ACUADS Newsletter

March – December 2007

The ACUADS Newsletter is an ad hoc publication from the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools. It aims to communicate information about activities of the Council Executive, research interests and events and activities related to the visual art and design sector.

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1. ACUADS Chair's Report

Su Baker, Head, School of Art, Victorian College of the Arts

Well, 2007 has been another active year in the life of ACUADS and the tertiary sector.

Research Quality Framework (RQF)
At a national level it was largely dominated by the now deferred RQF. While we spent many hours and much effort in discussion with our colleagues at DEST, the planned RQF will now no longer go ahead, but rather a new form of assessment will be developed over the next year or so. There are no details but a statement made by Senator Kim Carr gives a clear indication of the good and the bad news for next year; see also the CHASS web site for more details.

Below is an excerpt from a statement made by Senator Kim Carr for an article in Campus Review.

The humanities, arts and social sciences will be central to Australia's national innovation system, a move that will bring it into line with some of the world's most innovative and creative countries.

Furthermore, new Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr told Campus Review last week he would rigorously support the peer review system, affirmed the importance of blue skies research and described academic freedom as one of the central tenets of research quality assurance.

Kim Carr, whose full title is Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, said innovation would be lifted as a priority in the national debate. A multidisciplinary approach would be fundamental in helping to address some of the more complex issues facing the nation.

"By igniting the creative spirit of our people, we will deliver great science and innovation solutions for industry society and the environment. Now this also applies to the humanities," Carr said. "I am using science not just in a narrow definition, but the European definition, which is knowledge of the world – that is how we can take forward a program that will actually change the face of this country.

"There is absolutely no doubt about us adopting a multidisciplinary approach – this is a key concept." Carr said universities and public research agencies would play a vital role in the process. "We want to reinvigorate their capacity to undertake that task," he said.

There is no doubt the RQF is dead in the water and the only remaining issues for Carr are how to officially euthanase it and the development of a sleeker model in 12 months time.

"The RQF was fundamentally flawed, poorly designed and administratively expensive, and relied on measures that couldn't be defined. I'm looking to have a departmental briefing on how that can be done immediately.

"I've asked for a technical brief to make sure we scrap the RQF correctly and then I will use the next 12 months to build consensus on the nature of the metrics and the proxies for metrics for the replacement quality assurance system." As for additional research funding, don't get your hopes up.

"I have every expectation we are in for a very tough budget."

So I think that means don't hold your breath for any new injections of funds next year. I think we would all be happy if they were to take a serious look at the funding models of the sector, and to start to fund us in a way that reflects the true costs of teaching and research. We should be ready with our arguments and on call to contribute to the discussions when and where they happen.

So those of us who have spent time on the RQF in 2007 shouldn't feel that we have wasted our time as we will be asked in the future to work on the appropriate methods by which we can accurately represent the high quality work that emerges from the tertiary art and design sector. Colleagues I have spoken to recently have felt that the exercise to date has had some benefits, in the main, of raising the awareness levels and encouraging greater participation in reporting research activity. We have also made clear the need to be discipline specific and I feel that the message has been heard. The trick will be how to do it.

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Annual Conference: Sydney, September 2007
We thank Ian Howard and his team for the stimulating rapid fire ACUADS Annual Conference in Sydney where we were able to sample the great examples of the breadth and depth of work being undertaken in the sector. In addition to the live event, the handsome publication Research 07/08, that was produced by COFA ahead of the conference, is an excellent record of a cross section of research activity, which is alive and well in the sector. The contributing Schools all have copies so use them liberally to spread the word. This is a great instrument for our advocacy both at the local level – that is, our own staff and academic leaders – and the hierarchy of our institutions, and for policy makers.

Carrick Institute Grants
Another piece of good news is that ACUADS has been successful in receiving two Carrick Institute Grants in partnership with our various university colleagues. Details of these will be on the ACUADS web site early in the new year. In brief these two important studies are described below:

Scoping Common Curriculum Issues – Studio Teaching
A group of universities, led by UNSW, are working on a ground-breaking research project which will investigate current models of studio teaching in architecture, art and design in Australia.

Institutions involved are the University of New South Wales, the University of Queensland, RMIT University and the University of Tasmania.

Running between 2007 and 2009, the Studio Teaching Project (STP) aims to develop discipline-specific benchmarks for studio classes.

Surveys and case studies will be used to define the fundamental characteristics of studio-based learning, and to identify the most innovative examples that enhance both student and staff experience, and optimise learning outcomes.

