THE UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO
TE WHARE WĀNANGA O WAIKATO
THE ACADEMIC BOARD
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 17 APRIL 2012
Present:
The Vice-Chancellor (Professor R Crawford) in the Chair, Professor B
Barton, Ms C Blickem, Dr T Bowell, Professor K Broughan, Dr K Bryan,
Dr A Campbell, Professor B Clarkson, Professor R Coll, Mrs B Cooper,
Associate Professor W Drewery, Ms S Gillard, Professor B Grant, Mr R
Hallett, Dr A Hinze, Professor D Hodgetts, Professor G Holmes, Dr D
Johnson, Professor A Jones, Associate Professor S Jones, Mr R Kyle, Dr D
Lumsden, Dr D Marsh, Mr T Maxwell, Professor B Morse, Ms P Ngatai,
Professor F Scrimgeour, Associate Professor J Tressler, Dr L Twiname,
Professor K Weaver and Professor M Wilson
Secretariat:
Ms M Jordan-Tong and Ms R Boyer-Willisson
12.15
APOLOGIES
Received
Apologies for absence from Dr T Cartner, Professor P Kamp, Ms B Midson, Professor R
Moltzen, Professor L Smith.
12.16
CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 28
FEBRUARY 2012
Confirmed
The minutes of the meeting held on 28 February 2012 as set out in document 12/175a.
12.17
REPORT OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR
Received
The report of the Vice-Chancellor as set out in document 12/176.
12.18
MATTERS TO BE RAISED BY STUDENT MEMBERS
1.
Student Representation and Committee Membership
Received
1. A memorandum from Mr Richard Kyle, student member from the Faculty of
Arts and Social Sciences Board of Studies, covering issues relating to student
representation and committee membership (document 12/177).
2. An initial response from the Head of Student and Academic Services in relation
to the issues raised by Mr Kyle (document 12/178).
Noted in discussion
1. That the points raised by the student member from the FASS Board of Studies
are consistent with what is proposed in the next stage of the Committee Review
and plans to look at ways to enhance the student representation system.
2. That the Head of Student and Academic Services has responsibility for the class
representation system, and broadly supported the improvements sought in Mr
Kyle’s paper.
Resolved
1. That the processes and timing for student elections and the enhancement of the
student representation system would be addressed in the next stage of the
committee review with input from students.
2. That the use of Moodle as a communication tool would be trialled for Academic
Board student members prior to the next meeting of the Board.
2.
Membership of Academic Board by the President of the Waikato Students’
Union
Reported
1. That at the 28 February 2012 meeting the Academic Board had recommended
that the Council approve a change to the constitution of the Academic Board to
replace the ex officio membership of the President of the Waikato Students’
Union (WSU) with a provision for membership by the elected student member of
Council from the date of the publication of the 2012 election result.
2. That the President of WSU had indicated that she would seek to have the
President of WSU retained as an ex officio member of the Academic Board, and
was invited to bring a written proposal to the Board for consideration at its next
meeting.
3. That subsequent to the Academic Board meeting, the Secretary to Academic
Board, the Secretary to Council and the President of WSU had met to discuss
this matter and had agreed that the formal proposal from the President should be
delayed until after the election of the student member of Council was completed.
They also noted that the WSU President’s ex officio membership of committees
would be considered as part of the broader review of student representation and
student membership of committees (refer to previous agenda item).
4. That in order to ensure continuity of membership by the WSU President on
Academic Board while such a review is undertaken, though without pre-empting
the outcome of that review, it was proposed that the Academic Board co-opt the
WSU President as a member of the Academic Board for the remainder of 2012.
Resolved
That the President of WSU be co-opted as a member of the Academic Board until the
end of 2012.
12.19
REVIEW OF THE UNIVERSITY’S COMMITTEE FRAMEWORK
Noted in discussion
1. That the scale of the proposal was large but its completeness provided an holistic
view of the entire framework and its component committees.
2. That it was important that the framework was one that the University could
effectively operate under and move forward with.
3. That it was important that there be a staged process for the implementation of the
proposed framework and that any issues identified during that process be addressed
quickly.
