XXX.
Murdoch University
HONORARY AWARDS & CEREMONIAL COMMITTEE
10 November 2003
MINUTES
Present: Prof Geoffrey Bolton (Chancellor) (chair)
Prof John Yovich (Vice Chancellor)
Ms Pat Allen
Mr Mal Bradley
Prof Tom Lyons
Prof Jen McComb
Prof Simone Volet
Mr Andrew Bain (secretary)
Mr Peter Furzer, Manager, Examinations and Graduations
Apologies: Judge Kate O’Brien
Mr Malcolm Macpherson
1. Membership
The Chancellor welcomed Prof Tom Lyons and Mr Peter Furzer to their first meeting of the Committee. Prof Lyons has been appointed by Academic Council for a three year term ending in July 2006. Mr Furzer has been nominated by the Director of Student Services Marketing and International Affairs to attend in her place.
2. Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
3. Minutes
The minutes of the meeting of 21 March 2003 were confirmed.
4. Graduation Ceremonies 2004
The Committee’s terms of reference include: “To determine the number, location, timing and ceremonial arrangements of Graduation Ceremonies”. The agenda papers included a recommendation from the Division of Student Services Marketing and International Affairs that the 2004 graduation ceremonies be held at the Perth Concert Hall. This venue would save money (about $50,000 per year), was not susceptible to inclement weather, and had logistical advantages, providing better corporate public relations.
Members were disappointed with the move back to a city venue, given the strong student preference for the on campus venue and a feeling that the campus ceremonies have a special feel to them. The Committee was advised that the timing is too tight to modify the plans for next year. The Committee therefore endorsed the recommendation that all ceremonies be held at the Perth Concert Hall in 2004 only, on the basis that other options be considered for future years. Some lateral thinking was suggested. Options floated at the meeting included: a series of smaller ceremonies, either on separate days or simultaneously, perhaps even with a central event for the honorary graduate being beamed to the other venues; increase the gown hire to subsidise on campus ceremonies; stagger ceremonies on the same day; and holding a ceremony before Christmas.
The Committee also discussed the allocation of Schools to the different ceremonies. The postponement of the Committee’s meeting meant that intending graduates have already been advised of the allocation. It was agreed to shift Engineering Science to the 9 March ceremony. The other allocations were left as is, in order to minimise the number of students needing to be notified of changes.
On the recommendation of the graduations working group, the Committee
RESOLVED:HACC/4/2003 / (a) / that the first semester 2004 graduation ceremonies be held at the Perth Concert Hall on the following dates:
Monday 1 March / Arts, Education, ISTP, Law, Psychology
Thursday 4 March / Business, Veterinary and Biomedical Science
Tuesday 9 March / Asian Studies, Biological Sciences & Biotechnology, Engineering Science, Environmental Science, Information Technology, Media Communication & Culture, Politics & International Studies, Social Inquiry
Tuesday 30 March / late graduands
(b) / that the University look at other options for possible on campus location of graduation ceremonies in future years, especially for the ceremonies marking the University’s 30th anniversary in 2005, and an email be sent to all staff ASAP advising them of this;
(c) / to appoint a working party, comprising Assoc Prof Simone Volet, Mr Mal Bradley and Mr Nathan Giles (with power to add to their number), to consider alternative options for 2005, to consult widely within the University on this matter, and to report back to the Committee with recommendations.
Mr Bradley recorded his dissent from that part of the motion determining the 2004 venue.
[Note: The Chancellor sent an email to all staff on 11 November in accordance with the above resolution.]
5. Honorary Degrees 2004
A. Honorary degree guidelines
The Guidelines and Procedures for Award of Honorary Degrees state that “The Guidelines and Procedures should be reviewed every three years and modified where necessary in the light of experience”. The meeting considered whether there are any changes that should be made to the document. It agreed to recommend several amendments that reflect recent practice:
☼ s.4(ii) to reflect the changed closing date of 30 September.
