• Section 1 - Establishment
• Background
• Purpose
• Section 2 - Glossary
• Section 3 - Membership
• Section 4 - Functions and responsibilities
• Advisory role and referral of matters
• Section 5 - Meetings
• Quorum
• Meetings
• Agendas and minutes
• Conflicts of interest
• Variations

Section 1 - Establishment

Background

(1) Each faculty of Charles Sturt University (the University) shall have a Faculty Board that is responsible for the academic governance oversight of the activities of the faculty, on behalf of the Academic Senate.

(2) The duties of the Faculty Board shall apply to all matters associated with strategic academic governance issues pertaining to the quality of research and research training, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs and learning and teaching quality pertaining to the faculty.

Purpose

(3) The Faculty Board shall undertake the duties listed under Section 4, to allow it to ensure quality and have academic governance oversight of the faculty’s activities.

Section 2 - Glossary

(4) For the purpose of this document:

1. Board – means the Faculty Board.

Section 3 - Membership

(5) The membership of the board is set out below:

1. Executive Dean of the faculty (Chair)
2. Deputy Dean of the faculty (Deputy chair, Faculty of Arts and Education, and Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences)
3. Associate Deans of the faculty (Associate Dean, Faculty of Science and Health (FOSH) will be deputy chair of the FOSH Faculty Board)
4. Sub-Deans of the faculty
5. Heads of Schools from the faculty (and non-school bodies at the discretion of the Chair)
6. Three members of the professoriate (associate professors and professors) elected by the academic staff of the faculty
7. One academic staff member from each school, elected by the academic staff of the school
8. One academic staff member from each of the other two faculties, nominated by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) in consultation with the Executive Deans
9. Faculty Executive Officer of the faculty 
10. Faculty Administration Manager of the faculty
11. One undergraduate student and one postgraduate student, nominated by the Student Senate

(6) Nominated and elected members of the board will have terms of office of two years.

(7) Casual vacancies will be filled in the following manner:

1. For nominated positions, the relevant position or body will nominate a replacement member.
2. For elected positions:
   1. where there is less than six months remaining in the term of the predecessor in office, the relevant Head of School will appoint a replacement.
   2. where there more than six months remaining in the term of the predecessor in office and there is an eligible runner-up from the most recent election for the vacated position, the runner-up will fill the casual vacancy; or
   3. where there more than six months remaining in the term of the predecessor in office and there is no eligible runner-up from the most recent election for the vacated position, an election will be held.
   4. if no nominations for an elected position are received following a call for nominations, the chair of the committee can appoint a member to that vacancy. The appointed member must meet the requirements for the category of membership that was vacated.

(8) A person who fills a casual vacancy holds office as a member for the rest of the term of the person’s predecessor in office.

Section 4 - Functions and responsibilities

(9) The Faculty Board will:

1. take a systematic overview of the quality of research and research training, the course and subject profile, and the quality of learning and teaching; regularly receive comprehensive diagnostic analysis of research, course, subject and student performance; ensure the development of comprehensive action plans to address any issues identified through the diagnostic analysis; periodically monitor the effectiveness of the interventions; and provide recommendations to the University Research Committee, the Academic Quality and Standards Committee, the University Courses Committee and the Academic Senate on standards and measures of quality and the effectiveness of interventions, as required;
2. oversight academic quality work in faculty and schools, including benchmarking, professional accreditation, external advisory arrangements, student consultation, academic integrity, workplace learning, third party partnerships (including courses delivered with partners and third party providers) and any reporting requirements;
3. exercise the board’s academic and course delegations in accordance with Delegation Schedule E - Academic and Research including but not limited to delegations in relation to the University Medals and Prizes;
4. oversee the work of the faculty and its schools on internal accreditation of courses and subjects including:
   1. approving subject changes as detailed in Delegation Schedule E - Academic and Research; and
   2. endorsing course proposals as detailed in the Delegation Schedule E - Academic and Research; and 
   3. overseeing the Faculty Courses Committee's review of course and subject documents and the faculty’s course and subject profile;
5. monitor and report to Academic Senate and its subcommittees faculty and school compliance with the relevant Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, the Australian Qualifications Framework (Second Edition January 2013) and the academic policies and procedures of the University;
6. discuss new and emerging issues, risks and treatments, escalating these to the Academic Senate and its subcommittees as required;
7. oversight faculty alignment with the University requirements for course and subject design, for example, Indigenous Australian content in courses;
8. oversight research activity in the faculty;
9. advise the Academic Senate and its subcommittees on academic policies and procedures;
10. contribute to the faculty’s strategic planning in relation to academic matters;
11. receive and consider reports, minutes or submissions from the School Boards, the Faculty Assessment Committee, the Faculty Courses Committee, the Faculty Research Committee, the University Courses Committee, the Academic Quality and Standards Committee, the University Research Committee and the Academic Senate; and
12. note decisions for which the Executive Dean has delegated authority on behalf of the board between meetings.

Advisory role and referral of matters

(10) The board shall advise the Academic Senate on all matters relating to the quality of learning and teaching, courses and subjects, research and academic governance matters relating to the faculty.

(11) The board may refer any item to the University Courses Committee, Academic Quality and Standards Committee and/or the University Research Committee for discussion, consideration and/or action, and may refer relevant matters for action or noting to other committees or officers as appropriate.

Section 5 - Meetings

Quorum

(12) A quorum for a meeting of the board shall be a majority of the membership i.e., half of the entire membership, plus one. Vacant positions are included when calculating a quorum.

Meetings

(13) Meetings will be published by the Office of Governance and Corporate Administration in an annual schedule of meetings, approved by the Academic Senate. 

Agendas and minutes

(14) Agendas and minutes for the meetings of the board will be prepared by the Office of Governance and Corporate Administration.

Conflicts of interest

(15) Where a member has a perceived or material conflict of interest, they must declare this to the Chair and at the board meeting before the item of business is discussed.

Variations

(16) Variations to the terms of reference and/or membership of the board must be approved by the Academic Senate.