Instigated by Associate Deans Professor Robert Zehner from the UNSW Faculty of the Built Environment and Graham Forsyth from UNSW's College of Fine Arts, the project is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Queensland, RMIT University and the University of Tasmania.

This project aims to identify best practices to provide a reference for teachers and leaders across a range of disciplines where studios are an important part of the student experience.

Professor Noel Frankham, Head, Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania in being part of the team, is representing ACUADS.

Future-Proofing the Creative Arts in Higher Education: Scoping for Quality
in Tertiary Creative Arts Learning, Teaching, and Research Training
The project leaders are: Associate Professor Su Baker (Chair, Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS) and Head, School of Art, Victorian College of the Arts Faculty, University of Melbourne) and Associate Professor Brad Buckley (Director, Sydney College of the Arts Graduate School, University of Sydney).

The project team consists of eight members of ACUADS Executive from nine Australian universities representing six states: VCA, University of Melbourne, RMIT, Monash University, Swinburne University, University of South Australia, University of Tasmania, Curtin University, UNSW, Griffith University. This will include members of the peak bodies for Music, Film and Theatre.

This scoping project intends to work closely with the recently funded project through the Carrick Common Curriculum Scheme, Curriculum Development in Studio Teaching. In conjunction with this important work we wish to extend this analysis to examine the current offerings of the Creative Arts PhD and also the role of the professional Doctorate of Creative Arts (DCA) in Australian university art schools. While there is much debate in the current literature about the nature of the traditional Australian PhD and its narrow focus, this scoping study will examine how the creative arts PhD and DCA may provide an innovative model for research training.

The scoping study will also consider the role that course work plays in developing a broader range of skills in the candidate by considering the US PhD model. The US model has two years of course work followed by two or three years in which the thesis is developed. The project will also consider the PhD by publication, where a series of exhibitions and a shorter dissertation may form the thesis.

Research
In 2008 there are plans to develop a more active Research section of the ACUADS web site that will operate as a form of publishing house for work that is relevant to the sector and that needs a quick turnaround. Noel Frankham is developing this project and we look forward to this great new opportunity to spread the word both to each other and the broader community.

ACUADS continues to seek your involvement in the business of the art and design sector and so we welcome initiatives and dialogue with staff and students at all levels of participation, so please distribute the Newsletter as widely as you wish. We particularly welcome the contributions of newly appointed academics and research students.

ACUADS Awards
ACUADS has three Awards: Fellowship Award, Distinguished Research Awards and Distinguished Teaching Awards. Two Awards were presented at the ACUADS Annual Conference held in Sydney, 26-28 September 2007:

• Distinguished Research Award to Robyn Stewart of the University of Southern Queensland;
• Distinguished Teaching Award to John Teschendorff of Curtin University.

Our congratulations to them both.

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2. ACUADS Executive Telephone Meeting 16 August 2007

Review of Membership Formula
The meeting agreed to recommend to the AGM:

• Retention of a three tier membership rate based on the same EFTSL cut-offs:

• Offer Institutions the ability to take out membership through individual schools that fulfil ACUADS' eligibility requirements (fee to be determined by EFTSL) or to aggregate students (EFTSL) across schools and departments within the art and design discipline areas to determine the appropriate fee. Institutions with more than 1,000 art and design students may take out two memberships; however, no institution may have more than two memberships. Each membership would have voting rights (one per membership).

• Increase fees by 10% on the 2007 rates in line with the current policy, adopted at the 2004 Conference, that subscriptions should be indexed annually. This would make the fee schedule for 2007/2008 (GST included) as follows:

Carrick Institute Application
The Chair advised the meeting that an application has been made to the Carrick Institute by ACUADS under the Discipline-Based Initiatives Scheme entitled: Future-Proofing the Creative Arts in Higher Education: Scoping for Quality in Tertiary Creative Arts Learning, Teaching, and Research Training.

Annual Conference: Sydney, 26-28 September 2007
Professor Ian Howard reported that they had received submissions in the Research (level 1) area for the publication and that arrangements were now being made to print the publication in time for distribution at the Conference.

Professor Howard advised that papers had been received for the parallel sessions (level 2) and that the papers would be refereed post-conference for publication on the ACUADS web site.

AGM
The meeting discussed nominations for the Executive noting that three members were due to retire: Associate Professor Robyn Stewart advised that she would not be re-nominating as she was retiring from the university; Professor Kay Lawrence advised that she would be stepping down as Head of School at the end of 2008 and therefore ineligible to renominate; however, the meeting noted that as Convenor of the 2008 ACUADS Conference, she was eligible to be co-opted to the Executive for the year.

