Minutes - Meeting 10/06

A Meeting of the Committee of Convocation was held on Wednesday 20 December 2006 at 5.30pm in the Council Chamber, Old Law Quad, University of Melbourne.

PRESENT:

Ms L Boston (Chair), Mr AW Abbott, Dr CE Close, Mr BFB Dance, Mr DM Dodd, Mr AT Douglas, Ms J Elton Brown, Dr B Fary, Dr A Gibbs, Dr JK Harcourt, Mr PR Hirst, Mr J Humphrey, Mr GLE Israel, Mr FAM Lees, Dr P Lowe, Mr RA McGauran, Dr R McMillan, Mr J Meehan, Mrs AM Neal-Adam, Dr JR Nelson, Mr JF Nicholas, Dr DG Parbery, Dr N McH Ramsey, Dr B-A Rodan, Ms A Rusden, Dr S Sahhar, Dr L Simpson, Mr BN Southern, Dr J Stillman, Mr GH Thomas, Ms MA Weston, and Mr NJ Whiting.

IN ATTENDANCE:

Mr L Currie, the University Secretary and Ms Emma Koch, Committee Secretary.

BUSINESS

0. Preliminary Matters

The Chair noted the passing of Dr Alan Moore. Dr Moore was a member of the committee of Convocation for 22 years, from 1979 to 2001, who represented Science graduates.

*1. Apologies and Leave of Absence

Apologies were received from Ms AM Ada, Mr E Bellchambers, Mr R Cook, Ms HM Fitzpatrick, Mr MW Gorton, Mr AG Handberg, and Mr John Green (Assistant University Secretary).

*2. Starring of Additional Items

Items 11.6 and 13 were starred.

*3. Receipt of Unstarred Items

Unstarred items were received.

*4. Minutes of Meeting No. 9/06 (15 November 2006)

Subject to an amendment to record the attendance of Mr R Cook, Mr AT Douglas and Mr J Humphrey, and to correct a spelling error, the minutes were adopted as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

*5. Action Sheet

Committee members received and noted the action sheet. The Chair noted that all items on the Action Sheet had either been dealt with or carried forward for a future meeting, other than the details of membership of the AUQA Panel (see Item 5.1, below).

5.1 Details of AUQA Panel Membership

Committee members received and noted the list of AUQA Panel members.

*6. Matters Arising

6.1 ‘Lost’ Foundation Stone

Mr DM Dodd gave a report on the Working Group’s progress on locating the ‘lost’ Foundation Stone, and its plan to present the University with a replica. Mr Dodd reported that Buildings and Services had been helpful to him in this exercise.

7. Reports to Council

7.1 Report 9/06 – 11 December 2006 to be submitted to December Council

The Committee received the report for information.

*8. Legislation, Regulations and Standing Resolutions

Committee members received the Legislation and Trusts Committee’s Report to Council (30 October 2006).

*9. Issues of Concern to Members

9.1 Annual Ordinary Meeting 2007

The Chair proposed that the 2007 Annual Ordinary Meeting be held in conjunction with an exhibition at the Potter Gallery and that a dinner be held on another occasion. The University Secretary will investigate when exhibitions will be held at the Potter in 2007 and report to the Committee so that a meeting date can be decided early in the year.

9.2 Building and Estates Committee

Convocation’s representative on the Building and Estates Committee reported that tenders had been let for the new Economics and Commerce building, and that construction is due to begin in 2007. It was reported that the University’s mission statement includes an environmental policy and that all briefs for building work must include environmental sustainability guidelines.

*10. Report of Council Meeting

10.1 Vice-Chancellor’s Report

The Committee received the Vice Chancellor’s report to Council.

10.2 Oral Report on Council Meeting

The Chair reported that three key issues were discussed at Council: the 2007 University budget was approved; the proposed University Commercialisation strategy was endorsed and its recommendations adopted; and the report on the Review of Business Educations at the University was adopted.

The Chair also reported on further issues discussed by Council at its meeting on 11 December 2006.

11. Reports of Committee Meetings and Faculty Meetings

11.1 Finance Committee 10/2006 (November 2006)

The Committee received the report for information.

