Senior Management Committee Meeting 1-2004

Meeting 1/2004 of the Senior Management Committee was held at 2.15pm on Tuesday, 20 January, 2004 in the Council Room, 1^st Floor, University Offices Building 3a, Clayton campus.

Professor Richard Larkins AO - Vice-Chancellor and President, Presiding

Professor Stephen Parker - Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor Alan Lindsay - Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Planning)

Professor Gary Bouma - Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

Ms Alison Crook AO - Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Resources)

Professor Brian Mackenzie - Pro Vice-Chancellor, Gippsland

Professor Merilyn Liddell - Pro Vice-Chancellor, Malaysia

Professor John Redmond - Dean, Faculty of Art and Design

Professor Homer Le Grand - Dean, Faculty of Arts

Professor Gill Palmer - Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics

Professor Sue Willis - Dean, Faculty of Education

Professor Tam Sridhar - Dean, Faculty of Engineering

Professor Ron Weber - Dean, Faculty of Information Technology

Professor Arie Freiberg - Dean, Faculty of Law

Professor Edward Byrne - Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Professor Colin Chapman - Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy

Professor Rob Norris - Dean, Faculty of Science

Ms Meredith Jackson - Executive Director, Marketing and Public Affairs

Mr Alan McMeekin - Executive Director, Information Technology Services

Professor Max King - Director, Research Graduate School

Professor Merran Evans - Director, University Planning and Research and Director, Monash University Centre in London

Ms Cathrine Harboe-Ree - University Librarian

Professor John Harris - Director, CeLTS

Mr John Levine - Divisional Director, Financial Resources Management

Mr John Matthews - Divisional Director, Corporate Finance

Mr Stephen Davey - Divisional Director, Facilities and Services

Mr Renn Wortley - University Solicitor

Professor Rob Willis - Academic Director, Caulfield

Professor Phillip Steele - Academic Director, Peninsula

Ms Janet Gaffey - Manager, Research Grants and Ethics Branch

Mr Greg Connell, Director, Audit and Risk Management, Mr Peter Marshall, Divisional Director, Student and Staff Services, Mr Tony Pollock, Vice-President, International and Professor Graham Webb, Director, Centre for Higher Education Quality.

The Vice-Chancellor welcomed members to the first meeting of the Senior Management Committee noting that this was a new committee that brought together members of the Vice-Chancellor's Group, Deans of faculties and heads of support areas in a forum that recognised the importance of the partnerships between academic and support staff.

A document outlining the inter-relationships and legislative basis for a range of senior decision making and advisory bodies was tabled at the meeting.

Professor Parker introduced the item noting that while the tabled document was not a complete structure of decision making bodies it included a text box outlining three possible functions of the Senior Management Committee that may, following discussion, form the basis for the Committee's terms of reference.

The Vice-Chancellor, commenting on the pathways and decision making processes, informed members that while he accepted his statutory responsibility for decision making, he would act largely on the advice and outcomes for matters referred to this Committee.

During discussion the following matters were noted/resolved:

• the role of the Committee of Deans would include discussion of issues that were in the very early stages of their development. If a matter progressed then a firm proposal would be progressed via Academic Board or the Senior Management Committee;

• that the procedures for approving the establishment/filling of Chairs or professorships would be the responsibility of Academic Board and Council – not the Senior Management Committee;

• the budget process would include discussions with the faculty managers present;

• subcommittees of the Vice-Chancellor's Group may become subcommittees of the Senior Management Committee;

• the Vice-Chancellor would always be available to provide decisions on urgent proposals; and

• terms of reference would be developed for discussion at the next meeting of the Senior Management Committee.

The Vice-Chancellor outlined the major implications of the Higher Education Support Act (HESA) noting that during passage of the bill a considerable number of amendments were incorporated including a range of equity related provisions, increased number of government funded places and funding, removal of the link between access to increased funding and the requirement to introduce Australian Workplace Agreements and removal of the requirement for enrolments to be within 1% of load targets.

Members were advised that a strategy on how Monash would respond to the initiatives contained in HESA would be considered at the March meeting of Council and would include a range of equity initiatives including targeted disadvantaged and merit based scholarships.

Professor Lindsay informed members that the Pricing, Positioning and Equity Working Party was considering a range of approaches including increasing HECS fees to 25% above the current limit and then ameliorating the effect via a range of equity and merit based scholarships, mechanisms to support regional and outer urban campuses and alternate pathways for gaining admission to Monash. Further, Professor Lindsay advised members that progressing many of the proposed initiatives was contingent on receipt of further taxation advice.

Following discussion, the Vice-Chancellor advised that a further progress report would be supplied at the next meeting of the Senior Management Committee (Wednesday 10 March).

Members noted the advice of the Vice-Chancellor that Monash, along with Melbourne University and CSIRO, had committed $5million to fund beamlines for the synchrotron.

Members were informed that ongoing discussions were being held with government Ministers and advisors in relation to possible partnerships and ventures in regional Victoria.

Professor Larkins noted that Regional Development Victoria (RDV), a statutory body established via the Regional Development Act 2002 and headed by Mr Kerry Murphy, had commenced operations. The role of RDV is to facilitate economic, infrastructure and community development in provincial Victoria.

Members were advised that Professor Larkins and Ms Crook had met with Mr Murphy and agreed to develop a strategy and range of "dot points" for future discussions.

In order to develop the possible issues of interest, the Vice-Chancellor informed members that a Working Party, chaired by Ms Crook, would be formed with the following Membership:

Ms Alison Crook

Professor Stephen Parker

Professor Brian Mackenzie

Professor Rob Norris, Dean, Faculty of Science

Members were requested to nominate members for the additional two positions on the Working Party.

Professor Parker informed members that the priority tasks for his portfolio in 2004 included tasks delegated to his portfolio by the Vice-Chancellor, strategic, operational and campus planning and a continued focus on all aspects of quality and international activities.

Professor Bouma informed members that Professor Cornish would take up her position in February and priority tasks would include facilitating the review of the Monash Research Graduate School, revisiting faculty and central responsibilities for research grants, revisiting the Research and Research Training Management Plan and issues to do with the delivery of services to campuses and intellectual property.

Professor Lindsay informed members that 2004 would see the commencement of a new Professor of Learning and Teaching whose responsibilities would include CeLTs, build on the outcomes of recent reviews of CeLTs and the Library, improve linkages between Australian and offshore academic processes and guidance on implementing the recently announced "Nelson reforms".

Further, with the establishment of an Academic Services group within his portfolio, all academic related committees were now the responsibility of his office.

Other priorities would include reviewing all types of professorial appointments and successfully completing the current round of enterprise bargaining.

Ms Crook informed members that major initiatives in her portfolio would include improved business continuity planning, revisiting the current crisis management plan and processes, governance issues, mainstreaming triple bottom line reporting, implementation of activity based costing in the remaining faculties, completion of the reviews agreed to during the recently completed budget round, proposed financing methods for major infrastructure developments, completion of the urban planning process, continued implementation of Syllabus + and information technology issues.

This item was removed from the agenda pending further discussions

The Senior Management Committee noted the procedures for use of Level 11, 30 Collins Street.

The Senior Management Committee approved the proposal for transmission to Academic Board.

The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences was requested to reintroduce discussions with Cabrini Hospital on other mechanisms for recognising benefactions rather than the establishment of a named Chair or named Associate Professorship.

A document was tabled.

The Vice-Chancellor commended the guidelines and suggested that members consider their benefits.

The next meeting of the Senior Management Committee will be held at 3.00 pm on Wednesday 10 March 2004 in the Council Room.