Statement One

Monash University was established under an Act of the Victorian Parliament on 30 May 1958. A body politic and corporate under the name ‘Monash University’, it has perpetual succession, a common seal and is capable in law of suing and being sued. The responsible minister in the Victorian Parliament is the Minister for Higher Education.

The objectives of the university, as stated in section 5 of division 1 of the Monash University Act (2009), are:

• to provide and maintain a teaching and learning environment of excellent quality offering higher education at an international standard;
• to provide vocational education and training, further education and other forms of education determined by the University to support and complement the provision of higher education by the University;
• to undertake scholarship, pure and applied research, invention, innovation, education and consultancy of international standing and to apply those matters to the advancement of knowledge and to the benefit of the wellbeing of the Victorian, Australian and international communities;
• to equip graduates of the University to excel in their chosen careers and to contribute to the life of the community;
• to serve the Victorian, Australian and international communities and the public interest by:

(i) enriching cultural and community life;

(ii) elevating public awareness of educational, scientific and artistic developments;

(iii) promoting critical and free enquiry, informed intellectual discourse and public debate within the University and in the wider society;

• to use its expertise and resources to involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia in its teaching, learning, research and advancement of knowledge activities and thereby contribute to:

(i) realising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aspirations; and

(ii)  the safeguarding of the ancient and rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage;

• to provide programs and services in a way that reflects principles of equity and social justice;
  to confer degrees and other awards;

(i) to utilise or exploit its expertise or resources, whether commercially or otherwise.

The governing authority of the university is the Council. Its subordinate standing committees, other boards and committees, the vice-chancellor and senior officers of the university, advise the Council.

The university provides post-secondary education and study facilities primarily to the Victorian community on campuses at Clayton, Caulfield, Frankston and Parkville. It also has campuses in China, India, Indonesia, Italy and Malaysia. In addition, the university has over 100 bilateral institutional links which enable academic and research collaboration and student exchange programs. The university provides distributed learning to students in approximately 40 countries.

Faculties of the university are Arts; Art Design and Architecture; Business and Economics; Information Technology; Education; Engineering; Law; Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences; Science; and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Each provides undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and diplomas.

In addition to these faculties there are centres that express the research interests of staff members and provide specialised nuclei for postgraduate and some undergraduate study. Many of these act as a focus for interdisciplinary research. The work of the university is expanded and supported by affiliated institutions, which cooperate in various ways with teaching and research programs at Monash.