Gippsland student administration position to the Branch. Ms Michelle Gauder has returned to the Branch after three years in Budgets Branch and has assumed primary responsibility for the monitoring of Scholarship budgets and related financial reporting.

Staff Development

Staff Development has again focussed on the acquisition of electronic technology skills. A combination of training courses offered by the University, Division and outside consultants, together with workshops conducted by staff within the Branch and with students in the Postgraduate Centre, have significantly extended the range and level of skills acquired by staff during 1996.

Other staff training undertaken in 1996 is as follows:

It may be noted from the above that staff training has also been directed to the acquisition of accounting and financial skills, in response to the increased number and complexity of financial reports now required by DEETYA.

Mr Simon Liddle attended the bi-annual postgraduate supervision conference in Adelaide on 18/19 April 1996.

Mrs Pam Herman has undertaken a four-week survey of postgraduate research offices in the United Kingdom from 27 August to 19 September, under a Caroline Chisholm Staff Award. The range of strategies related to the enhancement of the postgraduate research experience, and the timely completion of individual research programs, became the principal themes of the investigation.

Monthly staff meetings are held via video conference link.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS-IN-AID

Main Selection Round

Detailed information on scholarships, grants-in-aid and other awards, is contained in the 1996 Scholarships Report.

A total of 788 applications were received for the 1995-96 selection round for MGS, APA, Silver Jubilee, James McNeill and OPRS awards, a decrease of 54 on the previous year. This possibly reflected a firmer screening process whereby only those prospective applicants who had negotiated their research projects with the relevant academic unit, were encouraged to apply. Nevertheless, at the closing date of applications for the 1996-97 round, 834 applications had been received, approximately the same as for the 1994-95 selection round.

The proportion of applicants applying from outside Victoria has continued to increase, with 31% of applications coming from interstate or overseas in the 1995 - 96 round. The People's Republic of China again predominated in the last round with 30% of overseas applicants from that country. The percentage of female applicants has steadied at 46% for Australian applicants and 30% for international students. In 1995 - 96, twenty-two per cent of applications were submitted from overseas addresses, a significant increase over the previous year (16%).

With an over-offer of 20%, 269 offers were made for the 224 MGS/APA awards available in the 1995 - 96 round. While initial acceptances came in on target, a gradual attrition of acceptances between March and June allowed a small mid-year round of 7 additional offers to be made. Twenty OPRS fees awards were awarded to international students. Eight APA (Industry) awards were also available for offer. The Monash Silver Jubilee was awarded to a student in the Arts Faculty, while the prestigious Sir James McNeill award was offered both in Civil Engineering and Chemistry.

The H1 Equivalence procedures first introduced for the 1993 - 94 selection round, have been further refined and are now widely endorsed by all sections of the University. In 1995 - 96 240 applicants were nominated for assessment, compared to 201 in the 1994 - 95 selection round. However, only 50% of students reviewed for H1 equivalence standing in the most recent round were successful, significantly less than the 63% accorded H1 equivalence in 1994 - 95.

Expenditure on the MGS, APA, OPRS awards is expected to be in the order of $11.5 million in 1996, an increase of approximately $1 million over 1995 figures. While the stipend gap between MGS and APA scholarships was nearly $1,400 in 1996, the 1997 MGS stipend of $15,000 is now only $637 below the revised APA standard stipend.

$130,000 in departmental grants-in-aid was again allocated to academic units via a formula based on the number of APA and MGS awardees in each department. In 1997 the formula is to be simplified to expedite payments and streamline administrative procedures.

Overseas Postgraduate Research Scholarship (OPRS)

In 1996 there were 66 students in receipt of an OPRS award. For the 1996 academic year, the University received $789,003 from DEETYA to support these students.

DEETYA conducted a reconciliation of funds paid to Monash University since DEETYA began administering the OPRS scheme. The reconciliation covered the period 1 January 1993 to 31 December 1995. It resulted in the University receiving an additional payment of $51,358. It also pointed to a significant tightening of Research Training and Support Branch's accounting procedures in relation to the OPRS scheme since January 1995.

Other Stipend Awards Administered by the Branch

The very significant increase in non APA/MGS postgraduate stipend scholarship funding continued in 1996, reaching $5m, an increase of approximately $1.3m over the previous year. New scholarship funding in 1995 amounted to $1.6m; in 1996 new awards carried stipends totalling $1.8m. The Branch now administers 300 Monash Departmental Scholarships compared to 227 in 1995 and 172 in 1994. These awards are the main group of non APA/MGS awards which presently number 515.

