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| Meeting 5, 5 September 2008
The University Council met in Meeting Room 1, Newnham Campus, Launceston on Friday 5 September 2008. Agenda items included-
Financial Management Report 30 June 2008Council approved the summary financial management reports as at 30 June 2008. Health Science Co-location ProjectCouncil were advised that the building site webcam is at http://www.healthsci.utas.edu.au/collocation/livefeed/live_feed.html Student Load ReportCouncil received the student load report for August 2008. Academic Senate meeting - 25 July 2008Professor Williamson, Chair of Academic Senate, reported that major items discussed at Academic Senate (other than those forwarded separately to Council) were; Council noted advice from the Chair that Senate was overseeing the development of a process for bringing together common items from school reviews and responses. New Dean of ArtsCouncil noted the appointment of Professor Sue Dodds as Dean of Arts from 16 February 2009. AIRC Innovation CensusCouncil received the Australian Innovation Research Centre booklet on Innovation in Tasmania. National Governance ProtocolsCouncil received a letter from the Commonwealth Minister for Education. The letter advises that Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements (HEWRRs) are no longer a condition of funding under the Commonwealth Grant Scheme but that the National Governance Protocols (NGPs) have been reimposed for the time being. Significant AchievementsCouncil received the Vice-Chancellor’s report on significant achievements by UTAS, its staff and students . In addition to the achievements, 6 University of Tasmania staff who have made a long-standing contribution to the quality of student learning were formally recognised at the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Citation ceremony in Melbourne on Wednesday 6 August. Each Citation recipient received $10,000. The recipients have already been recognised by the University for their outstanding contributions to learning and teaching and it is heartening to see them recognised nationally as well. The recipients were – Dr Kim Beswick - School of Education - for commitment to and leadership of continual improvement of student learning in the Faculty of Education, particularly in relation to mathematics education. Dr Kerry Howells - School of Education - for the continual development and contextualised application of a unique approach to reflective practice that greatly enhances learning and teaching and fosters greater student engagement. Ms Rikki Mawad – TUU (former Council member) - for commitment to ensuring student-centred and well informed contributions in University decision-making and for dedication in seeking to enhance the overall student experience at UTAS. Dr Mary Scott - School of Art (Hobart) - for sustained excellence in teaching and for developing and implementing effective and stimulating learning activities for Visual Art and Design students. Mr Rick Snell - School of Law (former Council member) - for outstanding capacity to inspire and encourage student learning across the undergraduate law degree from first year to final year students. This wonderful result comes on the back of a recent ALTC National Leadership grant of $220,000 being awarded to Professor Gail Hart and Mr Neil Trivett. TUU & SA Financial StatementsCouncil received the 2007/08 financial statements for the Tasmania University Union Inc and the Student Association Incorporated. ARC Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits 2007 Annual ReportCouncil received the 2007 Annual Report for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits. Mercer Quarterly Investment ReportCouncil received the report that the investment return for the quarter was -0.9% against the budget of 1.5%, and for the 12 months to 30 June 2008 was -6.6% against the budget of 6%. Education Investment Fund 2009Council received the Vice-Chancellor’s report on expressions of interest submitted to the Education Investment Fund for 2009. Good Universities Guide 2009The University of Tasmania has received a glowing review of its research success and the excellence of its teaching and learning program in the 2009 edition of the Good Universities Guide. 2008 Jiao Tong RankingThe 2008 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), issued by Jiao Tong University, has recently been released. No changes were made to the ranking methodology in 2008. UTAS has improved these rankings -
There are several factors that may have contributed to this change, such as -
Detailed analysis of the figures by Professor Ross Large of CODES reveals that the first of these was the primary factor, with marked improvements by UTAS on 2 of the 6 measures –
We can justly celebrate the outcome. However, this good news is not a cause for complacency on the rankings issue. We should be aspiring to improve our position even further. Council congratulated the academic staff of UTAS on the good results. Tasmania TomorrowCouncil received an announcement from the Premier on the Tasmania Tomorrow Boards and congratulated the UTAS staff and other connections who were appointed to the boards. Review of Higher Education (Bradley Review)The final UTAS submission was lodged with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Submissions can be viewed on the following website: http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher_education/policy_issues_reviews/reviews/highered_review/ Review of the National Innovation System (Cutler Review)The deadline for the report on the National Innovation System has been extended by one month at the request of the Review Chair, who sought an extension of time because of the breadth of the task and the overwhelming response from stakeholders. The report is now due to be released in September. Review of Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) ProgramA review of the CRC Program was undertaken as part of the broad review of the National Innovation System (NIS). The review looked at the general issue of collaboration and its place in the NIS, and how the CRC Program fits with other programs in the NIS in contributing to national productivity and social good. Through its recommendations, the report recognises the need for -
The report does not address how to increase the involvement of small and medium enterprises. The recommendation to broaden the scope of CRCs to again include public good may provide a more positive environment for our future involvement in CRCs, and in particular for the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC re-bid, which is already in preparation (the current iteration ends in 2010). The ACE CRC has a strong public good focus, ranging from the impact of climate change on agriculture and fisheries to the consequences that sea level rise would have for the insurance industries. The ACE CRC is linked with the State Government’s Climate Futures initiative, which will use sophisticated climate modelling techniques to describe the most likely future climate scenarios. Excellence in Research for AustraliaThe Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative is being developed by the Australian Research Council (ARC). It will assess research quality within Australia’s higher education institutions using a combination of indicators and expert review by committees comprising experienced, internationally-recognised experts. Research will be evaluated in 8 discipline clusters. Update on Review of Web ServicesAs a result of the review of web services, a Web Services Manager has been appointed. This is a critical position in enabling the implementation of the Web Services Action Plan. In addition, the Web Services Operations Group (WebSOG) has been formed. It will provide technical and operational advice and information to the Web Services Steering Committee (WSSC) and put into effect the strategic directions for the development of UTAS Web Services, such as-
China Graduation CeremoniesIn July UTAS conducted its third round of graduation ceremonies in China, in conjunction with our partner universities in Hangzhou and Shanghai. A total of 89 graduands were admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Computing at a ceremony held on the Pinfeng campus of Zhejiang University of Technology, and 387 to the degrees of Bachelor of Information Systems and Bachelor of Commerce at a joint UTAS / Shanghai Ocean University ceremony held at the Arts Centre in Nanhui. News from the Faculty of BusinessThe Australian Innovation Research Centre disclosed the results of their 2 year project, a census on innovation in small businesses across Tasmania, at a media launch on 8 August at Houston's Farm, Cambridge. The census results were announced by the Premier, Mr. David Bartlett. The project, funded by the Department of Economic Development, is the most detailed census of its type undertaken in the world. The results of the review are good news for UTAS because they demonstrate our deep collaboration with Tasmanian industry across a wide spectrum of innovation. The Dean and Mr. David Kronenburg from the School of Accounting and Corporate Governance recently visited Sydney for a quality assurance visit with students from the MBA (Health Management) being run out of the South West Sydney Area Health Services. During the visit discussions were held with the North Sydney Area Health Service about plans for a similar program to be run in North Sydney. The Faculty is taking the lead in facilitating a pilot for a community friendship scheme, designed to provide links with community for international students and other students studying away from their home base. The 6 month pilot will commence in August, aimed at linking students to families in the community to enhance the student experience. It is anticipated and hoped that the program will be expanded to other Faculties in the University from 2009. Honorary AppointmentsIn accordance with the Honorary, Visiting, Clinical and Adjunct Appointments Policy, new Adjunct Professors are-
Graduation in Absentia and Conferring of AwardsThese students graduated in absentia at the meeting-
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