Council Meeting 2-2009

Meeting 2/2009 of the Monash University Council will be held on Monday, 23 March 2009 in the Advancement Meeting Room, Level 9, Building H, at Caulfield Campus.

MINUTES

There were present:
Dr A Finkel AM, Chancellor, Presiding
Mr P Ramler AM, Deputy Chancellor
Dr L Rowe AM, Deputy Chancellor
Professor R Larkins AO, Vice-Chancellor and President
Professor J Godfrey, President of Academic Board (via teleconference)
Ms L Adler AM
Mr J Bender
Mr Y Blacher
Ms L Boston
Professor C Bourke MBE
Dr C Curwen CVO OBE
Mr A Shyara
Ms A Phelan
Mr I Pyman
Mr I Nethercote
Professor T Sridhar
Dr C Williams

In attendance were:
Professor A Shoemaker, Deputy Vice-Chancelllor (Education)
Professor E Cornish, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
Professor S Fahey, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International)
Professor Merran Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Quality)
Mr R Fairchild, Vice-President (Advancement)
Mr D Pitt, Vice-President (Finance/Chief Financial Officer)

Secretary:
Mr T Calder, Director Executive Services

Observors:
Ms D D’argent
Mr J Campbell

1     Procedural Matters

1.1    Apologies

Dr John Zillman AO and Mr S Buggle were apologies.

Mr Peter Marshall, Vice-President (Administration) was unable to attend the meeting.

1.2    Special Leave

The following Councillors were granted Special Leave for the meetings specified: •

• Mr S Buggle for Meeting 5/2009 (17 August).
• Ms L Boston for Meeting 3/2009 (25 May).

1.3    Starring of Items

Items 1.1 Apologies; 1.2 Special Leave; 1.3 Starring of Items; 1.4 Approval of Non-Starred Items; 2.1 Minutes of Meeting 1/2009; 4.1 Chancellor’s Report to Council; 4.2 Council Conference 2009 Evaluation Summary; 4.3 Council Visit to Monash University South Africa Campus; 4.4 Australia Day Honours List 2009; 5.1 Vice-Chancellor’s Report to Council; 5.1.1 Establishment of a TAC/WorkSafe Research Institute; 5.2 Annual Plan and Budget 2009; 5.3 Applications for Funding – Education Investment Fund (EIF); 5.4 Update on University 2009 Financials (February); 5.5 2008 Annual Report to Parliament of the Council of Monash University and 6.1 Receipt of Report of Resources and Finance Committee were starred for discussion.

1.4    Approval of Non-Starred Items

Council resolved on the motion of the Chancellor that all items on the agenda not starred be adopted without discussion, and the action recommended be taken or the information therein noted.

2     Business in Camera

2.1 Transition Matter for the Vice-Chancellor

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/18

3     Confirmation of Minutes of Previous Meeting

3.1    Minutes of Meeting No. 1/2009

During discussion the following was noted:

• While draft Minutes are distributed as soon as authorised by the Chancellor, a copy of the draft Minutes is to be included with the following meetings agenda papers; and
• Council was advised that a matter that was the subject of Council consideration, a proposal to approve a new University Flag, had been operationalised before it was approved by Council. The Chancellor affirmed that decisions of Council should not be pre-empted.

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/19

Council confirmed the Minutes of Meeting No. 1/2009 held on Wednesday, 11 February 2009.

For action or noting by: Secretary to Council.

4     Chancellor’s Business

4.1    Chancellor’s Report to Council

The Chancellor reported on the following matters:

Universities Australia Inaugural Higher Education Conference 2009

The Chancellor congratulated Universities Australia and the Vice-Chancellor on initiating and running a strategically targeted and informative conference.

The Chancellor commended those Councillors who were able to attend. He drew Councillors’ attention to the previously distributed summary of the main messages from the conference that might be relevant to Monash University.

Monthly email to Alumni

Council was informed that a monthly email was distributed to approximately 60,000 alumni and that it was a good vehicle for advocacy and communication. Requests for matters to be included in the email should be referred to the Chancellor if Council related, with other matters to be referred to Mr R Fairchild. The Chancellor invited Councillors to contribute their own opinion pieces from time to time, if they would like to do so.