Short Listing of External Awards

The Branch assists the PhD and Scholarships Committee to short list applicants for a range of other programs including the Gowrie (2), Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) (10), Frank Knox and Harkness Awards (7).

Grants-In-Aid Programs

The oldest of the University's postgraduate research grants programs, the Conference Grants-In-Aid scheme assisted 122 or 81% of the 150 applicants in 1995. An annual budget allocation of $45,000 was maintained for 1996, although the number of applicants has risen sharply from 150 in 1995 to 197 in 1996 (31% increase). While the recently introduced $ for $ faculty subsidy maximises the moneys available, the percentage of unsuccessful applicants in the same period has nevertheless risen from 19% to 29%.

The Overseas Study program has grown more slowly, with the initial interest in 1994 (49 applicants) not matched again until 1996 when 50 students applied for support over three annual selection rounds. A yearly budget of $40,000 has operated for the last 2 years. Each year approximately 30 applicants receive a grant. Seventy-three percent of applicants have been successful.

Selection rounds for the Postgraduate Publication Awards are held quarterly. These awards currently have a maximum tenure of 12 weeks and carry a stipend of up to $4,188. An annual budget of $100,000 is presently able to support approximately 24 awards a year. In 1995, 44 applications were received over 4 rounds. With one further round still to be called, 46 applications have been submitted thus far in 1996. Approximately 40% of applicants now receive support.

Undergraduate Scholarship Programs

The Branch continues to have considerable responsibility for the administration of a range of undergraduate award programs. The nature and extent of input varies. For example, in 1996 for the 234 (224 in 1995) stipend awards in the Cooperative Engineering, Accounting, Business Systems and Vacation Scholarship programs, the Branch performs a payroll function only.

The Branch supports the Undergraduate Selection Sub-Committee, a sub-committee of the PhD and Scholarships Committee, which has responsibility for the Monash Vice-Chancellor's Undergraduate Research Scholarship Scheme (12 awards per annum valued at $2,500) and the Max Buxton and Stuart Simson awards. A review of the latter two schemes is presently being undertaken. In the case of the former, it has been proposed that the award not be offered again until the income from the fund is sufficient to offer a major scholarship. Current eligibility guidelines for the Stuart Simson are being reviewed since it is possible that these do not meet the original intention of the bequest.

Branch involvement in the recently proposed Sir John Monash Scholarships and DEETYA Merit-Based Equity Scholarships is still to be determined. In the short term, it will be responsible for the authorisation and monitoring of payment.

HECS Exemption Allocation (APAs Without Stipend)

In 1996 Monash University was allocated 1581 EFTSU of HECS exemptions (APAs without stipend) worth $3,860,802 (at the non-discounted rate). This allocation represents an increase of nearly 11 per cent over the 1995 allocation of 1426.

The PhD and Scholarships Committee enforced its stringent eligibility guidelines for allocating the exemptions in 1996. The two-stage process of allocation was continued. This involved selected cohorts of research students receiving an exemption immediately and a smaller cohort of research students waiting until February to find out whether they would receive an exemption via a faculty allocation. All APA and MGS scholarship holders, full-time PhD/EdD students within four years of commencement of candidature plus full-time masters students within two years of commencement of candidature who had enrolled/re-enrolled by 31 January received HECS exemptions via this automatic process.

An allowance was made for newly enrolling scholarship holders and full-time research students who would be enrolling before 31 March. As the remaining number of HECS exemptions was greater than the number of research students who had enrolled/re-enrolled by 1 February, these students were notified that they had received a HECS exemption without reference to the faculties.

A second round of allocations was made on 1 March to research students who had enrolled/re-enrolled subsequent to 1 February but who had not met the criteria for a centrally allocated exemption.

Permission had been gained from the PhD and Scholarships Committee for an administrative over-allocation of 30 HECS exemptions to take place by the first HECS census date of 31 March, 1996. With the natural number of submissions, discontinuations and intermissions of candidature it was possible to make up this number and allow for a small number of exemptions to be re-allocated in second semester.

The only research students within the University who did not receive a HECS exemption in 1996 were part-time PhD and masters research students who enrolled/re-enrolled after 1 March.

Consolidated Scholarship Award Expenditure

In 1996, it is expected that something in the order of $20.75m will be expended on the range of programs referred to above. This represents a $2.8m increase in funding over a 12 month period which compares with a $1.4m increase between 1994 and 1995.

