Declaration of interests, statements by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor on recent UQ achievements and members leaving the Senate at the end of this term; PPL changes; reports of Senate sub-committees and Academic Board; Faculty Restructure progress update; Workplace Culture update; gifts and grants report.
The draft Plan was discussed. A number of members were pleased to see that besides the traditional pillars of Learning, Discovery and Engagement, the Plan gives prominence to the University's values, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation/engagement, equity and diversity, and 'Enablers', being our people and culture, our resources, and our governance.
This was noted. UQ is on track for a slightly better than forecast result for 2013. Our international enrolments are holding and the building program has been slowed. Growth in staff numbers in 2014 is expected to be mainly those appointed against research grants, with research income expected to grow by 10% next year.
None-the-less, a number of 'efficiency' initiatives are in the pipeline, such as a University-wide service delivery review; greater centralisation of IT services; creation of a strategic procurement unit (purchasing savings expected); identifying under-performing academic staff and assisting with their development; and further structural changes, focusing on small units with relatively high fixed costs.
My academic staff colleague on Senate, attending his last meetng after 11 years, Dr Andrew Bonnell, pointed out that over the last 5 years, enrolments have grown by 20%, yet T&R and TF staffing levels have remained static, meaning that student-staff ratios have risen. He noted that ongoing growth of 3% per annum in enrolments is predicted by UQ, but asked what growth in the number of staff can be expected?
The Vice-Chancellor acknowledged the productivity gains that have been achieved by staff and suggested that technological advances woudl help staff cope with growth in student numbers into the future. He expressed a hope that elements of the previous Federal Government's base funding review would one day be implemented and that UQ can grow its endowment income.
This has been delayed due to the absence of one of the review committee members, and a report and recommednations iare now expected to go to the Vice-Chancellor's Committee next February.
As professional staff now know, the election of the Senate member elected by and from the professional staff will be re-run in early December, following legal advice that I was ineligible to run without the approval of the Senate because my term would have reached 12 years in 2017. I was aware of this requirement and queried it with the relevant University authority some months before I nominated for the October election. However I was given an assurance that the Senate approval was not required. The Chief Operating Officer's email of 29 November to all professional staff explains the nuances of this and the fact that different legal advice was obtained more recently. I am pleased to report that Senate meeting unanimously approved that I be permitted to stand again (I excused myself from the room during the discussion and vote).
An investigation by the Chief Operating Officer into the concerns raised about the alumni representatives ballot (see my last report) is progressing and will be available by the first Senate meeting of 2014.
