Annual Report 2004 1 Review of Operations Contents Page No Statement of Compliance 3 Chancellor’s Foreword 4 About ECU 6 University Mission and Defining Themes 7 Highlights of the Year 2004 8 University Council, Committee Structure, Organisational Framework 13 Vice-Chancellor’s Commentary 16 Teaching and Learning 19 Students 23 International and Commercial 27 Research and Higher Degrees 32 Staff 36 Professional and Community Engagement 41 Planning and Management 45 Corporate Governance Statement 52 Compliance with Relevant Written Laws 58 Summary Statistics 59 Other Sections Financial Statements • Certification • Statement of Financial Performance • Statement of Financial Position • Statement of Cash Flows • Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2004 • Auditor General’s Statement Key Performance Indicators • Certification • Auditor General’s Statement Output Measures 2 Statement of Compliance The Hon A J Carpenter MLA Minister for Education and Training 12th Floor, Dumas House 2 Havelock Street WEST PERTH WA 6005 28 February, 2005 My Dear Minister In accordance with Section 66 of the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1985, we hereby submit for your information and presentation to Parliament the Annual Report of Edith Cowan University for the year ending 31 December 2004. The Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1985. Yours sincerely Hendy Cowan Chancellor On behalf of the University Council. Edith Cowan University Joondalup Drive JOONDALUP WA 6027 Telephone: 13 43 28 Facsimile: +61 8 9300 1257 3 Chancellor - The Honourable Hendy Cowan Hendy Cowan has been Chancellor of ECU since 1 January 2005. He is the former Deputy Premier of Western Australia, an office he filled during a long parliamentary career. For more detailed biographical notes, visit: http://www.ecu.edu.au/GPPS/council Chancellor’s Foreword The governing Council of ECU continued to fulfill a range of important responsibilities during 2004. The Federal Government’s recent reforms to higher education provided a major focus for the Council’s work. The Higher Education Support Act 2003 permitted universities to increase their Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) fees in accordance with the Government’s ‘user pays’ reforms. The most challenging decision of Council was to enact an increase of 25 per cent for most students commencing study in 2005. The decision reflected a need for ECU to pursue all available avenues for sustainable income in the face of a declining proportion of funding from the public purse. To help address unmet demand for university education in Western Australia, Council also agreed to make more use of its existing capacity to offer full fee-paying places to domestic undergraduate students. Council also examined governance issues arising from the national reforms. The Government introduced a set of National Governance Protocols designed to strengthen university governance by, among other things, increasing the responsibilities of university councils in overseeing commercial activities, requiring councils to discharge these responsibilities in a transparent way and ensuring the protection of the public interest. Compliance with the protocols requires changes to the respective enabling Acts of most universities including ECU. It gave Council the opportunity to consider other governance issues which may also require legislative change, namely • the size and composition of Council • the role of the South West Campus (Bunbury) Advisory Board and WAAPA Board and their respective relationships with Council and • a model for student representation and the provision of non-academic services to students. At the same time, much attention was given to relations with the University’s Student Guild in order to improve dialogue and clarify responsibilities. The year marked the end of the term of office of Justice Robert Nicholson AO as Chancellor after eight years. He provided strong leadership to the governing Council and brought extensive experience to the office of Chancellor. He executed the responsibilities of the office with distinction, chairing 50 Council meetings and inducting 35 new members of Council. Justice Nicholson showed faith in the collective judgement of Council, particularly on challenging matters. I record the gratitude of the Council and the whole ECU community for his great record of service. 4 I was honoured to be elected by Council to succeed Justice Nicholson from 1 January 2005. I look forward to the challenges of the role. I commend the work of all members of Council, the Vice-Chancellor, the senior management team and all the staff of ECU for their commitment and achievements during 2004. The excellent audit outcomes from the Australian Universities Quality Agency stand out as a pinnacle. Hendy Cowan 5 About ECU Named after the first woman elected to an Australian Parliament – Edith Dircksey Cowan –Edith Cowan University (ECU) is an exciting fusion of traditional education principles with contemporary enterprise. Working to its three defining themes of service, professionalism and enterprise, the University has positioned itself as a professionally-oriented tertiary education institution providing service to and preparation for the knowledge-based service professions. ECU prides itself on producing graduates who can operate effectively in today’s globalised workplace. Since 1902, ECU through its forerunner organisations, has been Western Australia’s major provider of teacher education. Given university status in 1991, ECU has since developed innovative and practical courses across a wide range of disciplines, established a vibrant research culture and attracted a growing range of quality research partners and researchers, many working at the cutting edge of their fields. ECU has the largest enrolment of Western Australian students of all the State’s universities. It is now WA’s second largest university, and has more than 22,500 enrolled students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition to Australian students, the University has approximately 3,500 international students originating from almost 80 countries. International students comprise over 16 per cent of the student body. The University has embarked on an extensive program of consolidating its campuses in areas of population growth, established density and regional relevance. ECU works closely with private and public sector organisations, locally and overseas, in designing its study programs. Research is undertaken in collaboration with industry, particularly the service industries and professions. The University strives to offer education of the highest quality in the service professions. Differentiating itself in the WA tertiary education market, ECU recognises and concentrates on its areas of particular strength – education, nursing, finance, business, computing, communications and the creative and performing arts. 6 University Mission To provide, within a diverse and dynamic learning environment, university education of recognised quality, especially for those people employed in, or seeking employment in, the service professions. Defining Themes Three defining themes inform the way ECU pursues its mission: Service: • Encouraging the highest standards of learning by adopting a student-centred approach to teaching, learning and the administration of student services • Seeking opportunities for close and productive involvement with the professions, government, industry, the community and educational institutions at local, national and international levels Professionalism: • Building on, and expanding, the University’s strengths in professional education and training to produce graduates who contribute to the workforce and the economy • Seeking to demonstrate the highest standards of professional behaviour in its relationship with students, staff and the community Enterprise: • Building a culture which constantly seeks to improve itself by supporting and rewarding initiatives which enhance the University’s performance • Increasing the international dimension of the University’s teaching, research and community service programs through selective partnerships and enterprises • Collaborating with other institutions and organisations in strategic partnerships to accomplish objectives that would be beyond the capability of individual institutions acting alone • Promoting the University’s strengths in local, national and international contexts through community service, targeted marketing and publicity These themes have been adopted across the broad sweep of the University’s activities, and guide all aspects of its strategic planning. 7 Highlights of the Year 2004 Successful Year for ECU • ECU received 23 commendations from the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) in the first national quality audit of the University since the agency was established. • ECU was successful in its application to the Commonwealth for new places made available as part of the Our Universities: Backing Australia’s Future package. ECU received the sixth largest allocation in the nation. • A multi-million dollar alliance was ratified with global technology giant IBM. • In an historic event, ECU graduations were held for the first time at the University itself in the ceremonial forecourt of the Joondalup Campus. • The $7.7m Callista Student Management System went live, placing ECU at the forefront of student enrolment management in Australia. • ECU undertook extensive