An audit of all stipend awards was again conducted in 1996. As DEETYA financial reporting requirements have become more complex in the last year or two, a greater proportion of the Branch resources will be directed into this area of responsibility.

CANDIDATURE AND EXAMINATIONS

Admissions

Offers of doctoral candidature were made to 327 PhD applicants and 19 EdD applicants during 1996. Separate offers of candidature were made to 149 doctoral level scholarship awardees.

Enrolment and Re-Enrolment

Since 1 January 1996 374 doctoral students have commenced candidature, comprising 363 PhD and 11 EdD students. This represents a drop in PhD enrolments from 403 students in 1995.

For the 1996 academic year approximately 2600 re-enrolment forms were distributed to all doctoral and 100% masters students. To facilitate the re-enrolment process for the students, HECS exemptions are pre-allocated for the coming academic year. In order to determine the HECS exempt status of a student for the coming academic year, the following must be manually checked: the current and projected enrolment level, the scholarship status, the total EFTSU generated during the course and the current HECS status. Computer automation of this processing is highly desirable, but it is unlikely to become available for some years yet.

Candidature Variations

The number of variations to PhD candidature handled by the Branch has nearly doubled from 350 in 1995 to 666 in 1996. Previously responsibility for approving some PhD candidature variations was held at the faculty level. This year responsibility for all variations was transferred to the Research Training and Support Branch. The additional variations were writing-up-away, change of enrolment level, appointment and change of supervisor. The consolidation of responsibility for changes to candidature has enabled a more consistent approach to be taken.

Examinations

The number of completions over the period 1992 to 1996 is as follows:

1992 - 140
1993 - 159
1994 - 177
1995 - 217
1996 - 225 (est) 189 to November (actual)

Although there was a substantial increase to 1995, this now appears to be levelling.

There has been no improvement noted in the average candidature length. The average candidature length at the submission of PhD theses stands at 51.4 FTE months university-wide for candidates submitting between July 1993 and June 1996. The lowering of candidature length noted in 1994 and for the first semester of 1995, where average lengths recorded were 50 FTE months, has not continued for the latter part of 1995 nor in 1996.

Just under 80 percent of all PhD examinations result in the candidates fulfilling the requirements of the degree without further examination (either pass or minor amendments).

Advisory panels are required in a fifth of examinations. Five percent of candidates submitting their theses had to revise and resubmit.

The average length of a PhD examination is four months. Where advisory panels are convened, the examination period averages seven to eight months.

The trend in PhD thesis submissions from male and female students over the period July 1993 and June 1995, has consistently been a ratio of two males submitting a thesis to every female submitting. Since semester 2 of 1995 a marked change has occurred: during that semester for every submission by a female student there were only 1.4 submissions by male students.

The change in trend since July 1995 has brought the overall gender submission ratio from 2:1 to 1.7:1. This trend is consistent with trends recorded in the enrolment of postgraduate students whereby the gap between male and female postgraduate enrolments has decreased from 1.7:1 to 1.2:1 over the last eight years.

ANNUAL REPORTS

Approximately 2000 annual reports were despatched and processed in 1996. All reports are scrutinised by staff for incorrect MUSIS data, supervision overload, excessive employment, unsatisfactory progress etc. Approximately 140 reports which indicated progress has not been entirely satisfactory, have been referred to the faculty representatives for further action, as appropriate. Additionally, on the basis of these annual reports, scholarship stipends are renewed or extended. Requests for extensions must be carefully examined in order to determine whether the criteria for extension into a fourth year are met. Over 100 extensions to MGS and APA have been approved to date. In all, approximately one in five scholarship reports have required some follow-up in relation to extension, study away, sick leave, unsatisfactory progress etc.

A new ACCESS database has been created to enter the student data necessary for the generation of approximately 800 renewal letters for all APA/MGS award holders.

POSTGRADUATE CENTRE

In March 1996, Mr Grant Johnston replaced Mrs Pam Miller as Postgraduate Centre Supervisor when she took up a full-time position in the University's Video Conferencing Facility. Mr Johnston in theory holds a .5 position as Supervisor, but in reality his responsibilities in this area presently consume .7 of his time.

