University Management
The University Council
The Council is constituted to ensure the proper stewardship and strategic direction of the University, and is directly accountable for the stakeholders of CSU for creating and delivering value and improved performance through effective governance.
The Council currently has 15 members who are appointed or elected. Appointed members must have the skills, qualifications and experience necessary for the good governance and stewardship of CSU. Elected members are appointed from amongst the staff and student body.
The membership comprises of: the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and the Presiding Officer of the Academic Senate as official members; two members appointed by the NSW Minister for Education; three members nominated by the Council; four graduate members; two elected staff members (one academic and one professional/general) and one elected student member (postgraduate or undergraduate).
The Council meets at least five times a year and conducts a planning workshop every two years to focus on strategic performance and to review CSU’s governance processes.
Council Committees
The Council has established the following principal Committees to assist it in exercising its responsibilities, including monitoring the performance of CSU against the objectives and performance indicators set out in the University Strategy and other institutional planning documents. Each Committee has terms of reference set out in a Rule approved under the Charles Sturt University Act 1989 and has the authority to require any information or report from any CSU officer or employee.
Chancellor’s Committee – comprising of the Chancellor, Deputy Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and the Presiding Officer of the Academic Senate. The Chancellor’s Committee acts for and on behalf of the Council on urgent matters arising between meetings of the Council and also approves recommendations for conferring awards on the University's graduands and honorary awards.
Audit and Risk Committee – is responsible for overseeing risk assessment within CSU, receiving reports against the Internal Audit Plan and liaising with the external auditor about the annual statutory audit. Its membership consists of five members of Council (a majority being external members), and may include up to two independent external persons.
Finance and Infrastructure Committee – is responsible for reviewing the University’s performance against the Annual Budget, Capital Management Infrastructure Plan and Initiatives and Information Architecture Infrastructure Plan. Its membership consists of five members of Council (a majority being external members), and may include up to two independent external persons.
Investment Committee – acts as CSU’s principal investment decision-making body by approving investment policies and monitoring the performance of the external Investment Funds Managers. Its membership consists of five members of Council (a majority being external members), and may include up to two independent external persons.
Succession Planning Committee – is responsible for the nominations processes of the Council, executive remuneration, and the performance review of the Vice-Chancellor. Its membership comprises of the Chancellor, Deputy Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, the Presiding Officer of the Academic Senate and three other members of Council (including at least two external members).
Vice-Chancellor and President
The Vice-Chancellor and President is the chief executive officer of CSU and is accountable to the Council for the good government of the University. The Vice-Chancellor is supported in the day-to-day management of CSU by a Senior Executive Committee. The members are: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Executive Director, Finance and Executive Director, Human Resources.
Heads of Campus
Each of the main campuses has a Head of Campus who has University-wide accountabilities as well as being responsible for representing and promoting CSU within a campus region.
Regional Consultative Committees
Each main campus has a Regional Consultative Committee to provide advice to the Vice-Chancellor, through the Head of Campus, on: (a) initiatives to assist CSU to achieve its strategic goals particularly relating to regional engagement, (b) relationships with local communities, and (c) any specific matter referred to them by the Council, the Vice-Chancellor and/or the Head of Campus.
Regional Consultative Committees comprise the Head of Campus for that region and members of the community.
Administrative Support Divisions
The administrative support services are provided by CSU’s Divisions, Departments, Offices and Centres. Each of these organisational units is headed by a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, an Executive Director or a Director who has University-wide responsibilities.
These include: the Office of the Vice-Chancellor; Office of Corporate Affairs; Office of Academic Governance; Office of the Dean of Students; Office of Planning and Audit; Division of Human Resources; Division of Finance; Division of Facilities Management; Division of Information Technology; Division of Marketing and Communication; Division of Library Services; Division of Student Learning; Division of International Education and Partnerships; Division of Student Administration; and the Research Office.