Annual Report, 1998

Background

The Sydney Universities Consortium of Geology and Geophysics was formed in 1991, following a Memorandum of Understanding issued jointly by the Vice-Chancellors of the four member universities (Sydney, UNSW, UTS, Macquarie).

Operation of the Consortium is the guided by the Management Committee, which is made up of the Heads of the academic departments responsible for Geology at each of the member universities, or their nominees, together with another senior academic staff member from each department. The Management Committee reports annually to the Vice-Chancellors on the activities of the Consortium.

Management Committee Membership

Professor Bastiaan Hensen, Head of the School of Geology at the University of New South Wales, took over the role of Presiding Member on behalf of UNSW from January 1998 from the previous Head, Associate Professor Colin Ward. Professor Hensen retired at the end of 1998, and A/Prof Ward, as the new Head of the School of Geology at UNSW, acted as Presiding Member of the SUCOGG Management Committee for the initial months of 1999.

For 1998 the membership of the Management Committee was:

University of New South Wales

• Professor Bas Hensen (Head, School of Geology) ­ Presiding Member
• Dr Paul Lennox

Sydney University

• Associate Professor Jock Keene (Head, Division of Geology and Geophysics, School of Geosciences)
• Dr Geoff Clarke

University of Technology, Sydney

• Associate Professor Greg Skilbeck (Head, Department of Environmental Sciences)
• Dr Graziella Caprarelli

Macquarie University

• Professor Paul Morgan (Head, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences)
• Dr Mark Lackie
  

SUCOGG Strategic Plan

A Strategic Plan for SUCOGG, covering the period 1998-2002, was submitted to Professor Blake of UTS on behalf of the Vice-Chancellors of all four member universities in January, 1998. The Plan outlined a series of aims for SUCOGG, with the ultimate object of maximising the benefits gained from the collective but diverse group of departments teaching geology and geophysics in the Sydney area.

The collated responses to the Plan, received in June, 1998, recommended continuation of SUCOGG’s current informal collaborative efforts, with the Vice-Chancellors to be kept appraised of the success of the relationship. Action on a number of recommendations regarding development of performance targets, improvement of the web page and development of a non-profit "credits" system for apportioning cross-institutional teaching costs, has also been initiated by the Management Committee.

As part of this process representatives of the Management Committee investigated and reported on the organisation of the Victorian Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences (VIEPS), a similar but more formally structured body embracing three geoscience Departments among the Melbourne universities.

Honours-level Coursework Programs

As part of the strategic plan SUCOGG’s activities in cross-institutional teaching of coursework components for Honours-level programs were extensively revised during 1997. A set of eleven new coursework modules was offered during 1998.

Enrolments of up to 16 students were achieved for the individual modules (average 9), drawn from all member institutions. The process makes specialist expertise normally located at only one or two institutions available to students of all four member Departments, maximising the efficiency of teaching in narrow but essential discipline areas at this advanced level.

Submissions to Minerals Council of Australia

During March, 1998 the Minerals Council of Australia released a document outlining the vision of the minerals industry regarding the needs for Tertiary education in the professions (geoscience, mining engineering, minerals engineering) most directly relevant to its activities. SUCOGG responded to this document, as input to the Council in the development of its final recommendations. Members of the SUCOGG Management Committee also participated in a workshop held in Sydney on the Council’s document.

Following release of the final recommendations, which had taken the submissions from SUCOGG and other bodies into account, the SUCOGG members presented a combined submission to the Council for funding under its proposed education program. This submission was further discussed with the Council’s Education Consultant, and was still under consideration by the Council at the time of compiling the present report.

Research Symposium

In collaboration with the Engineering and Environmental Geology Specialists Group of the Geological Society of Australia and the UNSW Groundwater Centre, a two-day symposium was held at the University of New South Wales in November, 1998 on the geology of the Botany Basin. The symposium attracted a total of around 100 registrants, drawn from academic and research institutions, consultants, construction authorities and local government bodies. A total of 20 papers by staff from the SUCOGG universities as well as other speakers, were presented at the meeting, and compiled into a 262 page volume for wider distribution.

SUCOGG Funds

Accumulated SUCOGG funds, held at the University of New South Wales, amounted to $4,662 at the end of 1998. Raised by levies, symposia and related initiatives, these are intended to support where necessary relevant SUCOGG activities.

Associate Professor Colin R. Ward- University of New South Wales - Presiding Member - April, 1999

Appendix 1: Enrolments in Honours Coursework Modules, 1998