The Centre is a key element of the University's strategic plan to enhance and expand the postgraduate research environment of Monash. Currently 344 registered users access the Centre's facilities. Nearly all have 24-hour access and the 145 carrels are each shared by 2 - 3 people. The number of male and female users is approximately the same, while two-thirds of users are from the Arts Faculty (212). There are significant numbers also from the faculties of Business and Economics, Computing and Information Technology, Education and Engineering. PhD students comprise 54% of users, with research Masters and coursework Masters students, 27% and 19% of users respectively.

An allocation of $25,000 from the Quality III moneys has been used to enhance Centre facilities. In particular, the old lounge has been converted to four offices for students who are at the closing stages of their thesis writing. A new lounge area has been built adjacent to the foyer. Additional wall dividers have been installed and computer areas sound-proofed to provide a more conducive work environment. The MPA has recently purchased a scanner for Centre users.

An allocation from the PhD and Scholarships Committee's Bookshop budget has been used to set up a computer data base of scholarship information in the Centre library. Much of the lounge furniture and prints, etc. were also financed through the generosity of the Bookshop Board.

Branch staff have run a series of computer training workshops on Thursday and Friday afternoons during the second half of 1996, while the Arts Graduate School Wednesday at Noon seminars have also been a popular feature of Centre activities this year.

The monthly Computer NewsFlash, fortnightly Nota Bene and weekly Scholarship Bulletin are now transmitted electronically.

INFORMATION SERVICES

The Branch Web Page (http://www.monash.edu.au/phdschol/) has been substantially remodelled this year by Mr Liddle (Assistant Manager, Scholarships) and will replace the yearly hard-copy Research Training and Support Branch Manual for students. To this end, email mailing lists of postgraduate research students are being progressively assembled. Most application/standard forms and information bulletins may also now be accessed electronically.

Principal menu items on the Branch HomePage include:

About the Branch
Doctoral Programs
Scholarships/Awards
PhD and Scholarships Committee
Postgraduate Centre
Seminars and Workshops
Publications and Newsletters
Information for International Students
Web Links
Application/Standard Forms (for current students).

COMMITTEE SUPPORT

The Branch provides secretarial support to the PhD and Scholarships Committee and a range of current working groups and sub-committees. Principal among these is the Steering Committee which meets weekly. Increasingly, the review of straightforward requests for variations to candidature and/or scholarships is being undertaken by Branch personnel, thus allowing the Steering Committee more time to concentrate on examination matters and general quality assurance issues. Other Sub-Committees and Working Groups include:

Undergraduate Scholarship Selection Sub-Committee (1 meeting)

Scholarship Selection Sub-Committee and H1 Equivalence Panels (10 meetings)

Conference Grants-In-Aid Advisory Committee (3 meetings)

Overseas Study Grants-In-Aid Advisory Committee (3 meetings)

Postgraduate Publications Grants-In-Aid Advisory Committee) (4 meetings)

Working Group on Residency, Attendance & External Candidature (4 meetings)

Legislation Sub-Committee (1 meeting)

Working Party on Status of Examinees (2 meetings)

Working Group on D Psych Proposal (2 meetings)

In addition, Ms Jenny Vero (Assistant Manager, Candidature and Examination) is a member of the Futures Committee, a forum to define the future user requirements of the student information system. Ms Vero also represents the Branch on the University Publications Overview Committee which has overall responsibility for the coordination of University publications.

POLICY REVIEW

Statute 2.5 Division 1 (PhD and Scholarships Committee) was amended during the year to allow MPA to nominate two student representatives to the Committee. Discussions on the appropriate status of doctoral candidates under examination vis a vis insurance and access to university facilities, continue. Discipline, Termination, Appeal and Grievance procedures and variations to Staff Candidature have been endorsed by Academic Board, but are yet to be included in revised PhD and Professional Doctorate regulations. Approval procedures for doctoral level subjects within the PhD and Professional Doctorate program have been agreed upon.

Minimum specifications for the confirmation of PhD candidature, and upgrade from Masters to PhD candidature were negotiated with faculties earlier in the year.

The Steering Committee undertook a review of examination guidelines to clarify the categories of assessment from which examiners may choose on the standard form. Various issues relating to re-examination were also reviewed. Administrative procedures have been revised to keep examinees better informed of the examination process.

Supplementation to MGS or APA awards has been formalised to allow upgraded or priority level stipends to be awarded to students of exceptional calibre.

The terms of reference of the PhD and Scholarships Committee will be extended on 1 January 1997 with the assumption of responsibilities in relation to Masters by research regulations, course approvals and quality control. This is expected to impact significantly on the Branch workload for 1997.