Research Quality Framework (RQF)
The Chair invited comment on the Research Quality Framework Draft Panel-Specific Requirements so that she, as Chair of ACUADS, might respond on behalf of the Council.

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3. ACUADS Executive Meeting 27 September 2007

Carrick Institute Application
The Chair reported that the Carrick Institute were encouraging ACUADS to apply and noted that Carrick were encouraging another applicant, Dr. Paul Thomas of Curtin University, to participate in our project. The Chair advised that she and Professor Brad Buckley, Sydney College of the Arts, had been invited to contact Carrick to discuss the matter. The meeting noted that Graham Forsyth and Kay Lawrence were interested in being part of the group.

Treasurer's Report
The meeting noted the Report and agreed to ratify the expenditure.

Auditor's Report
The meeting discussed the report noting that the deficit was slightly increased from last year and that this was affected by two memberships not being paid within the financial accounting period.

Following discussion of the report, the meeting then agreed that in the opinion of the Executive, the accompanying financial report presents fairly the financial position of the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools Incorporated as at 30 June 2007 and its performance for the year ended on that date in accordance with Accounting Standards and mandatory professional reporting standards in Australia and other authoritative pronouncements of the Australian Accounting Standards Board.

The meeting agreed that in the opinion of the Executive, at the date of this statement, there are reasonable grounds to believe that Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools Incorporated will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due.

The meeting agreed that the Chair, Su Baker and Deputy Chair, Noel Frankham be authorised to sign the Statement by Executive in accordance with a resolution of the Executive.

The meeting agreed that the Chair, Su Baker and Deputy Chair, Noel Frankham be authorised to sign the Representation Letter in accordance with a resolution of the Executive.

Treasurer's AGM Annual Report
The meeting noted this Management report which compares expenditure under the various items.

The meeting noted that expenditure on Travel for Executive meetings was down and discussed the desired level of frequency of meetings. It was agreed that we should have more meetings by phone and in addition, we should have at least two face-to-face meetings per year. It was noted that face-to-face meetings usually occurred in December and at the Adelaide Festival meeting as well as during the ACUADS Conference.

ACUADS Award Process
Following discussion, the meeting agreed to rework the pages on the web site so that under the heading, the three awards are clearly distinguished; at the end of each award, list the items required to be sent with a check box for ticking to reinforce the requirements; make the information required for the Fellowship more precise.

It was also agreed that the Executive Officer would send email reminders at least three times with the last being, for instance, six weeks before the 30 June deadline.

Conference Publication
Professor Ian Howard spoke to a tabled paper on the publication to be used for promotion of the art and design sector. He advised the total cost for 9,000 copies was $23,480 and with the 17 Member institutions represented in the publication paying $1,000 for 400 copies, and the remaining 10 Members paying $500 for 200 copies each, this would almost cover the outlay and leave 200 copies for national and international distribution.

He noted that all the preparation work by COFA was pro bono and the remaining deficit of $1,480 will be paid by COFA.

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4. ACUADS Annual General Meeting 28 September 2007

The ACUADS AGM was held on 28 September 2007 at the Elwyn Lynn Conference Centre, COFA, University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Annual Subscription Policy Review
The Chair invited the Deputy Chair, Noel Frankham, to speak to the tabled paper. Professor Frankham noted that the Membership list attached showed that membership had remained almost constant for the current year and noted that, with the many organisational structural changes, a change in the membership formula was proposed in accordance with the Association's rules. Following discussion, the meeting endorsed the proposal.

The Deputy Chair then asked the meeting to endorse a 10% increase in membership fees for next year in line with the current policy, adopted at the 2004 Conference, that subscriptions should be indexed annually. The meeting endorsed the membership fee increase, which makes the fee schedule for 2007/2008 (GST included) as follows:

Chair's Report
The Chair, Su Baker, thanked Ian Howard, COFA and Colin Rhodes, Sydney College of the Arts, as co-hosts of the ACUADS 2007 Conference.

The Chair also thanked the Executive Committee, which has met regularly since being elected at the Melbourne AGM and noted that savings had been made by having some meetings by telephone.

She thanked the Executive Officer, Kay Morrissey and the Web Mistress, Kirsten Muir for their contribution to the organization.

Su Baker acknowledged the contribution made to ACUADS by the retiring member, Robyn Stewart and the meeting endorsed a vote of thanks to Robyn Stewart.

