Committee of Deans Meeting 16-1996

Meeting No. 16/96 of the Committee of Deans was held between 2.15 and 4.35 pm on Tuesday, 17 December 1996 in the Sir George Lush Room, Ground Floor, University Offices 3a, Clayton Campus.

jahn Janice H Newham

96/1050 Secretary

There were present:

Professor P LeP Darvall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Acting Chair

Professor M Quartly, Dean, Faculty of Arts

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

Professor R J Willis, Acting 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:

Professor B Dunstan, Campus Director Gippsland

Professor J Anderson, Campus Director Berwick

Ms O Cornelius, Academic Registrar

Ms J H Newham, Secretary to the Committee of Deans

Present by invitation for presentation were:

Mr P Marshall, Director, Personnel Services Division

Mr P R Annal, Director, Computer Centre

Apologies were received from:

Professor M I Logan AC, Vice-Chancellor

Professor R J Pargetter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor L H T West, Pro Vice-Chancellor

Mr P B Wade, General Manager

Dr S Matchett, Executive Director, Marketing and Communications

Ms C E Anderson, Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor

Professor J Northfield, Campus Director, Peninsula

Professor G Smith, Campus Director, Caulfield

M I N U T E S

1. Minutes

The Minutes of Meeting No. 15/96 were confirmed subject to amendment as follows:

Under item 8.1 Restructure of the Faculty of Business and Economics, the following sentence was added to the last paragraph:

"Members also noted an objection raised by Professor Davies, Dean of the Faculty of Science, to the word "Statistics" being used in the title of the proposed new name of the Department of Econometrics."

Action: JHN

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

2.1 Supervision/Evaluation of Staff

At the previous meeting the General Manager, Mr P B Wade, had agreed to provide to the Vice-Chancellor information pertaining to performance appraisal in the Divisions. Responses from the following Directors were received and noted:

• Ms O Cornelius, Academic Registrar
• Mr J R Trembath, Director, Facilities and Services Division
• Mr J S White, Deputy General Manager
• Mr P Marshall, Director, Personnel Services Division
• Mr R Burnet, Director, Student Services Division and Acting Director, Research Services Division
• Mr J E Matthews, Director, Financial Services Division.

Members of the Committee referred to the evaluation of the performance appraisal process for general staff at Monash, conducted in 1995 by Mr L H Parrott, Manager, Policy Implementation Training, Professional Development Centre. The evaluation was included with Mr Marshall's memorandum. The survey results were seen by the Committee as of limited value due to the low response rate (13%) to the questionnaire. From the views expressed around the table about the status of performance appraisal it was evident that practices varied widely across the University, with some areas being particularly advanced in evaluation of general staff and others having well established academic staff appraisal.

Action: PSM

3. Vice-Chancellor's Report

3.1 General Items of Interest

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor P Le P Darvall briefed Deans on a number of matters, including the allocation of the responsibilities of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Planning) and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International and Public Affairs) until the appointees took up duty in March / April 1997, as follows:

• Professor J E Maloney's portfolio to be carried by the General Manager, Mr P B Wade;
• Professor A W Lindsay's portfolio to be carried by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Darvall.

Members also noted that Professor R J Pargetter would have a role as advisor to the Vice-Chancellor on admissions.

4. Urgent Matters

There were no urgent matters.

5. Research Matters

5.1 Audit of Publications Data

Professor Darvall spoke about the findings of KPMG's nationwide audit of research publications, commissioned by DEETYA, informing Deans that as a result of the 65% average error rate across institutions the 1995 data was to be collected again, at great expense. Professor Darvall said that he had written to KPMG requesting further details about the high error rate in the Monash data to enable the University to resolve any problems in the collection process, as substantial funding was at stake.

It was noted that the definition of categories used by KPMG provided some of the reasons for the high error rate. Professor Darvall also suggested that heads of department needed to check submissions from their staff, and indicated that he might call a meeting of HODs at the end of January to give some advice on what was required.

Action: PLePD

6. International Matters

6.1 Farewell to Professor West

In acknowledgement of Professor L H T West's departure from the University Professor Darvall said that as Pro Vice-Chancellor (International Programs and Development) Professor West had presided over sustained growth in the cohort of international students enrolled at Monash. Members wished him well and agreed that the Committee's commendation of his achievements be recorded.

7. Special Items

7.1 Interim Award in Fixed Term Employment Case

This item was taken after item 2.1.

Three members only papers provided by Mr P S Marshall, Director, Personnel Services, tabled at the request of Professor P LeP Darvall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, were received:

D149/96 Severance Summary Report (Status 04) Undecided

D150/96 Severance Summary Report (Status 05) Pending Termination

D151/96 Ready Reckoner of Notice Periods and Severance Payments

Mr Marshall was invited to the meeting to speak to the papers. He informed the Committee about the decision made on 9 December 1996 by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission concerning the conditions applicable for fixed term staff whose contracts were not renewed.