11.2 Planning and Budget Committee

11.2a Planning and Budget Committee Meeting 10/2006 8 November 2006

The Committee received the report for information.

11.2b Planning and Budget Committee Meeting 11/2006 6 December 2006

The Committee received the report for information.

11.3 Theatre Board Minutes 10/06

The Committee received the minutes for information.

11.4 Faculty of Education Board Meeting – Minutes 2/06

The Committee received the report for information.

11.5 Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Meeting (Minutes 23 November 2006)

The Committee received the minutes for information.

11.6 Council Nominations and Governance Committee Meeting 5/06 (7 December 2006)

The University Secretary reported that the Chancellor had agreed that non-confidential information in reports from the Council Nominations and Governance Committee should be made available to the Committee of Convocation.

11.7 Music Faculty Report

The Committee received the Music Faculty Report, tabled by Ms J Elton Brown.

*12. Guest Speaker

Professor McPhee, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) spoke on the topic The Melbourne Model and gave the Committee a progress report on its implementation. During discussion the following points were raised:

• The Bachelor of Bioscience appears to have a very small quota compared to the Bachelor of Science.
• Students studying the Bachelor of Bioscience or the Bachelor of Science will not be able to study their 75 points of breadth subjects from the other degree.
• The Bachelor of Bioscience is not a pre-Medicine degree, nor is it the only path into Medicine.
• Providing a limited number of places in the Bachelor of Bioscience is not necessarily the way to encourage good medical practitioners.
• The Bachelor of Bioscience is intended as a pre-Health Sciences degree and is just one pathway into disciplines such as Nursing and Physiotherapy.
• Students won’t chose to come to Melbourne if they can’t be guaranteed a place in their chosen postgraduate degree (eg. Law or Medicine).
• In order to combat ‘bright flight’, some students with very high ENTER scores will be offered conditional, non-specific postgraduate places (ie. not in a specified postgraduate degree), providing their undergraduate marks are consistently high.
• The University accepts that some students with high ENTER scores will choose to go to other universities, and that some other universities may use public uncertainty about the Melbourne Model to encourage students not to choose Melbourne.
• Other universities can’t ‘take places’ from Melbourne because each university has a fixed number of places available.
• The university is not as strong as it could be in Knowledge Transfer and needs to strengthen this area (eg. through consultancy).
• The Melbourne Model is essentially a hybrid of the Bologna Model and current Australian and US practices.

13. Alumni Relations Report (December 2006)

The Committee received the Alumni Relations Report (December 2006).

*14. President’s Report

The President reported that the end of year dinner at the Lyceum Club was very successful.

She reported that she had met with the Vice Chancellor regarding the Committee’s concerns about the Alumni Resources Guide and that he had spoken to Prof. Warren Bebbington about this. The Vice Chancellor indicated that he values the knowledge and experience of the Committee and appreciates that it has the University’s best interests at heart.

The President discussed with the Vice Chancellor the Committee’s wish to mark its 140th anniversary by attempting to locate the ‘lost’ Foundation Stone, or to present the University with a replacement stone. She gave him an undertaking that property would not be damaged in the hunt for the stone, and that the wording of any replacement stone would be sent to him for approval before it was produced. The Vice Chancellor responded most positively to the suggested project.

*15. Any Other Business

15.1 Knowledge Transfer within the Faculty of Engineering (Meeting Notes December 2006)

The Committee received and noted the report.

15.2 2007 Schedule of Degree Conferring Ceremonies (For the information of members)

The Committee received and noted the draft 2007 Schedule of Degree Conferring Ceremonies.

15.3 Faculty Representatives

It was noted that Convocation representatives on Faculty boards and University committees were due to end their offices in February. It was agreed that the current representatives continue in their offices until April, and that in future the terms of office for faculty representatives will be from April until March.

15.4 Thanks from the Chair

The Chair thanked Committee members for their activity and work during the year, and extended her thanks to the conveners and members of subcommittees, the University Secretary, Assistant University Secretary and committee secretaries for their assistance. She noted that the Committee of Convocation has had a successful year in which it has raised the profile of Convocation, and wished members a happy and safe festive season.

*16. Items for Future Discussion

None.

The meeting closed at 7.15pm after an extension to the normal meeting closure.