Mathematical Sciences Institute
Administrative Structure and Guidelines

The Mathematical Sciences Institute of the Australian National University was renamed from the School of Mathematical Sciences in 2002. Its structure is described by paper 620A/1993 of the University, which describes the (then) School:

1. Purpose of the School

The School of Mathematical Sciences is a school established under Section 7(2) of The Australian National University Act 1991 that includes bodies, or members of staff, from the Institute of Advanced Studies and The Faculties.

The purpose of the School is to conduct and promote research, teaching and consulting in the mathematical sciences (including mathematics, statistics, mathematical and statistical computation, mathematical physics) and to provide a structure for collaboration in these fields between the Institute of Advanced Studies and The Faculties.

The School undertakes undergraduate and honours teaching within the Faculty of Science and/or other relevant and offers graduate education in the mathematical sciences within the Graduate School.

2. Structure

The School comprises two divisions:

1. the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications, and
2. the Department of Mathematics.

Both divisions have responsibility for research and postgraduate education. The Centre for Mathematics and its Applications has the primary function of a research institute in the mathematical sciences, fulfilling both national and international roles in this capacity. The Department of Mathematics has responsibility for undergraduate and honours teaching in mathematics in The Faculties.

3. Administration

The administration of the School will be carried out by a Dean of the School, and Associate Dean, a Head of the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications and a Head of the Department of Mathematics. While the Dean or Associate Dean may serve concurrently as a division head, this should not be normal practice.

4. Membership

Academic staff on Faculties conditions of employment will be assigned to the Department of Mathematics or the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications or jointly to both divisions. Academic staff on Institute of Advanced Studies conditions of employment will be assigned to the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications. The formal supervisor of all staff assigned to a particular division is the head of that division.

Those members of the School on Institute conditions constitute the Institute Component of the School; those on Faculties conditions constitute the Faculties Component of the School. Member of the Institute Component have all the rights and responsibilities of academic members of the Institute and are subject to the relevant policies of the Institute of Advanced Studies. Members of The Faculties Component have all the rights and responsibilities of academic members of The Faculties and are subject to the relevant policies of The Faculties.

5. Dean

The Dean of the School will be appointed by the Council on the advice of the Vice-Chancellor normally for a term of 3-5 years. Usually, the Dean will be chosen from among the senior tenured members of the School.

The Dean of the School will be responsible to the Vice-Chancellor, through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, for the management and control of the School subject to the formal delegations provided by Council and to the following provisions.

Specifically, the Dean:

• will be a member of the Board of the Institute of Advanced Studies and of the Board of The Faculties;
• will be the prescribed authority for all students in the School enrolled in the Graduate Program in Mathematical Sciences;
• will report through the Dean, Faculty of Science and/or Resources Committee on the expenditure of funds allocated from The Faculties' budget;
• will report through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor/DIAS on the expenditure of Institute funds;
• will report to the Dean, Faculty of Science for matters pertaining to undergraduate and honours teaching;
• will consult with the Dean of the Graduate School on matters pertaining to graduate education.

6. Heads of Division and Associate Dean

The Heads of the Department of Mathematics and the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications will be appointed by Council on the advice of the Vice-Chancellor normally for terms of 3 years.

The Associate Dean of the School will be appointed by the Vice-Chancellor, following advice from the Dean of the School who will have consulted within the School, normally for a term of 3 years.

The Associate Dean shall, subject to the directions of the Dean, assist the Dean in the exercise of the Dean's powers and functions.

7. Funding

The School will operate, consistent with its purposes and the objectives and responsibilities of the Institute of Advanced Studies and The Faculties, on a one-line annual budget. This budget will have quanta drawn from funds allocated to the Institute and to The Faculties.

These quanta will be determined in accordance with the relevant procedures operating in the Institute and The Faculties. In particular, funds in respect of the activities of the Department of Mathematics will be allocated from those allocated by Resources Committee to the Faculty of Science and will be determined in accord with funding mechanisms and procedures operating in that Faculty.

Allocations within the School, including allocations to the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications, the Department of Mathematics and to individual research programs, will be made by the Dean of the School with the advice of a Planning Committee.

8. Relationship with The Faculties

The Faculty of Science will be the Faculty responsible for the undergraduate and honours teaching-related and student-related functions of the Department of Mathematics. In particular, the Faculty of Science will exercise the powers of a Faculty in relation to the introduction, alteration and cessation of undergraduate and honours courses of study or subjects in Mathematics, the syllabuses of such courses or subjects, the conduct of examinations in such courses or subjects, and in such other student-related matters as may be specified in The Faculties (The Faculties) Statute, the Courses and Degrees Statute, the rules made under these Statutes, and, in any other relevant legislation.

