(1) The purpose of this policy is to delineate the roles and responsibilities with respect to the academic governance of the University. (2) For the purpose of this policy: (3) The Academic Senate is the peak academic body in the University, and as a forum for academic debate, policy development and decision-making, is responsible to the Board of Trustees (Board) for: (4) Subject to the By-law and to any decision of the Board, the Academic Senate will decide the University's policies and procedures on: (5) Subject to the By-law and to any decision of the Board, the Academic Senate will advise the Board and the Vice-Chancellor on: (6) The Academic Senate must oversee and coordinate advice from its standing committees by: (7) The Board of Trustees may approve the conferring of the academic awards for higher doctorate degrees of Doctor of Letters and Doctor of Science. (8) Subject to any directions from the Board the following delegations are made with respect to approving the conferral of other academic awards of the University: (9) These delegations cannot be further delegated. Any exercise of the delegations under sub-clauses (8b) and (8c) must be reported to the next appropriate meeting of the Academic Senate. (10) The Academic Senate consists of: (11) The Official Members of the Academic Senate are: (12) The Elected Members of the Academic Senate are: (13) The appointed members of the Academic Senate are three staff or student members appointed by the Vice-Chancellor in consultation with the Chair Academic Senate for the purposes of achieving gender balance and an informed perspective on matters under consideration. (14) An elected member of the Academic Senate, other than the Chair Academic Senate and the Deputy Chair Academic Senate, holds office for 2 years, and is eligible to renominate for one further term. (15) The Chair Academic Senate and the Deputy Chair Academic Senate, hold office for 2 years, and are eligible to renominate for one further term. If the Board of Trustees passes a resolution, the Chair Academic Senate or the Deputy Chair Academic Senate may stand for re-election for the position for a third consecutive term of office. If so re-elected, the person is not eligible to stand for the position for a fourth consecutive term of office. (16) If, however, at the time of his or her election to the Academic Senate, an elected student member is in the final year of his or her course of study, that elected student member holds office for 1 year, and is not eligible to renominate for that category of membership for a further term. (17) An appointed member of the Academic Senate holds office for the term (not exceeding 2 years) specified in the member's instrument of appointment. (18) The Academic Senate may remove a chair or deputy chair of Senate or any committee of the Academic Senate from office where the Chair Academic Senate or Deputy Chair Academic Senate has committed a serious breach of the terms of reference of the committee in question. The procedure for removal to be adopted by the Academic Senate must be consistent with the removal from office procedures for the Board of Trustees for its members under section 32G of the University of Western Sydney Act 1997. (19) The roles functions, terms of reference and membership categories of the Standing Committees of Academic Senate and the Academic Committees of the Colleges are as detailed in the Attachment to this Policy. The Academic Senate may amend the roles functions, terms of reference and membership categories of these committees from time to time, but cannot delegate this authority. (20) Rules made by the Board govern the form of academic dress to be worn: (21) Those other rules also govern the occasions on which academic dress is to be worn. (22) The qualifications for election and voting for the elected members of the Academic Senate are the same as those set out in the By-law governing elections for the Board. (23) The procedure for electing the academic staff members of the Academic Senate is the same as that set out in Part 5 of the By-law governing elections for the Board. (24) The relevant student organisation must conduct the elections for the one undergraduate student member, and the one postgraduate student member, of the Academic Senate. (25) The Board may make rules governing the procedure for conducting these elections. (26) The Academic Senate must meet at least 4 times each year. (27) The Chair Academic Senate (Chair AS) presides at meetings of the Academic Senate. If the Chair AS is absent from a meeting, the Deputy Chair Academic Senate (DCAS) presides. (28) If the Chair AS and DCAS are both absent from a meeting, the members of the Academic Senate present must elect a Chair for that meeting. (29) At any meeting of the Academic Senate, a quorum is one-half (or if one-half is not a whole number, the whole number next higher than one-half) of the total number of its members then in office. (30) The Academic Senate may make Standing Orders consistent with this Part. (31) Members of the Academic Senate may not nominate other people to represent them in their absence, unless that absence is the result of academic study leave, sudden illness or misadventure and then with the agreement of the Chair Academic Senate. Absent officio members may be represented by the acting incumbent of the position. (32) The person representing the member in those limited circumstances may attend meetings of the Academic Senate with the approval of the Chair Academic Senate, and at those meetings has all the rights and functions of the absent substantive member. (33) Nil.Academic Governance Policy
Section 1 - Purpose and Context
Section 2 - Definitions
Top of PageSection 3 - Policy Statement
Part A - Academic Senate
Functions of the Academic Senate
Delegation for Approval to the Conferral of Academic Awards
Membership of the Academic Senate
Terms of Office
Removal from Office of Chairs and Deputy Chairs
Senate and College Committees
Part B - Academic Dress
Academic Dress
Section 4 - Procedures
Part C - Elections for Academic Senate
Qualifications for Candidates and Voters
Procedure for Electing Staff Members
Procedure for Electing Student Members
Part D - Academic Senate Meeting Procedures
Meetings of the Academic Senate
Absence of Members
Section 5 - Guidelines
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