3Corporate and academic governance

Section 3 Corporate and academic governance

The higher education provider shows sound corporate and academic governance of its higher education operations.

3.1 The higher education provider has a corporate governing body that has responsibility for oversight of all of the higher education provider’s higher education operations, including conferral of its higher education awards, and to which management is accountable.

3.2 The higher education provider’s corporate governing body has a majority of external members and uses a full range of expertise required for effective governance of the higher education provider, including higher education expertise and independent financial expertise, through its membership and/or through external advisors.

3.3 The higher education provider’s corporate governance arrangements demonstrate a clear distinction between governance and management responsibilities.

3.4 The higher education provider’s corporate governing body regularly monitors potential risks to the higher education provider’s higher education operations and ensures the higher education provider has strategies to mitigate risks that may eventuate.

3.5 The higher education provider’s corporate governing body ensures that all delegations (including financial, academic and managerial) are appropriate, documented, observed and regularly reviewed.

3.6 The higher education provider’s corporate governing body has approved a current strategic plan that:

• shows the higher education provider has clarity about its future directions for higher education;

• identifies key performance indicators;

• is adequately communicated to internal and external stakeholders; and,

• guides management decision-making.

3.7 The higher education provider’s corporate governing body protects the academic integrity and quality of the higher education provider’s higher education operations through academic governance arrangements that provide a clear and discernible separation between corporate and academic governance, including a properly constituted academic board and course advisory committees.

3.8 The higher education provider’s corporate and academic governance arrangements demonstrate:

• the effective development, implementation and review of policies for all aspects of the higher education provider’s academic activities including delivery of the higher education provider’s courses of study by other entities;

• the maintenance of academic standards, with appropriate mechanisms for external input, in accordance with international conventions for good academic practice; and,

• effective quality assurance arrangements for all the higher education provider’s higher education operations, encompassing systematic monitoring, review and improvement.