Organisational change in 2012

Announcements

16/08/2012 - Get the facts on the HUSS restructure

Facts about the restructure

14/08/2012 - Student briefing

A student briefing is scheduled to be held 14/08 between 1-2pm. Location information for each campus is available at the bottom of this page.

10/08/2012 - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences restructure announced today

A copy of the final OCIS is available for download

7/8/2012 - Summary of Feedback

Dear Students and other contributors

Thank you all for the feedback to the proposed curriculum and organisational changes outlined in the Faculty's draft Organisational Change Impact Statement (OCIS). Key themes and individual discipline issues from the feedback have been summarised and this is now available below:

Again, I wish to thank you for providing such considered and fulsome feedback to the University and participating in this important process. Your feedback will play a valuable role in assisting the Faculty finalise its future curriculum proposals and organisational structure.

Sincerely
Tim Murray
Executive Dean

Message from the Executive Dean

The Faculty is proposing a number of organisational changes to address significant issues. The Draft Organisational Change Impact Statement (OCIS) 2012 outlines in detail the challenges that we address, so that we can position the Faculty for a sustainable future. The proposed changes aim to ensure a strong and vibrant Faculty, affording it continued opportunity to provide a rich and rewarding experience for both students and staff. The Faculty will continue to provide a very broad offering of study within each of the key discipline areas of the Bachelor of Arts, alongside the suite of standalone degrees. The choice of subjects available to students will remain significant. The proposals are detailed in the:

Information has been provided here to support your feedback to the Faculty.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will current students be able to complete the studies they have begun if the areas of study have been affected under the restructure?
  • Yes, definitely. All current students will be able to complete their majors. The Faculty will teach-out all students who have begun their studies.


2. What will the Faculty look like after the restructure?
  • The Faculty will offer a BA, and 16 niche degrees. It will be possible to transfer between different degrees. The Faculty will have a large number of subjects available, either more than or about the same as the other faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences in Victoria. Majors in the BA can be enriched by electives from the niche degrees, and vice versa. Students may also take many electives from other faculties, and majors in Psychology and Mathematics, in the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering, are also available to HuSS students. A provisional list of subjects will be available shortly, but will include more than 400 choices. This list will be further reviewed during the consultation period.


3. What practical academic support is available to students at this time?
The Executive Dean will be holding a number of student meetings on all campuses. In addition, you will be able to discuss your situation individually if you would like to, either in person, or by email, phone, or skype. Please contact any of these advisors, if you wish to discuss the restructure and your plans.


4. What provisions will be made to students to help them restructure their degrees in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences?
  • In many cases, there will be no need to restructure degrees, as current students will be able to complete the course they have enrolled in. But you will be able to have advice from the advisors in 3 above, as well as from the faculty office's staff.


5. When will the University have organised a support network of career advisors to individual students in the Faculty to assist them directly with the proposed changes?
  • This will be in place by the week beginning 25 June.


6. What exemptions will be allowed in order that students can accommodate their new majors and minors?
  • In most cases there shouldn't be a need for new majors and minors, as students will be able to complete the courses they have enrolled in. But we will certainly make exemptions when possible, if they are required.


7. What will be happening with subject choice for regional students?
  • It's not possible to give details at this stage, as the OCIS is still a proposal. We are taking advice from colleagues in the feedback period.


8. What effect will this have on Higher Degree by Research (HDR) student supervision?
  • HDR Supervisors are sometimes unavailable for their students for a variety of reasons included leave from the University, Outside Studies Program, ill-health, change of job and retirement. The University has standard arrangements in place to cope with such situations. In the case of retirement or change of job, the supervisor may often agree to continue supervision. If not, an alternative internal supervisor is found, usually from the HDR Panel for the student. If that person does not have the required level of specialised expertise to be the main supervisor by themselves, an external person with sufficient expertise will be invited to join the Panel as an additional supervisor.

    The University has a variety of ways to attract externals and supervisors to continue supervision.

    Best efforts will be made not to disadvantage students and, as much as possible, standard arrangements above will apply in the event that staff leave or retire.

Update (22/06/2012):

Many students have responded to the news about the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences restructure, and it is clear that there is concern about how this will affect their study plans. The Faculty intends the restructure to strengthen us as we move into a challenging higher education environment, and we think that our proposed new degree structures will work very well for students.

We will develop a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions over the next day or so, as questions come in. We will also provide a number of specialised staff to provide on-to-one advice to any students who might find it useful to consult either by phone, email, or face-to-face, whichever suits best. In addition, the Executive Dean and other senior members of the Faculty will consult with staff and students at regional campuses over the next two weeks.

Please be confident that we take our contract with students very seriously, and all study plans will be honoured.

If you are a current student whose course may be affected by these changes, you can rest assured that you will be able to continue studying through to the completion of your course.

Student briefing:

Melbourne campus
Date: Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Venue: West Lecture Theatre (WLT) 2
Time: 1.00 – 2.00 pm

Albury-Wondonga campus
Date: Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Venue: Room 3117
Time: 1.00 – 2.00 pm

Bendigo campus
Date: Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Venue: AS2210
Time: 1.00 – 2.00 pm

Mildura campus
Date: Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Venue: Brian Grogan Seminar Room 2
Time: 1.00 – 2.00 pm

Shepparton campus
Date: Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Venue: ROOM 213
Time: 1.00 – 2.00 pm