☼ s.4(iv) to reflect the Committee’s decision last year that everyone nominating someone for an honorary degree is required to provide an A4 sheet of information containing biographical details and the main arguments for proposing that person (which should address the selection criteria), using a standard template.
☼ a very strong case would be needed to award an honorary degree to anyone who would need to be brought from overseas or interstate at University expense.
☼ The Committee takes into account whether the University would benefit in the future from awarding honorary degrees to particular individuals; it gives less weighting to individuals who are unlikely to have any future association with the University.
☼ Honorary degrees are awarded to those who have given service to the University, rather than to reflect hopes of future service.
RESOLVED:HACC/5/2003 / to RECOMMEND that the Guidelines and Procedures for Award of Honorary Degrees be amended as shown in the attachment.
B. Who should be awarded honorary degrees in 2004
Due to ill health, Ms June Williams was unable to attend the 2003 graduation ceremony at which she was to receive an honorary LLD. Conferral of her degree has been deferred till one of the March 2004 graduation ceremonies.
All Senators, senior executives and staff had been invited to submit nominations for the award of honorary degrees. Nine nominations had been received. The Committee considered these persons, plus four others whom the Committee had previously agreed to place on a list of possible awardees for future consideration.
RESOLVED:HACC/6/2002 / (a) / to award the honorary degrees in 2004 to the four persons named in the confidential attachment:
(b) / that the list of possible awardees in a future year comprise the five persons named in the confidential attachment.
Members commented that the template had been useful in eliciting information about nominees. It was suggested that it should be mandatory, including for those persons who had been placed on the possibles list before the template was introduced this year.
6. Occasional Speakers
RESOLVED:HACC/7/2003 / that in 2004, each of the honorary graduates be invited to be the occasional speaker at the ceremony at which the degree is conferred.
It was noted that there is no guarantee that all will be good speakers, but all should be given the opportunity if they wish. If any decline the invitation to deliver the customary 10 minute occasional address, then the Committee can consider other possible speakers.
7. Murdoch Lecturer 2004
The Committee considered whom to invite to be the Murdoch Lecturer for 2004. The agenda papers included a list of 13 Australian and 4 overseas possible speakers, all female. It was agreed to consider only females for 2004, in order to redress the imbalance where all but 6 of the 29 Lecturers so far have been male. It was also agreed to seek someone who would have some public impact, and not to choose someone who is active in the ALP, given that the Premier was last year’s speaker.
The meeting was unanimous in selecting Dr Terry, the Australian-born Research Director of Medecins Sans Frontieres. She holds a doctorate in international relations from the ANU, and has participated in emergency relief operations with CARE, UNHCR and MSF in Iraq, Somalia, Rwanda and other countries. She is also the author of Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action. The Committee felt she would generate considerable public interest.
RESOLVED:HACC/8/2003 / to invite Dr Fiona Terry to be the Murdoch Lecturer for 2004.
The Vice Chancellor will ring to invite her to be the Lecturer and to ascertain her availability. It was suggested that she also be invited to participate in academic activities on campus while in Perth. If she is unavailable, then members will be asked to obtain further information on others on the list attached to the agenda of this meeting.
8. Senate 30th Anniversary Function
Last November the Committee resolved to agree in principle that the University host a function on Monday 4 August 2003 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first meeting of Senate. The occasion did not proceed as planned, due to the illness of the Chancellor and other workloads of those who would be organising the event. Given that the function if held would now take place in 2004, the Chancellor invited the views of the Committee.
The Committee felt that the point of the occasion would be lost if it was not held in the same year as the 30th anniversary of the first Senate meeting. Instead it was felt preferable to consider holding a function along these lines as a component of the 30th anniversary of the first year of teaching, in early 2005.
9. Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled for Friday 5 December 2003, at 8am. That meeting will consider nominations for the award of Senate Medals for 2003, and give further consideration to the Murdoch Lecturer and occasional speakers if any of the invitees decline. Prof Volet recorded her apologies for that meeting.
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Honorary Awards and Ceremonial Committee minutes - 10 November 2003