Meeting 7/2005 of the Committee of Deans will be held at 2.15 pm on Wednesday, 9 November 2005 in the Dean’s (Faculty of Business and Economics) Meeting Room, Level 9, Building S, Caulfield Campus.

Tony Calder

Secretary

Members having a direct commercial or financial interest in any item before this meeting must declare that interest to the Chair via the Committee Secretary prior to consideration of the item, and must not take part in a vote on any matter concerning it.

Apologies have been received from Professor S Parker, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor E Cornish, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor M Liddell, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Malaysia and Professor T Pretorius, Pro Vice-Chancellor, South Africa.

In attendance will be Professor Merran Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Planning), Professor Graham Webb, Pro Vice-Chancellor, (Quality) and Ms Jenny Vero, Manager, Planning.

Minutes of meeting 6/2005 of the Committee of Deans held on Tuesday, 20 September are attached. (Attachment 1)

The Vice-Chancellor will introduce the following items:

At meeting 6/2005, members engaged in a discussion on matters relating to Heads of Departments and Heads of Schools and the Faculties Regulations. During the discussion a number of issues emerged including differing perspectives on the role of Heads of Departments/Schools across the faculties, there was no overarching concept of ‘what is a school’, differences in nomenclature, in some instances there were large differences in the size of departments/schools across faculties and also differences in the level of responsibility delegated to the Head.

At this meeting a further preliminary discussion on the matter will take place in order to ensure that all the issues have been identified and the matter will then be scheduled for a major discussion at the next meeting of the Committee of Deans.

A document is attached. (Attachment 2)

Professor Merran Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Planning) and Ms Jenny Vero, Manager, Planning will be in attendance.

Professor Graham Webb, Pro Vice-Chancellor, (Quality) will be in attendance.

(Sponsor - Professor Gill Palmer with support from several Deans)

Now that the 2006 budget process is virtually complete, it would be helpful to discuss how it might/should evolve into the future, considering:

• central services support charges and the relationship to 'special initiatives'

• what we may expect about increases in charges in the future

• whether or not we will retain surpluses at the faculty level

• the strategic initiatives process

(Sponsor - Professor Gill Palmer and Professor Ed Byrne)

The earlier idea of using the Steering Groups to put forward strategies, with financial claims to support those strategies has fallen by the wayside this year. Is there to be funding for steering group strategies in future? If not, should steering groups be developing strategies that require funding?

The next meeting of the Committee of Deans will be held at 4.00 pm on Wednesday, 14 December at 30 Collins Street.

Vice-Chancellor

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

Vice-Presidents

Pro Vice-Chancellors

Deans/Acting Deans