Vice-Chancellor and Chair of Academic Senate Forums

An important initiative from the Senate Work Plan in 2014 was a series of Academic Forums, co-sponsored by the Vice-Chancellor and Chair of Academic Senate. These forums will cover a range of contemporary topics and challenges for our University, and be held on different campuses. The outcomes and proposals from the forums will be followed up by the University Executive and Academic Senate.

All academic and professional staff, and elected student members of Academic Senate and its Committees, are invited to attend. However, to ensure the discussions are engaging for all participants, attendance at these forums may be limited.

An email invitation from the Vice-Chancellor will advise when registrations open for each forum. If you have any queries about the forums, please contact Georgia Vasiliadis, Senate Secretary on g.vasiliadis@westernsydney.edu.au.

Forum 16: 16 October 2024

The Purpose of the University

Universities create and disseminate knowledge for the public good. They are places where people come together to engage in deep thinking, to innovate, to develop solutions, to educate themselves and to develop partnerships both within and externally. Universities as social institutions are critical infrastructure and have pivotal leadership roles acting as independent experts.

In recent years, however, universities have been the target of strong criticism from different directions. Providing insights from University management, academic and student perspectives, the panel will consider the purpose of a university within this context.

Panel members

Professor Robert Mailhammer, Chair of Academic Senate (Facilitator)

Distinguished Professor George Williams AO, Vice Chancellor and President

Mr Angelo Kourtis, Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer

Distinguished Professor Anthony Uhlmann, Interim Dean, School of Humanities and Communication Arts

Professor Oula Ghannoum, School of Science/Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Ms Swetha Kumar, Student member of the Board of Trustees

Forum 15: 4 August 2023

"The Accord Interim report: What’s in it for Western?”

In collaboration with the Professoriate Leadership Group

The Accord is arguably the biggest reform process of Higher Education since the Dawkins reforms, and it has the potential to fundamentally re-shape the University landscape. This Vice-Chancellor and Chair of Academic Senate Forum will discuss the interim report by the Accord Panel, which will be released in the coming weeks. The discussion will not only inform the Panel directly, as Professor Barney Glover AO is a member of that Panel, it will also inform Western’s submission, which is led by Prof. Clare Pollock and submissions by the wider University community. It is a unique opportunity to directly influence how Higher Education will change, and a chance to debate the purpose of universities in this society and beyond.

Panel members

Professor Barney Glover AO, Vice-Chancellor

Professor Clare Pollock, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor Miroslav Filipović, Chair, Professoriate Leadership Group

Dr Nicolene Murdoch, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Educational Partnerships and Quality

Facilitated by Professor Robert Mailhammer, Chair of Academic Senate

More information about the Accord together with relevant publication and all submissions so far can be found at: https://www.education.gov.au/australian-universities-accord