Induction for new members of Academic Council

Council is the senior decision-making body on academic matters within the University. It is also the body that awards degrees and diplomas. On matters of academic policy, it makes the final decision.

Council is concerned mainly with academic policy-making, but also advises on the budget process and academic staffing policy, and is the forum for voicing staff and student views on policy matters affecting the University. However, on some of these matters it can only comment or recommend, for example, decisions on staffing, industrial issues and resource allocation rest with the Vice Chancellor or Senate.

On matters that require changes to Statutes or Regulations, it must recommend to Senate, but its recommendations are rarely overturned.

These functions are more fully prescribed in the University Act, Statute No. 5 and Academic Council’s Statement of Purpose.

Murdoch University Act 1973 - 1985

S. 21(4) of the University Act states that "the functions of the Academic Council shall include -

Statute No. 5 – Academic Council (S.1)

Subject to the authority of the Senate, the functions of the Academic Council are:

Statement of Purpose

Following a joint Senate/Academic Council review in late 2002, the following Statement of Purpose has been adopted (S/95/2002):

1. To discharge its statutory responsibilities under the Murdoch University Act and any other relevant legislation.

2. To provide a forum for staff and student debate, acting as the collegial voice. Academic Council should be the main locus of opinion of the University community on all academic matters affecting the University.

3. To give effect to those aspects within the University’s strategic plan, as approved by Senate, that fall within its jurisdiction.

4. To decide academic policy matters, including setting academic planning priorities and ensuring the quality of academic activities.

5. To advise the Senate and the Vice Chancellor on budgetary priorities in the formulation of the annual University budget.

6. To advise the Senate and the Vice Chancellor (as appropriate) on the academic staffing policies of the University.

7. To consider any matter referred to the Academic Council by the Senate or the Vice Chancellor.

In conducting its business, Council’s operations are in accordance with the Standing Orders for Academic Council and Subordinate Bodies.

Committees of Council

Council deliberations are assisted by a number of subordinate committees:

• Learning and Teaching Committee
  • Educational Technology Committee
  • Student Appeals Committee
• Academic Quality Audit Committee
• Committee on University Entrance
• Research Degrees and Scholarships Committee
• Student Equity and Social Justice Committee

The Student Appeals Committee is a subordinate committee of the Learning and Teaching Committee established under the Discipline Statute but with its members appointed by Council.

If issues are raised at Council that fall within the responsibilities of a subordinate committee, normally Council would refer the matter to the Committee for advice before reaching a decision. The terms of reference and constitution of these committees are attached.

Council Working Parties

Council also establishes a number of limited term working parties to investigate issues that do not fall within the brief of its subordinate committees. These committees operate within the Working Parties Established by Academic Council and its Sub-Committees policy.

Membership

Attached is a table listing all current members of Council, the basis of their membership and their contact details.

Those members listed with "Right of Attendance" have speaking but not voting rights.

Academic Council Meeting Dates

Council meets at 1.30pm on Wednesday afternoons. A list of meeting dates for 2009 can be found here.

Agendas

• The agenda deadline is 10 days prior to the meeting date, although members are requested to submit items earlier than this if this is possible.
• About three weeks before each meeting, members are emailed to ask if they have any items or questions (see questions on notice) that they would like placed on the agenda. Please feel free to discuss this with the Secretary of Council if you are uncertain whether or not to raise something, or how to do so. If you would like to include an item on an agenda, you will need to supply a clear outline of what you want discussed; sometimes you will be asked to also provide a short position paper to facilitate the discussion at Council.
• The Council agenda is available electronically on the Wednesday or Thursday preceding the meeting. Printed versions of the agenda will be circulated on the Thursday or Friday preceding the meeting to members who have specifically requested receipt of a printed agenda. Student members who have requested a printed agenda and who use the Guild as their address should remember to call in at the Guild then, in order to collect their agenda. Where unavoidable, additional information may be circulated in a Supplementary Agenda.
• The electronic agenda and attachments are published at the following url:
  http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/cttees/ac/agmin.html.
• If you have requested a printed agenda and this has not been received by the Friday afternoon prior to the Council meeting, please contact the Secretary on ext 6839 to see if there have been delays in printing, or if necessary, to obtain a spare one.
• The agenda is not confidential and is available to all Murdoch University staff members: you are entitled to consult members of the Murdoch community and seek whatever advice or information you want in preparing for the meeting. For this reason it is advisable to read the agenda well in advance of the actual meeting.
• The agenda is in three parts:
  • Confirmation of the minutes of the last meeting;
  • Part A: items for discussion; and
  • Part B: en bloc items (including acceptance of any recommendations shown), unless any member requests that an item be reserved for discussion.
• Items are listed in Part B either because they are for information only, or because the recommendation is thought to be non-controversial. Given the large amount of business which Council is required to transact, it is necessary to have most of the agenda in Part B.
• There is no such item as "other business": any matter to be discussed must have three days notice (this is a requirement in the Standing Orders). Where less than three days notice has been given, Council can consider other business only by agreement of an absolute majority of members.
• Council's regular business consists of reports on research grants; recommendations on the award of degrees and diplomas; reports on major decisions taken by sub-committees of the Council; and consideration of recommendations for changes to regulations, policy or procedures.
• If you would like further information concerning any item on the agenda, you are encouraged to obtain this in advance of the meeting (rather than hold up the meeting by straightforward requests for information). You can obtain this either from the Secretary of the body originating the agenda item, or from the Secretary of Council.
• You may also find it beneficial to attend the Council briefings, which are held on the Monday prior to the Council meeting. These are held from 12.30 – 1.30 pm and are informal. Feel free to bring your lunch.
• After you receive the agenda, if you want to foreshadow a resolution or suggest drafting changes, it is useful to advise the Secretary so that any drafting can be prepared before the meeting and, if appropriate, included with a supplementary agenda tabled at the meeting. The objective in all this is to aim for a more efficient meeting.
• The Secretary and the President are happy to advise you on the drafting of any motion you are preparing.
• If you are unable to attend a meeting of Council, you should advise the Secretary beforehand. If you are absent from three consecutive meetings without the leave of Council your position will become vacant. If you are an ex officio member, you can nominate another person to attend in your place. (Elected members cannot send anyone else in their place.) There is no provision for proxy voting (i.e. you cannot have another member of Council vote on your behalf as well as exercising her or his own vote).
  

