Senate discussed progress on work to improve the student experience, which runs across the University’s major strategic initiatives for 2026–28. Senate underscored the importance of sustained attention in this area given its strategic and competitive significance, and emphasised the importance of data‑driven action and student involvement. They discussed a current focus on how to increase students’ sense of belonging, including through improving use of student insights and lead indicators to inform strategic work. Senate will receive briefings on the student experience work at each of its meetings this year, including the integration of student belonging work with initiatives to improve teaching quality, curriculum and assessment.

Senate considered the University’s latest quarterly balanced scorecard, noting that overall operating metrics continue to track well, supported by strong student, research and reputation performance. Year‑to‑date performance for two key equity measures and institutional KPIs remains at or above full-year targets: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as a share of our domestic cohort has increased, and we have improved the proportion of students from a low socioeconomic status background as a share of our domestic undergraduate cohort.

Senate considered a consolidated report on the management of complaints received in 2025, the first whole‑of‑University view as part of ongoing work to improve the University’s complaints processes. Senate welcomed the report and suggested opportunities for refinements in future versions, and encouraged further work to increase the visibility of the University’s enhanced complaints mechanism so that it is easier to find for students, staff and other members of the University community. Work to improve our complaints handling is part of the University’s response to the Hodgkinson External Review commissioned by Senate in 2024 to ensure the campus is safe and welcoming for all.

Senate discussed the University’s compliance with the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender‑based Violence, which came into effect on 1 January 2026. University management has undertaken significant work to meet the requirements of the code, including new policies, systems and engagement with key partners such as the residential colleges. A key focus in 2026 is on embedding these changes in a sustainable and effective way, and responding to feedback on our plan, received from the Department of Education.

Senate also approved amendments to the terms of reference for its People, Culture and Safety Committee to explicitly set out the committee’s role in preventing and responding to gender-based violence, as expected by new requirements under the national code. The proposed change emphasises that committee members collectively must hold the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to discharge this duty effectively.

Senate invited the heads of the residential colleges located on or close to the University’s Camperdown–Darlington Campus to share their current priorities and discuss their collaboration with the University. The colleges, which are independent, separately governed entities, provided insights on student demand for places, and the role they play in fostering social cohesion, as well as supporting the University’s broader diversity agenda through scholarships that support students on the MySydney and Gadigal scholarship schemes.

Senate noted the increasingly close collaboration between University management and the colleges on issues relating to student safety and wellbeing. The discussion underscored the importance of ongoing partnership with the colleges as part of overall work to improve the student experience and encourage all students’ sense of belonging, which has been a sector-wide challenge as Australian university populations have grown. Ever-stronger collaboration is also critical in light of increasing regulatory scrutiny of the sector.   

The Chair of the Academic Board briefed Senate on progress of a major reform of the curriculum and coursework policy framework to improve clarity and accessibility for students and staff, and to enhance regulatory alignment. The Chair reported on a discussion designed to support a broader understanding of collegiality and constructive scholarly debate. She also briefed Senate on continuing work by the Academic Board to strengthen academic governance and assurance, including through increasing the effectiveness of how the board identifies, escalates and addresses academic risk.

Senate underscored the criticality of the Academic Board to the University’s core purpose of teaching and research, not least in a period of heightened regulatory and geopolitical change, and discussed ways to increase the visibility of the assurance work done by the Academic Board and its committees to the Senate.  

Senate received an update from the leadership of University of Sydney Business School on implementation of the school’s 2023–27 strategy in alignment with the institutional Sydney in 2032 strategy. The school is finalising its transition to a new school‑based structure, designed to strengthen leadership accountability and representation, improve decision‑making and support more effective collaboration across disciplines. Key priorities aligned to the University’s Collective Excellence 2028 program include lifting the student experience – with a focus on educational quality, curriculum innovation, and digital and online delivery – and strengthening research performance through increased income and productivity. This includes a more targeted approach to research collaboration through focused hubs.

Senate discussed future enrolment patterns in the Business School’s programs (including the balance of undergraduate and postgraduate trends and changes to the composition of the international student cohort and the increase in Indigenous undergraduate students). They also discussed opportunities to articulate the distinctiveness of Sydney among the world’s leading business schools – including the strong alignment of the University’s Leadership for Good platform with the Principles for Responsible Management Education. 

This part of the Senate meeting was part of an ongoing series of presentations that will enable Senate to discuss the strategic vision and key features of each faculty and University school and their contributions to the realisation of the Sydney in 2032 strategy, including through the Collective Excellence strategy.

Senate received an update on the delivery of major strategic programs under the Sydney in 2032 strategy, such as the student experience work described above, including the role of senior management in overseeing investment decisions and performance. Senate also discussed the establishment of the Cross‑University Transformation Forum as a mechanism to strengthen collaboration, emphasising this should be a means to identify and quickly resolve roadblocks.

Senate received a briefing on the outage of the Canvas learning management system, which was a developing situation during the course of its meeting.

Separately, Senate discussed the regular consolidated view it receives of the University’s operational performance across cyber security, health, safety and wellbeing, central operations, risk, finance and human resources. These regular reports enhance governance oversight of operational performance and emerging risks across the University.

Members noted broadly stable performance across core operations, alongside a number of sustained and emerging pressures. Key areas of focus include heightened cyber security vigilance in response to targeted phishing activity and ongoing sector-wide threats, health, safety and wellbeing risks associated with workplace demands, organisational change and ageing infrastructure, seasonal demand pressures impacting shared service capacity, and a set of enterprise-level risks that remain outside tolerance with clear plans to return within tolerance.

Senate Fellows were also provided with a high-level analysis of the estimated staff costs of complying with an increasing regulatory burden.

Present: David Thodey AO (Chancellor), Professor Mark Scott AO (Vice-Chancellor and President), Shirley Chowdhary, Edwina Grose, Professor Jane Hanrahan, Weihong Liang, Susan Lloyd Hurwitz AM, Lisa McIntyre, Karen Moses OAM, Professor Joel Negin, Professor Ben Saul, Jason Yat-sen Li

Apologies: Tom Calma AO (leave of absence), Ethan Floyd, Emeritus Professor Alan Pettigrew