Su Baker also noted the retirement of both Noel Frankham and Kay Lawrence whose terms had expired, but noted that Noel Frankham had renominated and that Kay Lawrence would be co-opted to the Executive for one year as host of the 2008 Conference.

The Chair reported that ACUADS principal area of discussion and involvement over the past year had been the Research Quality Framework (RQF). She noted that the revised project grant application with the Carrick Institute would be pursued.

Treasurer's Report
– Independent Audit Report
The Treasurer, Domenico de Clario, asked the Executive Officer, Kay Morrissey, to comment on the Independent Audit Report and Statement of Financial Performance 2006/7, which had been handled by Melbourne auditor, Rod Hutton of UHY Haines. The meeting noted that ACUADS had received an unqualified audit clearance and had ended the year with a deficit of $3,095 compared to $1,907 in the previous year. She pointed out that two membership fees had not been received at the time of the audit, although they may since have been paid. The auditor's report was accepted by the membership.

– Yearly Comparison Statement of Financial Performance 2006/7
The meeting noted the Yearly Comparison Statement and that the figures are based on a financial year, unlike previous years.

Election of Executive
– Appointment of Returning Officer
Professor Kay Lawrence was appointed as Returning Officer together with the Executive Officer, Kay Morrissey.

The meeting noted that four nominations had been received for the three vacancies on the ACUADS Executive Committee. This being the case, ballot papers were circulated and an election held with the following duly elected:

        Associate Professor Lyndon Anderson
        Associate Professor Clive Barstow
        Professor Noel Frankham

The newly elected members will join the continuing members, each due to retire at the next AGM:

        Associate Professor Su Baker
        Associate Professor Domenico de Clario
        Mr Julian Goddard
        Professor Elizabeth Grierson
        Professor Ian Howard

The Executive agreed to meet immediately following the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting so that office bearers may be elected.

ACUADS Annual Conference 2008 – Adelaide
The meeting noted that the next conference will be held in Adelaide in 2008, with Brisbane in 2009. The dates of the Adelaide Conference are to be confirmed at the next Executive meeting.

RQF Working Group
Domenico de Clario spoke of discussions held with colleagues and that they had identified a need for a Working Group which can facilitate communications with Su Baker over the next six months. The meeting agreed that, based on the paper presented the previous day by Professor Su Rowley, there appeared to be wide scope for interpretation by the various panels. The meeting agreed to establish such a Working Group and noted that people could contact Domenico de Clario direct.

Australian Art and Design Educators
Graham Forsyth spoke to his tabled paper re the establishment of this group. He noted that the group was the underpinning for the recent very successful National Forum on Studio Teaching held at COFA in July 2007.

He raised for discussion the proposal that this learning and teaching group be affiliated with ACUADS and that ACUADS consider:

    • Endorsing the group
    • Supporting the group as it brings together leaders in art and design education
       with a specific focus on sustaining and enhancing ACUADS's aim of promoting
       quality professional education.

The meeting discussed the proposal and agreed to in-principle support and asked that the proposal be included on the next Executive agenda when further discussion will be held.

Research – ACUADS Web Site
The meeting endorsed a proposal made by Noel Frankham that ACUADS publish on its web site refereed papers from relevant conferences and symposia as a service to members. The ACUADS executive would review each proposal for publication to verify that appropriate academic referencing had been used by conference organisers so that the resultant papers met DEST standards.

The next Annual General Meeting to be held in Adelaide, 2008, with the date to be confirmed.

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5. ACUADS Executive Meeting 28 September 2007

The ACUADS Executive meeting held at COFA, University of Sydney considered the following agenda items:

New Executive Members
Outgoing Chair, Su Baker, congratulated the newly elected Executive members and noted the make-up of the new Executive as follows:

Su Baker, VCA		to retire September 2008
Domenico de Clario, Monash		to retire September 2008
Julian Goddard, Curtin		to retire September 2008
Ian Howard, COFA		to retire September 2008
Elizabeth Grierson, RMIT		to retire September 2008
Noel Frankham, UTas		to retire September 2009
Lyndon Anderson, Swinburne		to retire September 2009
Clive Barstow, Edith Cowan		to retire September 2009

Election of Office Bearers
All positions were declared vacant and the following were elected:
        Su Baker, Chair
        Noel Frankham, Deputy Chair
        Domenico de Clario, Treasurer
        Elizabeth Grierson, Secretary.

The meeting noted that Kay Lawrence will be a co-opted member of the Executive as the 2008 Conference Convenor.

The meeting noted and thanked Professor David Williams who retains the position of Public Officer.

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