Prior to the meeting proper, a number of professional staff met with myself and another Senator. Items discussed included:
How Senate works.
Parking for motorcycles at St Lucia - is there enough?
Staff Wellness - a staff member's experience with an annual health check-up day and a sick leave 'bank' at an American university - lessons for UQ?
Holding a staff ball.
The number of senior executives (more DVCs and PVCs) and the need for the VC's Executive to visit organisational units more frequently.
Further to my question at the last Senate meeting, the V-C advised that the Office of the Executive Director (Operations) had allocated funds to employ a 0.5 FTE position to work in HR Division to develop further and to implement the program. Yay!
The V-C's address to Senate focused on the Federal Budget, handed down two days earlier. A number of UQ infrastructure projects valued at more than $200m were funded. Other good news was that salary indexation is being improved; research overheads will be progressively funded from the current nothing to 50 cents in the dollar by 2014; other new conditional funding is on the horizon in future years. Research performance will be measured using ERA.
A working party of executives has been set up to look at interactions between the Faculties of Science, NRAVS and EAIT; the roles of the BSc and BAppSc; and the organisation of plant science teaching and research. A reassurance was given by the V-C that NRAVS is not under threat of obliteration.
The carve-up of the School of Engineering into three smaller schools and the centralisation at the Faculty level of some administrative functions was formally approved.
The Annual Report for 2008 was commended.
Standard reports from Finance Committee, Buildings & Grounds Committee, Legislative Committee and the Academic Board were received and resolutions passed. A number of professorial appointments were confirmed.
A report of the Centenary Celebrations Committee was noted.
