Following on from previous newsletters, a brief report on the discussions and decisions made by the Institute’s Board of Directors for the period June 2023 to December 2023 is provided. The purpose of the newsletters is to keep both staff and students aware of the Board’s activities.

Policies and procedures approved

• Revised MIT Quality Assurance Framework
• Revised School Committees Policy
• Revised Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning Policy and Procedure
• Scholarship and Research Development Fund
• Procurement Policy and Procedure
• Revised Credit Point Policy
• Academic Performance Framework
• Revised Support for Victims of Domestic Violence Policy and Procedure
• Revised Domestic Student Acceptance of Offer and Terms and Conditions of Enrolment, Fee Payment, and Refund Policy
• Revised Admission Policy and Procedure
• Revised Assessment Policy and Procedure
• Revised Awards and Courses Policy and Procedure
• Revised Responsible Conduct of Research Policy and Procedure
• Revised Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure

Emeritus Honorary Title to Professor ASM Sajeev

• The title of Emeritus Professor of MIT to Professor ASM Sajeev was formally recognised and awarded at the December 2023 MIT graduation ceremony. Professor Sajeev is the first eminent academic to be awarded the title, Emeritus Professor, by the Board of Directors.

MIT Strategic Plan 2023-2027 and Strategic Implementation Plan

• Endorsed the Implementation Plan for the Strategic Plan 2023-27;
• Accepted, at its November meeting, the 2023 Annual Institutional Performance to Plan Report from the CEO and noted the accompanying addendums;
• Noted the progress report on the Strategic Implementation Plan at its November meeting.

External Review of Board of Directors

• Implemented several proposed actions in response to the recommendations from the Winchester Review, including revising the Terms of Reference for the Nominations and Renumeration Committee and approving the Terms of Reference for the external review of the Student Experience Committee.

MIT Marketing Plan 2023-2027

• Approved the new MIT Marketing Plan 2023 - 2027 at its September meeting.

Board of Directors Professional Development

• Held the second Board professional development session in October on the topic: Directors’ responsibilities and understanding of KPIs that measure the financial health of MIT. The professional development session was led by Independent Director and Audit and Risk Management Committee Chair, Mr James Joughin.

Board Self-evaluation of Performance 2023

• The Board undertakes a self-evaluation of its performance each year;
• Completed the initial aspects of 2023 Board self-evaluation;
• The results and proposed actions arising from the self-evaluation will be considered by the Board at its February meeting in 2024.

Re-appointment of Directors

• The Board, sitting as the Nominations and Remuneration Committee, unanimously re-appointed the Chair, Professor Wayne Robinson for a further 1 year term; re-appointed independent director, Mr James Joughin for a further 2 year term and re-appointed Professor Doug Grant as Chair of the Academic Board for a further 2 year term.

Academic Board

• Accepted and endorsed a number of key reports from the Academic Board including:
  • Annual Report on MIT Quality of Admissions for 2022;
  • Annual Report on Review of Research and Scholarship Performance 2022;
  • Annual Report on Unsatisfactory Progress (2017-2022);
  • 2022 Annual Report on Regular Interim Monitoring or Comprehensive Review of Courses and Units;
  • 2022 Annual Report on Breaches of Academic Integrity;
  • 2023 Annual Report on compliance and effective implementation of selected academic policies; and
  • Annual Report on Student Academic Outcomes (Attrition, Progression and Completion): 2018-2022.
• Approved the following appointments to the membership of the Academic Board:
  • Mrs Tharankie Gowritharan as a Student Member (Sydney Campus) for a term ending on 31 December 2023; and
  • Dr Kholoud Alkayid as an Academic Staff Representative – School of Business (Sydney Campus) for a term of 2 years.

External Review of the Academic Board

The Board of Directors commissions an external review of the performance of the Academic Board on a 7-year cycle. The previous review of the performance of the Academic Board was in 2016.

In June 2023, The Board of Directors appointed Emeritus Professor John Loxton (Chair of the Review Panel) with Emeritus Professor Peter Schmidt and Associate Professor Marie Gosper as members to conduct a review of the performance of the Academic Board.