4. That implementation of the proposed framework would begin from 1 July 2012;
there would be a period of transition until 31 December 2012 at which time the full
framework would be expected to be in place.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
That Faculty representation on committees should not be regarded as a sufficient
means of consultation with the Faculties; it was important that the Faculty Boards be
consulted and their views provided to the Academic Board as completely and directly
as possible.
That there was confusion among the student body about the range of student
representation roles across the University; this would be addressed in a separate
review of the student representation system more broadly that would take place once
the proposed framework had been finalised.
That the role of student members on committees was immensely valuable, both to the
students and to the relevant committees, and that the University was committed to
maintaining and supporting student participation.
That unless stated otherwise, all appointments to committees for one year refer to the
full calendar year (1 January to 31 December).
That every effort would be made to elect staff and student members to committees by
October of the previous year, acknowledging that in some cases students may not be
available or able to commit to membership in the upcoming year at that time; in these
cases every effort would be made to finalise memberships as early as possible in the
year of membership.
That an earlier proposal to reduce the number of meetings of the Academic Board
from six to four had been dropped.
That informal groups such as the Senior Leadership Team, Budget Group, and the
Vice-Chancellor’s Advisory Group were outside the remit of the review and had not
been addressed in the proposal; the Vice-Chancellor agreed that while these were not
part of the University’s formal committee structure, references to them would be
included, together with brief descriptions of their roles.
That a training programme for committee chairpersons, secretaries and members
would be important.
That a ‘game plan’ setting out the steps of the next stage of implementation would be
useful.
Academic Board
14. That it was important that quality information be provided to the Academic Board
about resource implications and other operational matters that impact on academic
decision-making; this point had also been highlighted in a recent internal audit by
PwC.
15. That term of reference 4 referred to “strategic planning objectives” but the strategic
overview of the Board was greater than just planning.
16. That the constitution required that the elected student members in constitution 10
could not be members of the academic staff which was inconsistent with constitution
11 which implied the elected Māori student member could.
Boards of Studies/Faculty Boards
17. That a review of the Boards of Studies and their committees by the Deans had yet to
be completed; comments made about the Boards of Studies and their committees, in
particular the definition of a quorum, would be considered as part of that review.
Capital Asset Committee
18. That, in the past, the business of this committee was not sufficiently transparent; it
would be expected that this would be addressed and improved as a consequence of
the review.
Council
19. That some other New Zealand universities’ Council constitutions provided for more
than one student member; any changes to the constitution of Council would be a
decision by Council and require approval of the Minister.
Cultural Committee
20. That concern was expressed about the change to the reporting line from the ViceChancellor to the Head of Communications and External Relations; it was agreed
that this change would be reviewed after 12 months.
Curriculum Committee
21. That the Curriculum Committee appeared to have a large workload.
22. That responsibility for Graduating Year Reviews might be better placed within the
terms of reference of the Education Quality Assurance Committee as this was seen as
primarily a quality assurance process.
Education Committee
23. That the terms of reference did not refer to the committee’s role with regard to
assessment policy.
24. That it would be useful and appropriate to include a student member on this
committee.
Finance Committee (and Risk Management Committee)
25. That the Faculty of Management was of the view that the constitution of the Finance
Committee might not be in accordance with current best practice, and the Faculties of
Management and Law contained a body of knowledge and expertise that could be
helpful to the Finance Committee; the Vice-Chancellor indicated that he would
discuss this feedback from the Faculty of Management with the Dean and report back
to a future meeting of the Academic Board.
26. That Council had recently reviewed the terms of reference and constitutions of the
Finance Committee and Risk Management Committee and resolved to retain them in
their current form, with a further review in 2015.
ICT Committee
27. That the constitution currently included three Deans; while a reduction to two had
originally been supported, it was now preferred to retain three.
International Committee
28. That the terms of reference were ‘light’ given the importance of internationalisation
to the University.
29. That the reporting line through both the Education Committee and the Research
Committee seemed convoluted; there were concerns that it would be unable to
operate quickly.
30. That this committee might be better placed as a standing committee of the Academic
Board; evidence of consultation with the Faculty Boards, Education Committee and
Research Committee would still be required for relevant items.
