Prior to the meeting I hosted a number of Senators in a meeting with a small group of professional staff, in one of the regular 'meet-a-Senator' meetings arranged for me by my predecessor on Senate, Kay Whitfield. The staff learned about how Senate and its committees operate and the Senators heard from the staff on a number of issues, including how they felt the University is travelling since the departure of the VC and SDVC last year.
In the informal part of the Senate meeting, Prof Cindy Shannon, PVC (Indigenous Education) gave an informative presentation on progress in increasing the participation of indigenous students and staff at UQ. A number of valuable initiatives are in train that will hopefully make a positive difference in the years ahead.
Statements by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor on recent achievements; PPL changes; reports of Senate sub-committees; honorary degree nominations.
As part of the well-publicised reform program arising from the 2011 enrolment irregularity and its fallout, the Senate held a retreat on the Saturday prior to the meeting, part of which involved a presenation on ethics. Arising from this, Senate was invited to participate in determination of statements of the University's vision, mission and values, with principles to follow. A vibrant discussion occurred at the Senate meeting proper, with good input from all members. Drafting is ongoing, with input from the University Senior Management Committee taken into account and that of the Heads of Institutes, Directorates and Schools to come. Senate will have final sign-off on the statements. An organisational culture survey of staff and other stakeholders by an independent provider is expected to occur in September - hopefully the results will influence the statements as well.
UQ apparently has an obligation under the Higher Education Support Act to ensure democratic elections are held by student associations. It was reported that a number of complaints had been received from students about the actions of the UQU incumbents in the context of the upcoming election. UQ management has taken the complaints seriously and brokered meetings between the parties, aimed at addressing concerns. The positions of the student opponents in this struggle have been publicised in the media recently.
