University Council Appointment Process
Introduction
This information is aimed at assisting members of the public who want to respond to the challenge of being involved in the governance practrecoices that our public universities need in order to keep them sustainable, ethical, and effective as public higher educational institutions.By participating in this process, the university council members drawn from the general public make an important civic contribution to the future of their adopted university as well as to Victoria and the nation.
Public University Governance
Victorian public universities are highly valued for their local, state, and national and international roles. Public ownership by the State of Victoria means that their effective governance is of great importance and public interest.
The Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation administers the legislative acts that underpin the eight public universities and their governing councils. Government appointed university council members, known as "appointed members", are one of four types of members that make up the total membership of each of the individual councils of Victoria's eight public universities i.e. Ballarat, Deakin, Latrobe, Melbourne, Monash, RMIT, Swinburne and Victoria.
The Minister is accountable to the Victorian Parliament for the overall performance of these eight university councils and for the use of her ministerial powers relating to them.
Against this backdrop, it is recognised that the good governance of all Victorian public institutions is an achievement which is the effect of constant work by committed and talented communities of interest. University councils are part of this network of public support, and council membership and practices makes a critical contribution to effective governance within and across each university.
A council's responsibilities
The university council is the university's governing body and has the responsibility for both the general direction and superintendence of its university.
Council's responsibilities include:
- appointing and monitoring the performance of the Vice-Chancellor as chief executive officer of the university
- approving the mission and strategic direction of the university
- approving the university's annual budget and business plan
- overseeing the management of the university and its performance
- establishing policy and procedural principles for the operation of the university, consistent with legal requirements and community expectations
- approving and monitoring systems of control and accountability of the university, including those required to maintain a general overview of any entity controlled by the university
- overseeing and monitoring the assessment and management of risk across the university, including commercial undertakings
- overseeing and monitoring the academic activities of the university
- approving any significant commercial activities of the university.
All council members, irrespective of their mode of appointment, are expected to share common corporate loyalties and to contribute to university strategy formation and its performance. All university council members are expected to be professionally well-informed about public education and governance policies and community requirements, and to ensure that the university's conduct of its business meets the corporate governance standards for public sector entities.
All these considerations are expected to be taken into account by members, individually and collectively, in guiding the corporate business and management of the university.
A council's composition
Victoria's publicly funded universities rely on a council that contain a range of talented people who can, between them, offer the university and the government an appropriate representation of business and non-business expertise, educational and community knowledge and experience, and professional governance. A council is composed of 21 or 22 members. There is specific provision within university constitutions for at least two members to have financial management experience and qualifications and one member with senior commercial management expertise.
To support and maintain this council profile, the Victorian state appoints members to each public university. Rolling vacancies then arise from resignations or from an incumbent's expiry of their term of office and this provide opportunities for new government appointed members to be nominated.
The public appointment cycle
Government appointments to councils are made for three year terms. Renewal of a sitting member may be limited to two terms. A total of six positions on each university council are Governor in Council (GIC) appointments.
This public appointment cycle addresses these rolling council vacancies, and involves:
- an annual call for expressions of interest via Victorian newspapers
- a short listing of appropriate candidates from applications received
- the written approval, confirmation and notice of approved government appointees to specific councils.
Wherever possible, state government policy is to encourage the steady flow of new members who are representative of the Victorian business, education, and community sectors. In this way, talented people from very diverse professional and cultural backgrounds and interests have access to the appointment process.
In addition, in 2001 the Victorian government adopted a statewide policy of ensuring that the total memberships of each of the councils of all Victorian public entities reflects a gender representation of at least 40% women. Since January 2009, this is now 50% and gender balance considerations in the total membership of a university council are reflected in the making of appointments to university councils by both university councils and government.
Council members are normally remunerated.
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