Academic Board

The Academic Board is responsible for all academic matters relating to the university. Find out about the Board's purpose, its terms of reference and current members.

Purpose and Terms of Reference

According to the Australian Catholic University Constitution, the Academic Board is responsible for administering and implementing the academic policies and programs of the university.

The Board advises the Senate and the Vice-Chancellor and President on all developments and initiatives relating to the university's teaching and research activities, including their quality.

In addition to the powers and functions described in Clause 25 of the Constitution and Statute 2.5, the Academic Board is responsible for the following:

• to exercise all Delegations provided to it by the Senate;
• to set data-driven institutional benchmarks for academic activities, and to monitor, analyse and initiate action to improve performance against internal and external benchmarks;
• to promote excellence and innovation in and monitor and oversee quality of teaching and learning, research and research training in the university;
• to monitor and contribute to the identification and remediation of academic risk;
• to monitor institutional performance, education and remediation in the areas of academic and research integrity;
• to monitor and oversee quality assurance and improvement in relation to the academic functions of the university;
• to provide leadership to and communicate regularly with the university community regarding academic matters;
• to foster, maintain and provide advice to Senate regarding Academic Freedom;
• to formulate and coordinate the development, periodic review and maintenance of academic policies and procedures, and approve new and amended policies and procedures where permitted by the Delegations;
• to approve new award and non-award courses of study;
• as part of the process of internal accreditation of courses of study, to monitor and systematically review all existing courses of study;
• to consider and take action on reports from the Standing Committees of the Academic Board, from Faculties and from business units;
• where appropriate, to refer matters to the Standing Committees of the Academic Board, to Faculties and to business units within the university, for consideration and report;
• to advise on academic aspects of the formulation and review of the university's strategic plan;
• to endorse and oversee the implementation of the university Learning and Teaching and Research Plans;
• to ensure that course development and review, teaching and learning, research and research training align with the university's strategic plan;
• to foster discourse on issues related to higher education and the university's educational plans and strategies; 
• to provide advice on relevant recommendations of internal and external reviews of the university's organisational units; and
• to undertake regular reviews of the Terms of Reference of its Standing Committees and to approve those Terms of Reference.

Meeting Schedule: See Governance Committee Calendar.

Committee Templates: See Governance Committee Meeting Templates.

Chair: Professor Timothy McKenry.

Governance Support: Fiona Carson, Governance Officer.

For general Academic Board enquiries, please contact AcademicBoard@acu.edu.au.

Composition and Membership

Learn about the members of the Academic Board, including elected members, ex-officio members, and those entitled to attend but who do not have voting rights. The current members of Academic Board are detailed below.