Board of the Graduate Research School (constitution)

1. The role of the Board of the Graduate Research School is to—

(a) advise and make recommendations to the Academic Council and/or other University bodies or officers, as appropriate, on matters relating to postgraduate research, research training and supervision within the University, including policy matters relating to the establishment and administration of postgraduate awards;

(b) deal exclusively with all matters relating to the admission, enrolment, supervision and examination of candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and the degrees of Master by Research by thesis as are approved by the Academic Board;

(c) ensure the maintenance of high standards in the University's research degrees by monitoring the completion times, quality of supervision and skills acquisition of candidates enrolled in them;

(d) monitor standards in, and relativities between, the professional doctorates offered by the University and recommend to the Academic Council necessary action to ensure that appropriate standards and relativities are maintained;

(e) monitor and report to the Academic Council on compliance with the University's Code of Practice in Research Supervision;

(f) facilitate and encourage interdisciplinary and cross-school programmes of postgraduate research studies;

(g) promulgate examples of best practice in all aspects of postgraduate research education;

(h) provide advice and support to the Dean of the Graduate Research School in fostering the welfare of postgraduate research students.

2. The board comprises:

(a) the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Research Training) as Chair;

(b) the Chair of the Academic Board or nominee;

(c) six appointees by election of the Academic Board;

(d) the President of the Postgraduate Students' Association or nominee;

(e) the Graduate Education Officer;

(f) co-opted members if required for balance or specific expertise.

3.(a) Appointed members have a three-year term of office but may be reappointed at the end of that period.

(b) Co-opted members are appointed for one year.

4. The Board elects a deputy chair annually from among its members.

5. The President of the Postgraduate Students' Association does not attend that part of meetings in which individual student matters are discussed.

Scholarships Committee (constitution)

This Committee operates in accordance with the Principles and Rules for the Operation of Committees available at http://www.secretariat.uwa.edu.au/home/policies/commconst. Members must act in accordance with the University Committee Members' Code of Conduct available at http://www.secretariat.uwa.edu.au/home/policies/commconst.

 

1. The Scholarships Committee is a committee of the Board of the Graduate Research School.

Role

2. The role of the Scholarships Committee is to—

(a) advise and submit recommendations to the Board of the Graduate Research School and the Research Committee on policy matters relating to the establishment and administration of postgraduate research awards;

(b) advise and submit recommendations to the Academic Board on policy matters relating to the establishment and administration of undergraduate scholarships;

(c) advise and submit recommendations to the Research Committee on funding and budgetary strategy relating to the administration of University Postgraduate Awards;

(d) monitor academic standards for the award of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and ensure that all awards are allocated in accordance with University principles of equity and open competition;

(e) deal executively with all matters relating to the award of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships within the Deed of Gift of the University and all undergraduate and postgraduate awards funded by Government and other external agencies; and

(f) recommend to the Board of the Graduate Research School and the faculties any necessary action to ensure that appropriate standards and policies relating to any of the above are maintained.

Membership

3.(1) The committee comprises:

(a) the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Research Training) as Chair;

(b) the Chair of the Academic Board or nominee;

(c) the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning);

(d) six appointees by election of the Academic Board;

(e) the President of the Postgraduate Students’ Association or nominee; and

(f) up to five co-opted members if required for balance or specific experience.

(2) The President of the Postgraduate Students' Association does not attend that part of meetings in which individual student matters are discussed.

(3) The Manager, Graduate Research and Scholarships Officer, is a standing invitee to meetings of the committee.

(4) The Graduate Scholarships Officer is a standing invitee to meetings of the committee.

(5) The committee elects a deputy chair annually from among its members.

Terms of Office

4.(1) The term of office of members appointed under 3(1)(d) is three years.

(2) The term of office of members co-opted under 3(1)(f) is one year.

Eligibility for Second or Subsequent Terms of Office

5.(1) At the end of a term of office, members appointed under 3(1)(d) are eligible to be reappointed.

(2) At the end of a term of office, members co-opted under 3(1)(f) are eligible to be co-opted again.

Skills and/or Qualifications of Members

6.(1) It is desirable that members appointed under 3(1)(d) have a leadership role within the teaching and learning portfolio in their respective functional area and this important role is to be taken into account when nominees are appointed.

(2) It is desirable that members co-opted under 3(1)(f) have a leadership role within the teaching and learning portfolio in their respective functional area and this important role is to be taken into account when co-optees are appointed.

Quorum

7. The quorum for the committee is half the number of members plus one.

Decisions

8.(1) All questions which come before the committee are decided by a majority of the members present and voting.

(2) The chair of the meeting has an ordinary vote and a casting vote.

Frequency of Meetings

9.(1) The committee normally meets once every two months from March to September. ¹Â 

(2) The main scholarship selection meetings for international and local postgraduate scholarships are held in October and December.

¹ If there are urgent issues that require resolution between meetings, the relevant items are posted on a Scholarship Committee members-only access website for members to review.

Delegation

10.(1) The committee delegates its responsibilities for Undergraduate Scholarships to the Undergraduate Scholarships Sub-committee.

(2) The Undergraduate Scholarships Sub-committee comprises:

(a) the Pro Vice Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) as Chair;

(b) the Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Research Training);

(c) the Manager, Graduate Research and Scholarships;

(d) the Director, Student Services;

(e) the Co-ordinator, UniSkills/UniDiscovery and Equity and Diversity Adviser;

(f) two nominees of the Scholarships Committee;

(g) the Community Liaison Officer, School of Indigenous Studies;

(h) the Academic Co-ordinator, School of Indigenous Studies.

(3) The Undergraduate Scholarships Sub-Committee submits minutes from their meetings to be included in the Scholarships Committee agenda for confirmation.

11. The committee delegates its responsibility in relation to considering and recommending on applications for routine matters concerning scholarships, such as applications for extensions and suspensions of scholarships, to the Chair.

12. The Chair of the Board of the Graduate Research School may transmit recommendations from the Scholarships Committee to the Academic Council without reference to the Board of the Graduate Research School.