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/20

Council received the oral report of the Chancellor.

4.2    Council Conference 2009 Evaluation Summary

Council Conference 2009 was regarded to be a success. During a discussion of the major outcomes the following matters were raised:

• Increased opportunities for Councillors to interact with senior management and Deans would continue to be developed and monitored;
• Subject to the view of the Vice-Chancellor designate, the 2010 Senior Management Forum would be a smaller group and therefore create a good opportunity for interaction between Councillors and senior staff; and
• During development of the 2010 Council Conference program the Chancellor would consult widely to maximise engagement opportunities.

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/21

Council received the Evaluation Summary of Council Conference 2009.

For action or noting by: Secretary to Council

4.3    Council Visit to Monash University South Africa Campus

The Chancellor introduced the discussion noting that Council had previously resolved (Meeting 2/2007) to visit a different offshore campus once every two years resulting in a Council visit to each of the offshore campuses once every four years.

During discussion the following matters were raised:

• Given Council’s recent focus on the strategic directions of the South Africa Campus that Council visit the South Africa Campus in September/October 2009;
• The visit would be conducted over 2-3 days and the program would include visits to new buildings, meetings with staff, students and alumni, meetings with stakeholder groups including government representatives, community leaders and other decision makers;
• A focus of the visit should be relationship building with the community and what the University contributes to the local community, South Africa and the region.
• Councillors discussed the alternative of video conferencing however it was resolved that the required outcomes would not be achieved; and
• Tight budget constraints must inform planning for the visit.

Summing up the discussion, the Chancellor noted that planning for the visit was critical to the success of the visit and established a Working Group, lead by Mr Ramler and consisting of Messrs Pyman, Nethercote and Professor Bourke and Ms Adler to develop a program for the visit.

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/22

Council approved the proposal to visit Monash University South Africa Campus as detailed in document.

For action or noting by: Secretary to Council and Mr P Ramler.

4.4    Australia Day Honours List 2009

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/23

Council noted with acclamation the Australia Day Honours awarded to key individuals associated with Monash University as detailed in the paper provided.

5     Vice-Chancellor’s Business

5.1    Vice-Chancellor’s Report to Council

The Vice-Chancellor elaborated on his distributed report as follows:

Recent Bushfire Tragedies in Victoria

Council was advised that one student and one staff member were tragically killed in the recent bushfires. In addition, Council was informed of the central role that the Gippsland Campus and staff and students had played in supporting the emergency services personnel who fought the fires in the Gippsland region.

Student Recruitment

Demand for both domestic and international places in Semester One had exceeded target and indicators for Semester Two pointed to continued demand for places at Monash.

Offshore Graduations

Following the successful ceremony in South Africa, Monash held its first graduation ceremony in Beijing with the address delivered by the Australian Ambassador, HE Mr Geoff Raby.

Salaries

Council was informed that as a new EBA had not been concluded the Vice-Chancellor had awarded a 2% salary increase effective from the end of March.

Ministerial Responses to Review Reports

Following discussion of the responses outlined in the Vice-Chancellor’s Report, the Chancellor requested that management prepare a report for Council, post the May Budget, on how Monash could strategically respond to the deregulation of undergraduate domestic student numbers and enrolment of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a context of a government goal of 40% of 25 to 34 year olds holding a graduate level qualification by 2025.

Education Investment Fund

The Vice-Chancellor congratulated all staff involved in preparing two new applications for funding.

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/24

Council noted the oral report of the Vice-Chancellor.

5.1.1   Establishment of TAC / WorkSafe Research Institute

A document had been distributed by email and was tabled at the meeting.

Council was invited to note that the proposed Research Centre was an exciting initiative in partnership with TAC and WorkSafe and would provide opportunities for multi-disciplinary research that improved outcomes in relation to workplace injury prevention, rehabilitation and compensation practice.

During discussion Councillors requested further detail on a number of matters including:

• That researchers could still apply for competitive grants;
• The role of the board in setting research directions and governance;
• Responsibility for liabilities incurred by the Institute;
• The role and reporting relationship of the Chief Executive Officer; and
• That similar partnerships with other funding bodies may arise where this model may be suitable.

