13 April 2011

The Board of Trustees met on Wednesday 13 April 2011, in the Boardroom, Building AD, Werrington North campus. A summary of matters discussed is provided below.

Confirmation of Minutes
The minutes of the 23 February 2011 meeting  of the Board of Trustees were confirmed and can be downloaded from this page.

Main Items Considered by the Board

Audited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2010
Board Report for UWS Annual Report
Chancellor’s Report
Vice-Chancellor’s Report
Whitlam Institute
Appointments
Staffing Matters
Outcome of Election – Postgraduate Student Member of the Board of Trustees
Other Reports and Items Considered by the Board
Date of Next Meeting

Audited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2010
The Board adopted the audited UWS 2010 financial statements and authorised the signing thereof by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor. The statements had been reviewed by the 1 April meeting of the Audit and Risk Management Committee which members of the Finance and Investment Committee attended and included discussions with representatives of the Audit Office of New South Wales.

Mr Peter Boulous, Director Financial Audit Services of the NSW Audit Office, advised the Board that he is able to issue an unqualified independent audit report. He also advised that the individual controlled entity audit reports were satisfactory.

Board Report for UWS Annual Report
The Board approved the draft “UWS Board of Trustees Report” to be included in the UWS Annual Report and commended the 2010 Annual Report as very informative and well prepared.

Chancellor’s Report
The Chancellor reported briefly on his continuing orientation at the University, which has recently included meetings with:

Vice-Chancellor’s Report
The Vice-Chancellor's report to the Board of Trustees included the following items:

Whitlam Institute
Mr Eric Sidoti, Director of the Whitlam Institute, gave a presentation to the Board, summarising the foundations of the Institute, progress to date and plans for the future.

Appointments
The Board appointed Gillian Shadwick as Pro Chancellor for a term ending on 30 April 2013 and Ms Susan Hartigan as a member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee for a two year term.  Mr David Holmes (undergraduate student member) was appointed to the Finance & Investment Committee until 31 December 2011.

Staffing Matters
At its next meeting the Board plans to consider staff diversity in more detail.

Outcome of Election – Postgraduate Student Member of the Board of Trustees
Following a recent election, Ms Linda Ayache was declared elected to the position of Postgraduate Student Member of the Board of Trustees for a two year term 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2013. The Board looks forward to her joining the Board.

Other Reports and Items Considered by the Board

  • Student Representation and Participation at UWS – Progress Report
  • UWS AUQA Cycle 2 Audit Preparations
  • Finance and Investment Committee
  • Strategy and Planning Committee
  • Audit and Risk Management Committee
  • Report from the Chair of Academic Senate
  • Campus Development Committee
  • Occupational Health and Safety

Date of Next Meeting
The next Board meeting will be held at 9am on 8 June 2011 at the University’s Werrington North Campus.