8 June 2011

The Board of Trustees met on Wednesday 8 June 2011, in the Boardroom, Building AD, Werrington North campus. A summary of matters discussed is provided below.

Confirmation of Minutes

The minutes (opens in a new window) of the 13 April 2011 meeting of the Board of Trustees were confirmed, with minor amendment, and can be downloaded from this page.

Main Items Considered by the Board

Chancellor’s Report
Vice-Chancellor’s Report
Institute for Culture and Society
Board of Trustees Standing Orders
Board Membership
Queer Spaces and Women’s Rooms on Campus
Presentations
Other Reports and Items Considered by the Board
Details of Next Meetings

Chancellor's Report

The Chancellor reported to the Board about his recent activities for the University, which included:

  • Participating in the graduation ceremonies in April (and also the recent graduation ceremonies in Hong Kong for off-shore Masters of Nursing students)
  • A meeting with staff of the Office of Development
  • Speaking about the educational potential of Greater Western Sydney at a Property Council of Australia function
  • Attending the launch of the Centre for Citizenship and Public Policy
  • Meeting with the AUQA panel

He also noted his recently published article, in the Australian Literary Review, on the need to bridge the great divide between academia and public policy development.

Vice-Chancellor’s Report

The Vice-Chancellor's report to the Board of Trustees included the following items:

  • On 3 May Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon visited the recently completed multi-million dollar UWS Blacktown Mt Druitt Clinical School and Research Centre
  • On 4 May Shadow Minister for Education, Senator Brett Mason, visited UWS as part of a planned round of visits to all Australian universities
  • UWS achieved EOWA Employer of Choice status for the 10th consecutive year
  • UWS and TVS partnered with the Sydney Writers’ Festival
  • On 16 May the Vice-Chancellor attended a community cabinet meeting, hosted by Premier Barry O’Farrell.
  • On 12 May the management team for the University’s newly established Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) was announced.
  • Data released in April by the Federal Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator the Hon Chris Evans, gives the growth in undergraduate Commonwealth supported places in Australian universities since 2009, with UWS leading in NSW.
  • In May St John’s University in Tanzania received the teaching equipment donated by UWS.
  • UWS had a 44.4% success rate in the 2011 Round 2 ARC Linkage Grants. The sector average is 40.9% and this result positions UWS in the top 20 Australian universities in Linkage funding awarded.

Institute for Culture and Society

The Board approved the establishment of the Institute for Culture and Society. This Institute draws upon some of the University’s key research strengths, especially its strength in cultural studies, which is one of the two areas in which UWS achieved a top rating of 5 in the ERA results announced earlier this year. The Institute will concentrate on many of the major issues that confront our society and will retain the strong engaged focus that has characterised much of UWS’ research in the humanities and social sciences. The conception of the Institute is deliberately broad so that wider collaborations can be developed with the research interests of staff at UWS as well as elsewhere.

This is again an example of where the University must use the research to contribute to, and engage in, public discourse and policy.

Board of Trustees Standing Orders

The Board approved Standing Orders, with the consequential revocation of the: BOT Meeting Protocols (2010), Guidelines for Addresses to the Board (2005) and Conflict of Interest Procedure (2004). The new Standing Orders document will be available on line in the near future.

Board Membership

The Board appointed Mr Christopher Brown, Chairman of Economic Development with Parramatta City Council, as a member of the Board of Trustees for a term of four years commencing on 1 July 2011.

Queer Spaces and Women’s Rooms on Campus

The Board endorsed the allocation of queer spaces and women’s rooms on all UWS campuses and requested that the University Executive pursue suitable accommodation.

Presentations

Professor John Ingleson, DVC International and Development, provided a presentation on International Student trends.

Dr Fiona H Cameron, Associate Director Innovation, provided a presentation on Developing Patents and Innovation at UWS.

Ms Rachel Bentley, Associate Head of School of Communication Arts and CEO Television Sydney, provided a presentation about TVS.

Other Reports and Items Considered by the Board

  • Review of Student Representation and Participation at UWS
  • UWS AUQA Cycle 2 Audit
  • UWS Leadership and Management Changes – Discussion Paper
  • Finance and Investment Committee
  • Strategy and Planning Committee
  • Audit and Risk Management Committee, including OH&S report
  • Report from the Chair of Academic Senate
  • Board Standing Committee and Remuneration and Nominations Committee
  • Campus Development Committee
  • Honorary Awards
  • UWS Foundation
  • Staffing Matters
  • Gender and Diversity of UWS Staff
  • Changes to Leadership of the School of Medicine

Details of Next Meetings

The next Board meeting will be its annual Strategy Day on 20 July. The Board’s next ordinary meeting will be held at 9am on 21 September 2011 at the University’s Werrington North Campus.