ACADEMIC BOARD REPORT 4 - 22 JULY 1998

Before I begin this report:

>> ACADEMIC BOARD REPORT - 3 June 1998
>> 
>> A truncated report this time, as I had to sneak out after two hour.....
>> 
>> So, over to Chris for the rest. Maybe a pen portrait next time.

Well Chris passed me some details, so to round off the last meeting:

- as expected Merran Evans got the gong of Associate Chair of the AB.
Seems a  fixed term professorial appointment goes with it. Seems also
that despite the title, she doesn't chair the Board in DVC Lindsay's
absence, instead she is really a high-level assistant for him
concentrating on the LTOP. (Truly amazing that in the Logan era the VC
managed to chair the Board all by himself, and now it takes a team....)

- the changes to the Board structure were approved, and with it an
increase in "managerial" appointments. For example, campuses will no
longer be represented by elected campus academics, but by the
(appointed) campus manager and his/her appointed second representative.

- the Research Plan got a brief run (it was a brief document.) Words in
it about moving money from the teaching side of the budget to the
research side, and a proposal to insist on PhDs for all appointments
above Level A unless special exemption is granted.

On to the 22 July Meeting.

A shorter meeting this time.

A. A brief progress report on the LTOP implementation. We had brief
Faculty reports in the papers. I stayed awake long enough to hear us
getting a brownie point for having an LTOP Web Page.

B. A very upbeat report from he VC on the opening of the University's
"7th campus" in Malaysia, which went live the week before with about
450 students. A prediction that in two years it would be the 3rd largest
campus, which makes one wonder about the sizes of Peninsula and
Gippsland. Some pressure from the partners to include medical courses
ASAP.

C. We were introduced to the new Executive Director, Information
Technology Services.

D. Quite a discussion on the situation with Library serials. The prices
of major serials have been rising by over 10% pa, which combined with
the $A doldrums is making it difficult to cope, especially in branches
like the Hargrave where a high proportion of the acquisition budget goes
on them. The Library is looking to cuts of %20 in serial acquisitions,
rising to %30 in the case of Science and Engineering. To put it in a
local perspective, Edward Lim mentioned that the University of Melbourne
is implementing a 50% reduction for Medicine, Science & Engineering.

There was much hand-wringing on this, with complaints that the commercial
publishers had hijacked "our" publications (true), and that we need to do
something about it (true), and that we have partially created the
problem by placing so much emphasis on publication as a promotion
criterion (uncomfortable wriggles in seats). 

Then it was on to Annual Reports from Deans, etc., which had been held
over from the previous meeting. 

John Rickard from BusEco led off, so he got most of the questions & 
follow-up. Some of his comments such as the opening of the Malaysian 
Campus might mean more students and less money for his Faculty, and 
the problems being caused locally by the inadequate facilities in the 
face of the growth in international students, of course apply just as much 
to Information Technology. He closed with some remarks on the problems 
of remaining competitive when universities like Melbourne announce a 
12-month 8-subject course-work Masters. I think this was a clever 
move, because with BusEco and IT sponsoring changes in the course-work 
masters programs which would reduce their length, this is some useful 
softening-up in advance. There was much tut-tutting at these nefarious 
moves by Melbourne, and mutters about breaches of protocol and national 
standards. Assoc Prof Jim Peterson from Geography made a rambling speech 
on the matter that no-one seemed to understand.

Mike Brisk from Engineering concentrated on the changes coming from the
long-overdue (my words, not his) merger of activities at Clayton and
Caulfield.

John Rosenberg spoke, emphasising some of the changes in structure, and
the growth during the year. He remarked too on the loss of Cliff Bellamy
and Anne McMillan early in the year, and thanks Rob Willis for his work
as Acting Dean during the first half of '97.

Brian Chapman's report from Pharmacy mainly dwelt on the introduction of
the 4-year degree there. He scored a stirring question from Marion
Quartly about the continued lack of a "Monash University" sign in Royal
Parade. "Next week" he promised. Something to do with problems with the
City Council.

A big collection of subject/course changes went though without
discussion. Ray Cass of Earth Sciences took advantage of a starred item
to complain about all the new subjects (mostly IT ones.) It was pointed
out to him that they almost all flowed from restructures to implement
the 6-point models, and that disestablishment of old subjects could not
happen immediately. So there. BTW, all the IT Faculty changes (BComp,
BCompSc, BDigSys) were approved without murmur.

Jim Breen
July 1998