University Chancellors Council

Supporting excellence in Governance across Australian Universities.

The University Chancellors Council exists to support Australian universities in the implementation and development of excellent governance.

Governance in Australian Universities is influenced by a variety of factors. Legislation - both state and federal - influence the governance of Australian Universities, while the Chancellor and the University Council carry out the governing of the university.

State Legislation

Each University in Australia is established under its own Act of Parliament in the State in which it is registered. 

Federal Legislation

Universities are also governed by federal legislation, which speaks to not only the operations of the university, but also individual university support for students, academic requirements, and international student registration capacity.

University Councils

Each university has a governing body variously called a Council, Senate or Board. The governing bodies vary in size from 10 to 21 members.

The Chancellor

A Chancellor is the formal head of a university, working closely with the Vice-Chancellor and President. Their relationship may be seen broadly as that between a Chair and a CEO.

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Australian Institute of Company Directors ‘Governance in the University Sector’ Course

The University Chancellors Council and the Australian Institute of Company Directors have worked together over the last few years to design and run a tailored training course for all Council / Senate / Board members, members of official university committees, senior staff and all staff with governance responsibilities. 

The University Governance Course is a comprehensive 3-day course based on the excellent Company Directors course but with a particular focus on issues in the higher education sector.  It runs 4 times per year in different capital cities to allow easy access for most university members. This is an important program for ensuring that the governing bodies and the staff of our universities have the skills needed to ensure good governance practices and to meet the existing and future challenges facing our universities.

 The courses in 2024 will be held as follows:

  • Perth: 21 – 23 February

  • Melbourne: 6 - 8 March

  • Sydney: 13 – 15 March

  • Brisbane: 20 - 22 March

For further information on the course, please contact John Semba at AICD: jsemba@aicd.com.au or 08 8236 2800