Meeting Procedures

• Members can sit anywhere they like at the Council table, other than at the far western end, where the President, Secretary and Vice Chancellor sit. Those persons with rights of attendance and observers are requested to sit on the chairs at the side of the room.
• A quorum of 10 members must be present before the meeting can start.
• The meeting commences with recording of any apologies, plus approving the minutes of the last meeting. It then discusses the major issues for the meeting, which constitute Part A.
• Part A includes a report by the Vice Chancellor. The written report is usually supplemented with an oral report on more recent or sensitive matters. Following this, members may ask questions or make comments.
• Part A includes a report by the Vice Chancellor. The written report is usually supplemented with an oral report on more recent or sensitive matters. Following this, members may ask questions or make comments.
• Part A also includes a Debate Topic. At each Academic Council meeting, half an hour will be set aside for members to debate a "hot topic" relevant to Academic Council's brief. The debate topics are:
• to be generated by members;
• to be scheduled/published in advance to allow members time to prepare should they wish; and
• to be supported by a provocative one-page brief designed to stimulate debate (in some cases an article in the Higher Education Supplement or a report on some aspect of higher education may inspire a topic).
  

The purpose of the debate is to stimulate discussion and create a forum in which issues can be discussed freely and different viewpoints be aired. Each Academic Council member is expected to suggest a topic, from which the President can draw up a list of topics for discussion. Time for the debate topic is limited to thirty minutes, subject to extension with the approval of the meeting.

• If you would like to speak, you should first attract the attention of the President (usually by raising your hand a little) and wait for acknowledgement that it is OK for you to speak. This procedure allows the President to ensure that several members don't speak at once, and that everyone who wants to speak gets their turn.
  
• Members of Council are also encouraged to put questions to the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellors, Faculty Deans of Faculties, and the President and Education Vice President of the Guild of Students. In order to manage the agenda and allow provision of detailed answers, these questions should be provided on notice.
  
• You don't have to stand to speak; you should remain seated.
  
• Council meetings normally don't follow strict rules of debate (e.g. speakers alternating between those for and against the motion, no member being allowed to speak more than twice during a debate), unless the debate is complex or highly controversial, in which case the President may switch to a more formal debate. The President exercises a considerable amount of discretion in running the meeting, so as to facilitate resolution of issues.
  
• Often Council reaches agreement on a matter without having a formal motion moved and voted on: the President may simply summarise the mood of the meeting (e.g. "I take it that we are agreeing to..") and, unless anyone objects, the matter is passed and the meeting will move on to the next item.
  
• The President may request that someone move a motion, in order to focus debate. Every motion must be seconded by another member, except for motions moved by the President.
  
• Often the Secretary, or the mover of the motion, will be asked to read it out again prior to it being voted on.
  
• An amendment to a motion must be voted on before the motion itself. Sometimes it may not be necessary to proceed with an amendment, if the mover and seconder are prepared to modify their motion accordingly. If the amendment is the opposite of the intent of the motion, then it should instead be a foreshadowed motion, which is voted on only after the original motion has been considered.
  
• When a motion is put, you can vote for or against, or abstain. If you strongly disagree with the motion, you can ask that your dissent be recorded in the minutes.
  
• Sometimes the drafting of a motion is left to the Secretary and/or the President to finalise after the meeting, once it is clear what the intent of the meeting is.
  
• We try to get through the business of the meeting by about 4pm, but sometimes Council can go to 5 or 6pm if there is a lot of debate.
  
• If you have any problems with the way Council is working, please feel free to raise your concerns with the President or the Secretary.
  
• The Standing Orders of Council, which govern meeting procedures, can be accessed at http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/legsln/so/acadcouncil.html. It is worth familiarising yourself with them before your first meeting.

Minutes

• A summary of the Council decisions is emailed to all University staff after each meeting. The full minutes are available on the web during the week after the meeting, at http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/cttees/ac/agmin.html.
• Minutes are not transcripts or verbatim records, and normally individuals are not identified (though sometimes the background of the speaker - e.g. "a student member" is indicated where this is significant).
• Not all matters agreed upon at a meeting are recorded in the minutes as resolutions. Where it is a matter that does not require a resolution and a motion has not been moved, then often it will be recorded in the text of the minutes instead. Conversely, many resolutions do not record motions moved at the meeting: they instead are matters upon which agreement was reached, and on which a formal resolution is needed in order to recommend to Senate, satisfy legal requirements, or to formally approve a policy or policy change.
• Where pertinent information comes to light after the meeting, or clarification has been sought, this new information may be included in the minutes by way of a Secretary’s Note.
• The minutes are available to all Murdoch University staff and student members of Academic Council.
• If you believe the minutes are inaccurate, please discuss your concerns with the Secretary: often there will be a simple explanation, but if the minutes do need correcting, a proposed amendment will be drafted and incorporated in the agenda for the next meeting.
• There is also an annual index of decisions made by Academic Council, which is circulated in February.

Contact People

The Secretary is located on the fourth floor of the Chancellery building - Office of Legal and Governance.