Library Committee
31. That the current terms of reference were preferred to those proposed.
32. That the committee provided an important advisory role to the Librarian that should
remain explicit in its terms of reference.
33. That this committee might be better placed as a standing committee of the Academic
Board; evidence of consultation with the Faculty Boards, Education Committee and
Research Committee would still be required for relevant items.
Postgraduate Research Committee
34. That a key purpose of the committee was to promote excellence in this area and this
should be clearly reflected in the terms of reference.
35. That constitution 3 required that staff members must not be enrolled for a
postgraduate qualification while constitution 4 required that the student member must
be enrolled for a postgraduate qualification and that this was inconsistent.
36. That constitution 3 required that the member be a Chief Supervisor who “…must
have experience in the supervision of MPhil or Doctoral candidates.”; this statement
was redundant as a Chief Supervisor would be expected to have such experience.
Professorial Committee
37. That the title of the committee did not accurately reflect the committee’s focus on
academic staff promotion.
Research Committee
38. That a number of Faculties had queried the change of the chairperson of the
committee from the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
39. That the Deputy Vice-Chancellor had direct responsibility for both education and
research and therefore it was appropriate that he be the chairperson of both the
Education Committee and Research Committee.
40. That the Deputy Vice Chancellor would look to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research)
to act as chairperson when the Deputy Vice-Chancellor was unable to attend.
41. That, as the committee was primarily involved in issues related to staff research, it
was not appropriate to include a student member in the constitution of this
committee.
42. That constitution 6 should refer to a senior member of staff of WaikatoLink to be
consistent with constitution 5.
Scholarships Committee
43. That it would be useful and appropriate to include a member of the Education
Committee on this committee, if one of the appointed members was not already a
member of the Education Committee, to provide overlap.
44. That it would be useful and appropriate to include a student member on this
committee.
Special Consideration Committee
45. That consultation with the student members of the Academic Board with regard to
the appointment of the student member to this committee would provide
transparency.
Teaching Development and Support Committee
46. That the inclusion of a person from the Institute of Professional Learning on this
committee was not appropriate.
Recommended
1. That a review of the implementation of the committee framework be undertaken 12
months after implementation was complete; this is in addition to the annual selfevaluation exercise each committee would be required to undertake as a matter of
course.
Academic Board
2. That the word “planning” be removed from term of reference 4(a).
3. That constitution 11 be amended to add the requirement that “The student may not be
a member of the academic staff”.
Curriculum Committee
4. That “and assessment” be added to the end of term of reference 5.
5. That responsibility for the Graduating Year Reviews (term of reference 4) be moved
to the Education Quality Assurance Committee.
Education Committee
6. That “and assessment” be added to the end of term of reference 2(d).
7. That a further appointed member be added to the constitution of the committee: “One
student appointed by the chairperson of the Education Committee from the student
members of the Academic Board”.
Education Quality Assurance Committee
8. That responsibility for the Graduating Year Reviews (term of reference 4 of the
Curriculum Committee) be moved to the Education Quality Assurance Committee.
ICT Committee
9. That constitution 8 retain the current provision for three Deans. (As this is an
advisory committee to the Vice-Chancellor this is a recommendation to the ViceChancellor.)
International Committee
10. That the International Committee be a standing committee of the Academic Board.
11. That the terms of reference be further developed to convey more detail about the role
of this committee.
Library Committee
12. That the Library Committee be a standing committee of the Academic Board.
13. That the current terms of reference be retained, with the addition of a new term of
reference “To consult with and report to other committee as appropriate with respect
to Library matters relevant to their terms of reference.”
Postgraduate Research Committee
14. That term of reference 1 be amended to “To contribute to the development of the
University’s strategic goals and objectives related to excellence in postgraduate
research, and report to the Research Committee on the implementation of relevant
goals and objectives.”
15. That the following be deleted from constitution 3 “The staff member may not be
enrolled for a postgraduate qualification and must have experience in the supervision
of MPhil or Doctoral candidates.”
Professorial Committee
16. That the title of the committee be changed to Professorial Promotions Committee.
(As this is an advisory committee to the Vice-Chancellor this is a recommendation to
the Vice-Chancellor.)
