• 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)
3. Associate Deans' of the faculty
4. Sub-Deans of the faculty
5. Head of Schools from the faculty (and non-school bodies at the discretion of the Chair)
6. three members of the professoriate (associate professor and professor) elected by the faculty who are not elected members of the Academic Senate
7. one academic staff member from each school, elected by the school, who are not elected members of the Academic Senate 
8. one academic staff member from each of the other two faculties, nominated by the Provost and 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 representative, nominated by the Student Senate.

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

(7) To ensure continuity of board operations, one half of the nominated and elected members shall initially serve for a term of one year, with all nominated and elected members subsequently serving for a term of two years.

(8) If at the close of nominations for candidates in an election to the Faculty Board no eligible nominations are received, or the number of eligible nominations is less than the number of available positions, then the Chair will recommend to the Faculty Board the name(s) of eligible people to be appointed to the position(s).

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, academic staff profile; 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 University Learning and Teaching 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 the Delegation Schedule 09 - Academic and Course Delegations including but not limited to Delegation AS75 that refers 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. ratifying or endorsing minor changes to a course as detailed in the Delegation Schedule 09 - Academic and Course Delegations; and 
   2. overseeing the Faculty Courses Committee's review of the Course and Subject Information Management System (CASIMS) 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) 2015, the Australian Qualifications Framework 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;
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 University Learning and Teaching Committee, the University Research Committee and the Academic Senate; and
12. ratify 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, University Learning and Teaching 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.

Meetings

(13) Meetings will be published by the Office of Governance and Corporate Affairs 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 Affairs.

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.