Community Service Policy

Please note that this policy has not yet been revised or converted to the new format.

1.  Definition

1.1  Community service encompasses the wide range of cultural, economic, environmental, scientific, social and other activities and programs that involve interaction with individuals, groups and organisations external to Monash and contribute to the progress and development of those groups.

1.2  Monash allows and acknowledges that community service occurs at several levels of the organisation, through:

• Monash as a whole,

• various units and groups within the University, and

• individual members of both the staff (academic and general) and student bodies.

2.  Policy

2.1  Monash University recognises community service as a key area of activity. It is committed to encouraging diverse community service activities throughout the organisation and ensuring that appropriate recognition of these are made. For example, community service undertaken by individual members of staff will normally be considered through the performance management scheme.

2.2  The University recognises its core activities of advancing and applying knowledge (through pure and applied research and its use in a wide range of creative and professional contexts) and educating scholars and professionals as essential parts of its service to the broader community. Monash is also able to share a high level of expertise with the community, such as through continuing education programs, and to make available a wide range of physical facilities, equipment and learning resources to the community.

2.3  Each campus, whether in Australia or elsewhere, contributes "to the well-being and development of the country and region in which it is located" in a way that is consistent with the goals and objectives of Monash and that meets the reasonable expectations of the communities concerned.

2.4  Monash will be of service to the community by:

• Promoting educational, academic and cultural values in the general community and fostering awareness of the University as an academic, educational and general resource.

• Providing a rich cultural environment for staff and students, which is consciously spread into the local communities around the campuses.

• Accepting the role as an intellectual leader within a national and international context and stimulating and contributing to debate on cultural, economic, environmental, scientific and social issues.

• Responding to reasonable community needs and expectations consistent with the University’s goals and objectives.

• Establishing and supporting avenues for community service by staff and students of Monash.

• Providing opportunities and procedures for input from business, industry, professional groups and the community generally into the ongoing development of the teaching, research and other aspects of the University’s mission.

• Seeking cooperative and joint endeavours with schools and other providers of education and training, business and industry, arts, sporting and cultural organisations and other suitable organisations in the broader community.

3.  Guiding Principles

3.1  The following guiding principles apply to all of Monash’s community service activities:

• Activity will be consistent with Monash’s goals and objectives, as set out in Leading The Way: Monash 2020 and other policy and plans.

• Activity will be consistent with the education, research and development functions of the University.

• Community service needs will be assessed and met within the broad scope of Monash’s core functions and resources.

• Community service activities that draw upon an individual’s professional expertise will normally be appropriately recognised, supported and encouraged by Monash.

• The quality of Monash’s community service activities will be ensured and will be coherent and consistent.

• Monash aspires to help shape the world in which it operates, not just respond to it. Wherever possible, community service should be undertaken in a proactive manner.

4.  Rationale

4.1.  "As a major international, not-for-profit university, Monash has a responsibility to contribute to the public good … (by) making a substantial and sustainable commitment" to the countries and regions in which it operates. Monash provides one of its greatest services to the broader community through the application of the knowledge and skills of its students, graduates and staff.

5.  Management

5.1  While some planning will be undertaken at the University-wide and campus levels to ensure that a coherent and consistent approach to community service is adopted, the wide range of activities undertaken throughout Monash will continue to be encouraged. In accordance with the nature and enormous diversity of community service, management in this area must not be intrusive but must be overarching.

5.2  Teaching, learning, researching and consultancy activities fall under relevant structures and management arrangements of the university.

5.3  Responsibility for planning and implementation of community service activities lies with the heads of relevant organisational units.

5.4  Professional and community service constitutes one of the four areas of activity in which academic staff are expected to participate. The nature of these activities is negotiated as part of the Engagement Profile between individual staff and their supervisor. Community service activities are among the criteria for promotion of academic staff and are taken into account in staff performance evaluation. Any supervision required in the community service area is to be handled through Deans, or the individual’s formal supervisors.

6.  Quality

6.1  Monash is committed to the highest quality in all of its activities, including the wide range of professional and community activities.

6.2  All organisational units are charged with the responsibility of ensuring the quality of community service activities within their area of responsibility and developing appropriate processes for monitoring, maintaining and developing these. The Guidelines for Academic Review and Guidelines for Support Services Review identify professional and community activities as a key area for review.

6.3  Community service commitments of individual staff are determined by the performance requirements associated with the individual’s conditions of employment, and with professional and ethical standards appropriate for the academic or professional area and/or for the area of community service.