Research Committee
17. That constitution 2 (the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research)) be amended to add “who is
deputy chairperson”.
18. That constitution 6 be amended to refer to “One senior member of staff of
WaikatoLink…”.
Scholarships Committee
19. That a further appointed member be added: “One member of the Education
Committee appointed by the chairperson of the Education Committee, unless one of
the appointed members is already also a member of the Education Committee”.
20. That a further appointed member be added: “One student appointed by the
chairperson of the Scholarships Committee”.
Special Consideration Committee
21. That constitution 7 (student member) be amended to end “… after consultation with
the student members of the Academic Board”.
Teaching Development and Support Committee
22. That constitution 5 (member from the Institute of Professional Learning) be deleted.
12.20
REVIEW OF THE CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES FOR HONORARY AWARDS
Noted in discussion
That the Heads of Divisions (and equivalents) should be included in the list of signatories
for a University of Waikato Medal.
Recommended
That Council approve the proposed changes to the criteria and procedures for honorary
awards (as set out in document 12/163), with the inclusion of Heads of Divisions (and
equivalents) in the list of signatories for a University of Waikato Medal.
12.21
REPORT OF THE ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES COMMITTEE
Considered
The report and recommendations of the Academic Programmes Committee in relation to
the following items (document 12/154):
1. Significant Academic Developments (SADs)
2. CUAP Consultation on 180 point masters degrees
3. Academic Collaboration Agreement
4. 2014 Teaching and Assessment dates
Resolved
1. That the Academic Board approved:
a. the Round One 2012 Category 1-3 proposals for submission to Universities New
Zealand CUAP as set out in documents 12/72b-d;
b. the Round One 2012 Category 4-7 proposals for submission to Universities New
Zealand CUAP as set out in documents 12/73a & c-e;
c. the Category C proposal to amend the regulations for a number of masters
degrees, to correct an anomaly as set out in document 12/85a;
d. the New Zealand Diploma in Business Guaranteed Credit Agreement between
the Waikato Institute of Technology, Waiariki Institute of Technology and
Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki and the University of Waikato as
set out in document 12/94;
e. the New Zealand Diploma in Business Guaranteed Credit Agreement between
the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and the University of Waikato as set out in
document 12/95; and
f. the 2014 Teaching and Assessment Periods as set out in document 12/86.
2. That the Academic Board approved in principle the draft response to the CUAP
Consultation on 180 point masters degrees subject to final editorial and drafting
amendments that would be approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor prior to
submission.
12.22
ANNUAL REPORTS
Received
1. The 2011 Annual Report of the Library Committee, a standing committee of the
Academic Board, submitted in accordance with its terms of reference as set out in
document 12/153.
2. The 2011 Annual Report of the International Strategy and Services Monitoring
Committee, submitted to the Academic Board, via the Vice-Chancellor, in accordance
with its terms of reference as set out in document 12/41.
12.23
HIGHER DEGREE COMPLETIONS
Received
The report of students who had completed the requirements for the award of higher
degrees between 1 January and 31 March 2012 as set out in document 12/164.
12.24
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Reported
That the next meeting of the Academic Board would be held on 29 May 2012 at 2.10pm
in the Council Room.
AGENDA PART TWO – CONFIDENTIAL
The Vice-Chancellor moved:
“Having studied the matters in question, and having satisfied myself that the public conduct of
these proceedings would be likely to result in the disclosure of information for which good reason
for withholding that information would exist, I move that the Academic Board exclude the public
from this meeting to consider the following items.”
The general subject matter of these items, included in Part 2 of the Agenda were as follows:
14. Minutes (Part 2) of the Academic Board meeting of 15 May 2012
15. Revisions to 2012 Targets
16. Report of the Honours Committee
The interests protected under the Local Government Information and Meetings Act 1987
and/or the Official Information Act 1982 which would be prejudiced by the public conduct of
these proceedings were:
Item 14 affected material previously dealt with in a meeting from which the public was excluded.
Item 15 affected the disclosure or use of official information for improper gain or advantage.
Item 16 affected the privacy of natural persons.
Michelle Jordan-Tong
Renée Boyer-Willisson
Student and Academic Services Division
23 April 2012