Deans noted Mr Marshall's undertaking to provide reports for each faculty showing end dates for contract staff.

As a means of addressing queries raised by Deans, Professor Darvall asked the Deans of Medicine and Science to meet with him in January, with Mr Marshall assisting, to devise strategies for reserving funds for severance payments and to look in particular at the termination of non Fund Source One employees, and the implications for staffing funded by research grants.

Action: PLePD, RP, RWD, PSM

8. Matters Raised by Deans

8.1 Chair in Taxation and Business Regulation

A proposal from the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics was received. (D148/96)

The Committee endorsed the proposal to establish and fill a Chair in Taxation and Business Regulation.

Action: JAR, BM

9. Reports of Administrative Divisions / Departments

There were no reports presented.

10. General Business

10.1 Computing Matters

As foreshadowed at Meeting 15/96, the Committee discussed two papers submitted to previous meetings by Mr P R Annal, Director, Computer Centre. The documents had been placed for perusal on the Web as follows:

D132/96, Charging for use of the Internet, 30 October 1996, attached to Agenda of Meeting 14/96

http://www.monash.edu.au/unisec/c'tees/dag/96-14da.htm

D145/96 (tabled), The Future of Computer Teaching Laboratories, 19 November 1996, attached to Minutes of Meeting 15/96

http://www.monash.edu.au/unisec/c'tees/dmin/96-15dm.htm

The Future of Computer Teaching Laboratories

Members discussed the paper and its recommendations, receiving further clarification from Mr Annal on budgetary and other matters. The Committee agreed that:

• the paper prepared by Mr Annal pointed to some inevitable directions to be considered early in 1997 in view of overall IT policy;
• future decisions should recognise the impact of rapidly changing teaching and learning paradigms and that some policy decisions would vary from faculty to faculty (eg ownership of computers by students);
• a transfer of responsibilities for computer laboratories to faculties should be accompanied by a budgetary transfer where central funds were presently available;
• a decision about the proposed moratorium on upgrading computer laboratories was urgent.

Charging for use of the Internet

The Committee was briefed by Mr Annal about the process of identification of users for the purpose of charging, which (Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor P LeP Darvall confirmed) was to commence from the last quarter of 1996. Professor Darvall reminded members that the general principle of "user pays" for University budgeting was to be considered by the small group established at Meeting 14/96.

Action: PLePD, PRA

11. Farewells

Professor C R Williams, Dean of the Faculty of Law, commended the contribution of Professor M I Logan AC to the University during his term as Vice-Chancellor. Professor Williams read the following statement which was endorsed by all those present.

"I have been nominated by the Deans to say a few words on the occasion of Professor Logan's last meeting of the Committee of Deans.

The August 9 1996 Higher Education Budget Statement may be seen as marking the end of the era in tertiary education that began with the announcement of the Dawkins proposed restructuring in late 1987. The role of Monash and its ViceChancellor in that era will be for future historians. I would, however, hope to make a few comments which I think reflect the views of my fellow Deans.

I believe Professor Logan's ViceChancellorship has been characterised by three key commitments.

• Our relations with Asia.

Under Professor Logan Monash has come to be regarded in Asia as the key Australian University. Our role in this respect is important for this country, and utterly crucial to Monash University's long term future.

• Access and opportunities.

While the University of Melbourne is regarded by many as the Establishment Victorian University, Monash is regarded as the natural home of the talented and upwardly mobile. Professor Logan's ViceChancellorship has been characterised by a commitment to giving greater opportunity to all to obtain access to the benefits of tertiary education, of which Open Learning is merely the most visible example.

• Professionalism in management.

As little as a decade ago it would have been fair to characterise Australian universities as based upon management structures and practices more suited to small English provincial universities than to large and complex institutions. Under Professor Logan's direction the processes of growth and amalgamation were matched by the development of practices of management necessary to enable us to function as a large and complex institution operating in a commercial and competitive world.

From the particular perspective of Deans, I think three features have characterised Professor Logan's ViceChancellorship.

• an understanding of the institutional structure of Monash and how to make it work.

• An insistence on responsibility.

• support for the faculties and their management."

Professor Williams also referred to the retirement of Professor R J Pargetter from the Committee and asked, on behalf of Deans, that the Committee's appreciation be recorded for Professor Pargetter's significant input as Deputy Vice-Chancellor to deliberations in the areas of teaching, admissions, education policy and academic planning.

12. 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