SUMMARY STATISTICS

                          1992      1995       1996     % increase  
                                                         1992-1996  

Research Higher Degree    1720      2400       2600         51%  
Enrolment                                          

Doctoral Candidates       1053      1518       1647         56% 

PhD/EdD Applications       400       468        494         24% 

PhD Completions            140       217        225         61% 
                                                      (projected)

Stipend Scholarships       822      1100       1395         70% 

HECS Allocation           1393      1426       1581         13%

OPRS                        37        64        66          78% 

Conference Grants-in-Aid    92       150        197        114%
Applications                
Overseas Study Grants        -        34         50         100%
Applications                  
Postgraduate Publication Grants -     44         46+        100% 
Applications                
Postgraduate Centre registered                   344        100%
users                                 
Staff                       8         10        11.3         41%

PR HERMAN
Manager
Research Training and Support Branch

FILE NAME : C:\WORK\WORD\NOVCOFD.DOC
PRH:ah

8-November-1996

RESEARCH SERVICES DIVISION
REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE OF DEANS
ANIMAL ETHICS

The Standing Committee on Ethics in Animal Experimentation (SCEAE) has met monthly, except in January. In the last 12 months 181 new submissions have been approved, and to date there are 387 approved projects which are current or due to commence early in 1997.

The submission form was revised to improve its clarity for Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) members and its ease of completion for researchers. Guidelines were included in the document as annotations (hidden text) and these could be activated as needed, without appearing in the final printed version. Guidelines for euthanasia of laboratory animals were considered and approved.

The Facilities sub-committee of the SCEAE visited each of the animal facilities at Monash university and provided a report, with recommendations, to each of the Departmental/Hospital AECs. As a result, several Departments are upgrading their animal houses. Plans for future improvements are being discussed, and a greater emphasis is being placed on the need for a high quality of animal housing and care, so as to ensure the provision of high quality animals for research purposes.

A Web Page for the Animal Ethics unit of Research Services has been developed. Various documents are located here such as the submission form which can be down-loaded for use by the researchers. Other useful information is provided for Monash staff. Since this information is also accessible by outside people, no confidential material is available. We have had several requests for information from highschool students and teachers, apparently in response to this page. The Executive Officer of the SCEAE, Dr Noel Johnston, has had several opportunities to speak on ethical and welfare issues involved in the use of animals to both teachers and students.

A number of letters of concern about the use of non-human primates in research at Monash have been received by the Vice-Chancellor or the Executive Officer - Animal Ethics. The majority of these have been photocopied letters in response to campaigns by the International Primate Protection League, Animal Liberation, and Guardians. Each letter with a name and address was answered by Dr Johnston, after consultation with the researchers concerned, the Chairman of the Department AEEC, and the Chairman of the SCEAE. In several cases Dr Terry Stokes, Director Research Services, and Dr Stephen Matchett, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication , were also consulted. In response to concerns expressed by Guardians, a group totally opposed to all use of animals in research, Senator Allison, a new Democrat senator for Victoria, contacted Dr Matchett. A meeting was organised with Senator Allison to discuss her concerns and provide information on how projects involving the use of animals are considered for approval and then, if approved, how they are monitored.

The Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care and Use of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART) asked Dr Johnston to organise a one-day workshop for Animal Welfare Officers and equivalents (AWOs). This was held the day before the ANZCCART conference in Canberra, and attended by 29 delegates who regarded it as a significant event. A network of AWOs is being established.

Education and training programs for honours and graduate students, and new staff, have been and are being developed. Standard Operating Procedures are also being prepared to assist researchers and the AECs in knowing which procedures are approved and recommended, with practical details provided.

Dr Johnston was invited to present a paper on "Developments in alternatives and animal use in Australia and New Zealand" and to Chair a workshop on "Ethics Committees: How do they contribute to the Three Rs" at the Second World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences" in Utrecht, The Netherlands, 20-24 October 1996. Over 800 people attended this congress, including 17 from Australia and New Zealand.

Discussions over the last few years on how the effectiveness of the SCEAE could be improved resulted in deliberations this year on how the committee could move from assessing new submissions to auditing the AECs who do the assessing. A new structure for the SCEAE, some new functions, and a new name, have been submitted through the Committee of Deans to the Academic Board for consideration.

Noel E Johnston
Executive Officer - Animal Ethics
/sceae/codean96