Concluding the discussion, the Chancellor requested that a briefing paper be prepared clarifying some of the governance issues raised by Councillors. The Chancellor and members of Council congratulated the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and staff on their hard work and initiative related to the establishment of this institute.

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/25

Council:

• Noted the establishment of the Research Institute as detailed above, a collaboration between WorkSafe, TAC and Monash University;
• Approved that the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), on behalf of Monash University, enter into a Research Institute collaboration agreement with the Transport Accident Commission and WorkSafe Victoria subject to the agreement being approved by the University Solicitor and subject to the Chancellor on behalf of Council being satisfied that the governance matters noted above are satisfactorily resolved or explained; and
• Requested a briefing paper on governance issues raised during the meeting.

For action or noting by: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and University Solicitor.

5.2    Annual Plan and Budget 2009

Note: The discussion of the Annual Plan was a continuation of discussion of this item from Meeting 8/2008.

Professor Evans informed Council that the Annual Plan was initially produced in 2004 and had matured to the stage where it now included objectives from the Academic Plan and support service plans and was aligned to the University-wide performance indicators and targets.

In response to a question, Council was informed that progress reports were prepared bi-annually and that faculty operational plans complemented the Annual Plan as shown in the University Planning Pyramid.

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/26

Council received the advice of Professor Merran Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Quality).

For action or noting by: Pro Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Quality).

5.3    Applications for Funding – Education Investment Fund (EIF)

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/27

Council noted the EIF bid application for Monash University and the financial implications for Monash University should the funding bid be successful.

5.4    Update on University 2009 Financials (February)

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/28

Council received the Financial Report for the period ending February 2009.

5.5    2008 Annual Report to Parliament of the Council of Monash University

Noting that Councillors had received detailed briefings on the Consolidated Financial Statements at meetings of Resources and Finance Committee, Audit Committee and at the Council Special Briefing (held 13 March), Mr Pitt provided Council with an overview of the financial results including:

• The University surplus before impairment was $70.3m, and reduced to $8.7m after impairment;
• Impairment is unrealised and non-cash;
• Monash has consulted with one bank regarding a temporary breach of a lending covenant and the bank indicated it is satisfied with the current financials;
• The consolidated surplus was $76.4m pre-impairment and a $14.9m deficit post impairment; and
• Current borrowing level and cash flow.

Council noted the financial statements were again clear of any audit qualifications.

A number of Councillors queried the transparency of the Directors Remuneration tables’ and suggested a number of other improvements for inclusion in the 2009 Report of Operations.

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/28

• Council adopted the University’s Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ending 31 December 2008 subject to final clearance by the Auditor-General.
• Council approved the Report of Members of Monash University Council.
• Council approved the 2008 Annual Report to Parliament of the Council of Monash University for forwarding to the Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation subject to final clearance of the Consolidated Financial Statements by the Auditor-General.

For action or noting by: Secretary to Council, Vice-President (Finance), Divisional Director – Corporate Finance.

5.6    Report on 2009 Senior Management Summit

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/29

Council received the report to Council on the Senior Management Summit.

For action or noting by: Pro Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Quality)

6     Resources and Finance Committee

6.1    Receipt of Report of Resources and Finance Committee

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/30

Council received and noted the Report of Meeting No. 1/2009 of the Resources and Finance Committee held on Thursday, 12 March, 2009.

6.2    Impairment: Available for Sale Financial Assets

This matter was discussed during Item 5.5 2008 Annual Report to Parliament of the Council of Monash University.

6.3    Consolidated Financial Statements as at 31 December 2008

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/31

• Council approved the proposed accounting policy regarding available-for-sale investments for adoption in the 2008 financial report and as a consequence the impairment recorded in 2008;
• Council noted the report on the financial results for 2008; and
• Council noted that Resources and Finance Committee endorsed for Council approval the 2008 Consolidated Financial Statements, subject to completion of an acceptable audit by the Victorian Auditor-General and clearance by the Audit Committee.

6.4    Monash University Financial Reports: 31 January 2009

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/32

Council noted the University’s position and performance as presented in the January and February reports.

