Transition update: College of Business, Government and LawWelcome to the second edition of the College of Business, Government and Law transition update. This newsletter is one of the ways of sharing information about the developments and transition processes associated with moving into our new College structure. It will also be an opportunity to provide you with information on:
I hope many of you attended or watched our initial forum in May. The next College forum is scheduled for 19 June at 12.30pm. More information about College forums is provided below in this newsletter. I look forward to seeing you at these forums to update you on changes and answer your queries. You will also see that the College name is now Business, Government and Law rather than Business, Law and Government. This change occurred for several reasons, which included preferences for an alphabetical order of names and in other Australian universities when Law is included in a faculty or college that includes other areas it is often placed last. This placing will also help in the promotion of law for recruitment purposes. College Welcome eventAll College of Business, Government and Law staff are invited to the College Welcome event to be held Monday 31 July at 10.30am – 11.30am in the Social Sciences North Common room. An invite will be sent shortly to enable RSVP’s for catering purposes – but please place this in your calendars. Recruitment updatePositions yet to be filled include:
The College Transition TeamWho are we?The membership of the Transition Team comprises:
The College Transition Team will incorporate additional staff members as new appointments are made or as required from time to time. It is expected that the Transition Team will be disestablished by 31 December 2017 unless otherwise directed. The College Transition Team reports to the central College Implementation Steering Group which is chaired by Professor Clare Pollock, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students) and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic). What is our role?The role of the College Transition Team is to assist with the planning and implementation of the new College structure. This will involve working to the directions as set by the central College Implementation Steering Group, as well as listening to any issues or concerns raised by staff that may affect the successful transition to the new College structure. What are we doing?The Transition Team has completed the work identifying possible College Teaching Programs including topic allocation and development of new teaching areas or collaborations, undertaken in consultation with staff in Schools. This information will be presented to the central College Implementation Steering Group for endorsement before being sent to the Vice-Chancellor for approval. Teaching Programs (each of which is a collection of courses) will have Program Directors who will work with course coordinators, teaching staff and topic coordinators. In conjunction, the university has developed a role description for Teaching Program Directors, which is currently being finalised, and expressions of interest will be sought for those roles for each college. For the Law discipline, due to the Legal Practitioners’ Act of 1981, the discipline legally must have a Dean of Law and that role has been advertised internally comprising the Program Director’s role, external liaison and overseeing the accreditation of the law degrees. We are now looking at operational details to ensure a smooth transition to the new college structure and at appropriate academic structures/committees within the College to support all education and research related activities. At future meetings, we will also look at possible research themes for our College. We have also been considering changes being made at Central University level and how we can ensure their smooth implementation. For example, the Office of Graduate Research is developing new administrative roles for HDR work and our transition team is considering the academic support needed. The university is developing a role description for HDR coordinators in consultation with key staff and expressions of interest will be sought for those roles for each college. We are keen to hear from you and welcome your ideas and input on how we can do things differently or creatively that will enable us to stand out from other Universities, whilst increasing teaching efficiency. You are encouraged to talk to any member of the Transition team or you can email your ideas or suggestions to the Transition Team via the Executive Officer at julie.rayner@flinders.edu.au College transition and supportTo assist with practical information for transition and beyond, an online support guide in the form of a website has been developed. Now live, the website will frequently refresh and iterate based on staff feedback. The College Support Guide provides the latest information on policies, business systems, delegations and cost centre codes. If you have any questions about the operational areas referred to on this page or wish to see additional information made available you can provide feedback online or email psp@flinders.edu.au There is also a staff services directory that provides a searchable guide to accessing the various professional services available to you as a staff member. The People and Contacts section lists key people for each college, including the College Vice President and Executive Dean and members of the college leadership and transition teams. This will be updated as additional appointments are made. Developments in the Professional Services ProjectMark Gregory and Stuart Mossman have recently advised progress on the PSP in an all-staff Town Hall meeting on 5 June 2017. Formal consultation is underway for the major change proposals in the areas of Finance and Procurement Services, People and Culture & Information and Digital Services. For more information, please visit The 2025 Agenda – Achieving our vision webpage. As previously advised in the May Newsletter, the University is identifying interim roles for professional staff to ensure manageable work teams and ongoing delivery of professional support services, in the new Colleges from 1 July, particularly as further stages of the PSP are undertaken. The need for a position in each College to assist the Head of College Services in day-to-day operations and coordination of College professional staff has also been identified. Staff will be advised of opportunities for these and other positions or roles, as they are determined in coming weeks. Key questions asked by staffInformation regarding frequently asked questions with respect to the transition to the new College structure is also available on The 2025 Agenda – Achieving our vision webpage. As the design of the College Service Teams and other College transition activities continue throughout 2017, there will be continuing updates from either the Transition Team or Project staff. We would encourage you to communicate your Questions and feedback to the Transition Team via emailing the Executive Officer julie.rayner@flinders.edu.au or 2025@flinders.edu.au College forumsThe next College of Business, Government and Law Forum will be held on Monday 19 June at 12.30pm in South Lecture Theatre 1. The Forum will be another opportunity for an update on progress towards the new College and for an open exchange of questions and answers. I will chair the Forum, with support from other members of the College Transition Team. If you prefer, you can submit questions to the forum in advance by sending them to julie.rayner@flinders.edu.au The Forum will be livestreamed. College Forums will be held regularly to provide an opportunity to update staff on major issues affecting the University and for you to ask questions. Other senior staff from across the University may also be invited depending on the topics to be discussed. We hope that you can join us. In addition to College Forums, we would expect that areas within Business, Government and Law will continue to hold staff presentations or seminars as routinely as you do now. Staying connectedAs well as keeping you up to date through communication with members of the College Transition Team, you can also keep up to date by visiting The 2025 Agenda – Achieving our vision webpage. At any time throughout this process you can also ask questions or provide feedback to 2025@flinders.edu.au. If you need further clarity on any of The 2025 Agenda initiatives, you are encouraged to speak with your supervisor or Senior HR Advisor. If you feel that you would benefit from talking to someone independently, Flinders University offers support and counselling via the University Employee Assistance Program. This service is entirely confidential.
Professor Phyllis Tharenou |