26 February 2014

The Board of Trustees met on 26 February 2014 in the Board of Trustees Room, Building EZ, Parramatta Campus. A summary of matters discussed in the open session of the Board meeting is provided below.

Confirmation of Minutes

The minutes of the 4 December 2013 meeting (PDF, 197.54 KB) (opens in a new window) of the Board of Trustees were confirmed and can be now be downloaded from this page.

Main Items Considered by the Board

Chancellor's Report

The Chancellor welcomed the new Board members Jenny Purcell (General Staff member) and Paul Newman (ministerial appointment). The Chancellor also welcomed the new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Barney Glover to his first Board meeting at UWS. 2014 will be a busy year for the Board with some major strategic issues to be considered throughout the year. Minister Pyne recently attended the opening of the UWSCollege facilities at the Bankstown campus and he continues to be very supportive of UWS and its mission.

Vice-Chancellor's Report

In the short time since commencing with the University in January, the Vice-Chancellor has met with many staff from Schools and Divisions to introduce himself and to share his vision of UWS into the future. The Vice-Chancellor met students who were attending a two-day leadership program organised through the UWS Academy, and discussed his desire for more opportunities for international placements during UWS undergraduate programmes; a concept which was well received by the students. At a recent meeting of Universities Australia Vice-Chancellors major national issues were discussed, including university funding and student debt, proposed changes to the funding of research and a review of teacher training entry standards chaired by Professor Greg Craven (Vice-Chancellor ACU).

UWS Directions 2020

The Vice-Chancellor outlined the major strategies for UWS to 2020 to sharpen the Making the Difference strategy in key areas. A main area of focus will be strategies to make UWS an internationally recognised institution. Part of this will involve the boosting of inbound and outward bound student numbers and increasing opportunities for international partnerships and collaboration. The Board also discussed significant business developments in Western Sydney and opportunities for UWS to become the research voice of Western Sydney.

Revised Executive Structure

The Board agreed with the recommendation to establish the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and the immediate commencement of a recruitment process. Recruitment to the position of the newly established position of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) will also be initiated as a matter of priority.

Graduate Destinations Survey

The Board noted this report and agreed that more detailed analysis and reporting would be useful in understanding graduate outcomes.

Red Tape Taskforce

The Board discussed the work of the Red Tape Taskforce that was established primarily to provide advice on how to reduce and refine the administrative workload of academic staff. An implementation report will be submitted to the Board in June 2014.

Other Reports and Items Considered by the Board

  • Our Future Action Program – Status Report
  • Compliance with Voluntary Code of Best Practice
  • Bridges to Higher Education
  • UWSCollege
  • UWS Community and Regional Engagement Masterplan
  • Reports from Committees and Advisory Council of the Board
  • Staffing Matters

The Board's next meeting will be held on Wednesday 9 April 2014.