6.5    Monash University Borrowings 2008/2009

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/33

Council approved:

• Given Government approval to our 2009/10 LCA application for $30 million new borrowings and $13.6 million re-financings the University immediately proceeds to tender for an appropriate bank lending facility; and
• Given all necessary internal and government approvals to the recommended bank facility, the Vice-President (Finance) be authorised to utilise the facility at any time provided that in the event that Council does not approve the use of the new borrowings to finance the forecast cash shortfall or in the event that the forecast cash shortfall does not eventuate, the funds are applied to reducing the scheduled loan maturities over 2010/11 with a commensurate reduction in the 2010/11 Loan Council application.

6.6    Proceedings of Resource and Finance Committee

Council noted the proceedings of Meeting 1/2009 of the Resources and Finance Committee.

For action or noting by: Secretary to Resources and Finance Committee.

7     Audit Committee

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/34

Council noted:

• that Audit Committee discussed the Victorian Auditor-General’s Report; and
• that Audit Committee endorsed for consideration by Council the consolidated 2008 Financial Statements.

For action or noting by: Secretary to Audit Committee.

8     Academic Board

8.1    Receipt of Report of Academic Board

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/35

Council received and noted the Report of Meeting No. 1/2009 of the Academic Board held on Wednesday, 25 February 2009.

8.2    Proposed Affiliation with The Cancer Council Victoria

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/36

Council approved the affiliation agreement between Monash University and The Cancer Council Victoria.

For action or noting by: Secretary to Academic Board

9    Gippsland Advisory Council

Report from the Chair of the Gippsland Advisory Council

Mr Nethercote provided Council with an overview of planning to date for a visit by Council to Gippsland Campus.

Mr Nethercote and the Secretary to Council were requested to develop further a program, in consultation with the Pro Vice-Chancellor Gippsland, for consideration by Council.

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/37

Council noted the advice of Mr Nethercote on a proposed visit by Council to the Gippsland Campus.

9.1    Report of the Gippsland Advisory Council Meeting 7/2008

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/38

Council received and noted the Report of Meeting No. 7/2008 of the Gippsland Advisory Council held on 18 November, 2008.

9.2    Report of the Gippsland Advisory Council Meeting 1/2009

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/39

Council:

Received and noted the Report of Meeting No. 1/2009 of the Gippsland Advisory Council held on 24 February 2009; and

• Approved the Gippsland Advisory Council recommendation as they relate to the membership of the Gippsland Advisory Council.
• For action or noting by: Secretary to Gippsland Advisory Council.

10     General Business

10.1    Advancement Portfolio Report

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/40

Council received the report titled Advancement Portfolio Report for University Council (March 2009).

10.2    Senior Appointments

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/41

Council noted:

• that the persons named in the documents have accepted the indicated offers of appointment approved by Council, and wish to record their thanks to Council;
• that the persons named in the document have accepted the indicated offers of appointment approved by the Vice-Chancellor and the President;
• the persons named in the document have accepted the indicated offers of appointment approved by the Special Professorial Appointments Committee of Council.

For action or noting by: Senior HR Specialist (Academic Appointments).

10.3    Use of University Seal

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/42

Council noted the report of the Vice-Chancellor dated 17 March 2009 on the affixing of the Common Seal to documents executed under Seal pursuant to Statute 8.1, Section 2.1.5.

For action or noting by: University Solicitor.

10.4    Academic and Ceremonial Dress Regulations Amendment No. 1 2009

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/43

Council made the Academic and Ceremonial Dress Regulations (Amendment No. 1 2009).

For action or noting by: University Solicitor and Esquire Bedel.

10.5    Conferral of Posthumous Award – Faculty of Arts

RESOLUTION CL2/2009/44

Council conferred the award of Honours degree of Bachelor of Arts (Course Code 0003) to the student named in the document.

For action or noting by: Faculty Manager – Faculty of Arts, Manager-Graduations
and Esquire Bedel.

11     Next meeting

The next meeting of Council is scheduled to be held on Monday, 25 May 2009 in the Advancement Meeting Room, Level 9, Building H, Caulfield Campus.

Further Information

Inquiries about any of the business listed above, or on Council matters in general, may be directed to Mr Tony Calder, Executive Services, Room G06, Administration Building 3a, Clayton Campus, telephone 9905-2010 or via email to: tony.calder@adm.monash.edu.au