Prior to the meeting proper, a number of professional staff met with myself and four other Senators. Items discussed included:
How Senate works.
School-Based Performance Framework � what might the KPIs mean in terms of future funding?
New UQ student recruitment TV ads.
Staff Engagement Survey, including the need for senior executives to be more visible in the colonies.
Litter on campus.
Staff Wellness Program.
More social interaction in UQ and more interaction between UQ and the community � one of the staff attendees knows of a fellow staff member doing a study on this, who might be good to invite to a future meeting. Could also be on the agenda for the Wellness program.
Expansion of TAPPAC to be a transport committee with BCC and QR reps on it.
I asked a question of the Vice-Chancellor regarding the progress of the implementation of a wellness program, on which I've spoken previously at Senate, and which is part of the 'UQ People' strategy.
I'd received a report from the 26 Feb 09 meeting of the General Staff Consultative Committee that a committee had been established to develop the program and had met a number of times and come up with a plan, including costings, but nothing has been implemented yet. I understand there is a need to appoint a person to further the plans, but no additional funds to facilitate such at this time.
I told Senate that I think this is a situation where UQ is coming from behind compared to other large and progressive organisations, and it would be a shame if the plans to introduce a program stalled, or worse were shelved, for lack of the allocation of what are probably relatively minor resources when one considers the likely widespread positive impact of such a program, both in terms of recruiting and of retaining staff.
The Vice-Chancellor undertook to investigate and report back.
The new TV ads were viewed and a HUPP policy update approved, along with Branding Guidelines. Senators regarded the ads as an improvement on efforts of recent years and acknowledged that the brand colours, device, etc were the result of significant market research.
Further to the last meeting, the change excluding internal Senators from parking in the Chancellery carpark was still in the draft HUPP, causing concern to two of the four internal Senators (not yours truly) that they were discriminated against. I and another internal Senator however spoke in support of our aggrieved colleagues. The new Executive Director (Operations), Maurie McNarn, making his debut, said that it was a matter of practicality over principle - there simply wasn't enough room to let staff and postgrad Senators park in the Chancellery carpark. When it was pointed out that it would, in practice, mean only two more cars, management relented.
The Report of the Audit Sub-committee of Senate included summaries of assurance reports completed by ARMS in the last quarter of 2008. One of these was for the Capital Campaign Office conducting fundraising for the new Vet School at Gatton. Whilst the office and its processes were found to be functioning properly, ARMS had noted that it was not entirely in agreement with the fact that the Office operates separately from the Advancement Office. I asked the Chair of the Audit Committee what ARMS's concerns were. He answered that, from the point of view of consistency, risk management and oversight, it is better that all fundraising be stationed in one unit. The Vice-Chancellor commented that UQ management agrees with this objective and that the separation is due to the vet campaign having started before the Advancement Office was properly set up. He said that UQ management is committed to a single foundation, not a plethora of foundations.
Finance Committee is not entirely happy with the student union's budget forecasts and has asked that it be revised and resubmitted. The forecasts seem to be unduly rosy, given last year's performance. The second instalment of the University's grant to UQU is being withheld in the meantime. Elected academic staff member of Senate, Andrew Bonnell, rose to speak against the University granting money to an organisation that used financial inducements in the last election to try to get students to vote for the incumbent powers, and asked Finance Committee to take this sort of behaviour into account. Forces associated with the youth wing of the Liberal Party are in power at UQU.
A Senator expressed concern at the apparent narrowing of horizons over time in the recruitment of academic staff in the Faculty of Arts. Where once recruitment would have included overseas candidates, increasingly ads are placed only locally and for a short period, resulting in a low number (sometimes only a couple) of applicants. It sometimes looks as though the person has been selected before the recruitment process takes place.
The V-C responded that he agreed that, particularly at the lower levels, advertisements should be placed widely, including overseas, but that some senior positions involve 'strategic recruitment'.
Considerable debate occurred over an initiative proposed to assist the Ipswich campus to prosper. The matter is confidential at this stage.