The Department of Mathematics will be a constituent department in the Faculty of Science, assigned to that Faculty. Its Head will be a member of the Board of The Faculties and represent the School at meetings of Heads of Department, Faculty of Science. Members of the academic staff of the Department of Mathematics will have the same rights and responsibilities as other academic staff in the Faculty of Science.

The Dean, Faculty of Science will normally nominate the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences as chair of electoral committees for appointments to The Faculties Component of the School.

9. Relationship with the Institute of Advanced Studies

The School through its Institute Component will be recognised as a constituent part of the Institute of Advanced Studies with appropriate representation on the Board of the Institute of Advanced Studies.

10. Planning Committee

The Dean will be assisted in the management of the School by a Planning Committee to advise on matters concerning budgets, planning and policy. and policy. This committee will consist of the Heads of the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications and the Department of Mathematics, the Associate Dean and at least one other senior member of the School, appointed by the Dean, to guarantee effective representation of both the areas of mathematics and statistics and both The Faculties and Institute Components of the School.

11. Research Programs

The research activities of the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications will be managed through interactive research programs to which members of the School will be affiliated. Members of the School may participate in more than one program and some programs may have identifiable subprograms.

These programs are also intended to facilitate budgetary and resource allocation in the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications. These groupings should be responsive to developments in the mathematical sciences both within and without the School.

Each program will have a Coordinator appointed annually by the Dean of the School in consultation with the program members. The Dean will notify Council annually and as the occasion arises of the current research programs and their coordinators. The Coordinator will be responsible for the promotion of program activities and for liaison between the program and the administration of the School. The initial programs are:

• Algebra
• Abstract Analysis & Geometry
• Nonlinear and Applied Analysis

in Mathematics;

• Stochastic Analysis
• Statistical Science

in Statistics; and,

• Advanced Computation & Modelling
• Mathematical Physics

in Applied Mathematics.

12. School Board

There will be a School Board of the School of Mathematical Sciences. Membership of the School Board will be:

1. Dean of the School (Chair);
2. Associate Dean of the School;
3. Head of the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications;
4. Head of the Department of Mathematics;
5. Two members elected annually from among the Program Coordinators;
6. One member of the tenured or tenurable academic staff of the Institute Component of the School elected by those staff;
7. One member of the tenured or tenurable academic staff of the Faculties Component of the School elected by those staff;
8. One member of the non-tenured academic staff of the School elected by those staff;
9. Such other persons as the Vice-Chancellor appoints on recommendation by the Dean on advice of the School Board.

The functions of the School Board will be:

1. To advise the Dean of the School on any academic matter relating to the work of the School;
2. To advise the Vice-Chancellor on the appointment of the Dean of the School;
3. To consider and report on any matter referred to it by the Dean of the School, the School Committee, the Deputy Vice-Chancellors or the Vice-Chancellor;
4. To make rules governing the conduct of meetings of the Board and the method of electing members under categories 5 to 8.

The term of office of members of the School Board of members elected under categories 6, 7 and 8 shall be two years. Retiring members shall be eligible for reappointment.

The School Board shall meet at least four times in each calendar year.

At a meeting of the School Board, a quorum is constituted by a majority of the persons for the time being holding office as members of the School Board.

The Registrar is the Secretary of the School Board.

13. School Committee

There will be a School Committee. Membership of the School Committee will be:

1. All academic staff members of the School;
2. Visiting Fellows on appointment of six months or more;
3. One representative of the postgraduate students in the School;
4. One representative of the undergraduate and honours students enrolled in the Department of Mathematics;
5. The Convenors of the Graduate Programs in Mathematical Sciences and Statistics;
6. One representative of the Department of Statistics of the Faculty of Economics and Commerce;
7. Such members of Staff of the University who are not members of the School as the School committee appoints;
8. Such persons, not being members of the staff of the University, as the School Committee appoints on the recommendation of the School Board.

The functions of the School Committee will be:

1. To advise the Dean on any academic matter, except the appointment of particular persons to offices in the University or the promotion or advancement of particular persons in the University;
2. To consider and report to the School Board on any matter referred to it by the School Board.

The School Committee will meet at least four times a year, normally contiguous to meetings of the School Board.

At a meeting of the School Committee, a quorum is constituted by not less than one-third of the persons for the time being holding office as members of the School Committee.

The Associate Dean will chair the School Committee.

The Registrar is the Secretary of the School Committee.

14. Research Affiliates

Persons from outside the School who participate regularly in research activities of the School may be appointed by the Dean of the School as Research Affiliates of the School on recommendation of the School Board. Such persons will be eligible for appointment to the School Committee under membership categories, 7 or 8.

10 March 1993