MGSE Governance Framework

MGSE’s Governance Framework has been refreshed with the following changes:

Indigenous Protocols – Acknowledgement of Country

The Framework now incorporates the University’s Indigenous Protocols and Acknowledgement of Country, providing advice to Chairs on how to incorporate an ‘Acknowledgement of County’ at the start of a committee meeting. This is consistent with MGSE’s Executive decision to adopt this protocol in May 2019.

Proxies

The previous Framework stipulated that ‘there is no provision for proxies within the MGSE Governance Framework’. A few committees have been challenged by this rule as they have not been able to make a quorum to run a meeting. This has now been amended to enable the Chair to approve a proxy on the proviso that the proxy acts on behalf of the position they are replacing during the meeting and that the arrangement is temporary only and not a permanent change to the membership of the committee.

Faculty Board

The role and purpose of the Faculty Board was considered in some detail last year and by the Professoriate leading to the decision that the current governance arrangements are adequate and a Faculty Board for MGSE was not required.

Finance Committee

The TOR for this Committee have been expanded to include responsibility for strategy and planning. This committee has been renamed the Strategy, Planning and Resources Committee, mirroring the University’s structure.

Staffing Committee (now People & Culture Committee)

The purpose of this committee has been expanded to include the development and implementation of a workforce plan, workforce reporting, new or amended people and culture policies and procedures, as well as consideration of individual staffing requests.

Research Committee

This committee now includes all Research Centre Directors and the Research Centre Directors Sub Committee is discontinued.

Academic Programs sub-committee

The process for reviewing curriculum change proposals has been streamlined making this committee more effective. It now incorporates responsibility for applications for non-award programs, including MSPACE programs. The membership of this committee has been reduced from 13 representatives to 7 representatives.

Selection and Student Progress sub-Committee

The purpose of this committee has been refined to focus on selection only, mirroring the University’s Selection Procedures Committee. The committee has been renamed as the Student Selection Committee.

MGSE-MSCPACE Hub

The recently formed MGSE-MSCPACE Hub has also been incorporated into the Governance Framework.