The Review Panel held interviews in August/September 2023 with members of the Academic Board, academic and professional staff, students, and the Chair of the Board of Directors, the CEO and the Managing Director as well as examining documents relevant to the performance of the Academic Board.

The Board of Directors received the Review Panel’s report in October 2023, accepting the report, including its recommendations, prior to forwarding it to the Academic Board for their response to the report and the recommendations contained in the report. At the same time, the Board of Directors requested the Academic Board to provide it with a plan for the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Report. The Board of Directors is to consider the Implementation Plan at its meeting in February 2024.

Student Experience Committee (SEC)

• Accepted and approved the 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey Report;
• Noted the 2023 Student Expectations Survey Comparison Report and requested the SEC to provide specific recommendations arising from the report;
• Accepted and approved the Student Experience Survey 2022 Report and endorsed the recommendations in the report;
• Approved the appointment to the membership of SEC for Ms Sadika Sneha as a student member (Sydney Campus) for a term of 2 years.

MIT HR Function Review

• Considered the Executive Management Committee’s report on the implementation of the recommendations from the KPMG HR Review, noting that all recommendations have been accepted.

Financials

• Approved the audited Financial Report for year ending 30 June 2023, following the presentation by MIT’s auditors, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu;
• Considered the quarterly financials for Quarter 1, FY24 at its November meeting.

TEQSA

• Considered new and revised TEQSA Guidance notes on Academic Governance, Credit and RPL; and Delivery with other Partners as well as the TEQSA Annual Report 2022-23 and the TEQSA 2023-27 Corporate Plan;
• Considered the Universities Accord Interim Report and discussed potential implications for MIT;
• Noted the Senate Committee Report on Current and Proposed Sexual Consent Laws in Australia, in particular the issue of higher education providers’ policies and practices to prevent and respond sexual assaults, and requested the ARMC to consider whether any updates are required in respect of the Risk Register and requested the Policy Committee to review MIT’s relevant policies on the issue;
• Considered the TEQSA publication on Assessment Reform for the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and requested the Academic Board and the EMC to provide their response and any recommendations to the Board on the issue concerning generative AI.

MIT Workforce Plan

• Noted the Executive Management Committee’s adoption of the updated Workforce Plan, and in particular the key ratios on workforce planning including, Student/Staff ratio, Casualisation ratio and Senior Academic Leaders ratio.

Risk and Risk Management

• Considered the TEQSA 2022 Provider Risk Assessment for MIT and noted pleasingly that TEQSA has rated MIT has having a Low overall risk for financial position;
• Reviewed and approved changes to the Risk Register, after considering recommendations from the Audit and Risk Management Committee. Notable changes to the Risk Register included elevating the risk rating to High for Risk 15(b) Inability to detect or prevent academic fraud in light of the emergence of generative AI, and the creation of a new Risk 23 for the MIT Group Foundation with current rating of Low risk.

Cyber Security

• Accepted the Intalock Report on MIT’s Cyber Security Essential 8 Assessment at its December meeting and requested a considered response from the Executive Management Committee.

MIT Group Foundation Ltd

• Held the Annual General Meeting of the Foundation in November, in which the Board:
  • Re-appointed Dr Shesh Ghale, Mrs Jamuna Gurung, Dr Patricia Stewart and Mr Austin Kijagulu as Directors to the Foundation’s Board of Directors;
  • Considered the Foundation’s audited financial report for FY2023; and
  • Considered the Foundation’s Annual Report 2023 and the report by the President on the relief and development activities of the Foundation for the year.

The Board of Directors

• Emeritus Professor Wayne Robinson (Chair)
• Professor David Battersby (Deputy Chair)
• Dr Shesh Ghale, h.c. (Chief Executive Officer)
• Ms. Jamuna Gurung (Owners’ Representative)
• Emeritus Professor Doug Grant(Chair of the Academic Board)
• Mr James Joughin (Appointed member)
• Dr. Patricia Stewart (Appointed Member)

Company Secretary

• Mr Hung Tran