• Section 1 - Overview
• Establishment of Committee
• Objectives
• Section 2 - Committee membership
• Membership
• In attendance
• Gender representative objectives
• Section 3 - Terms of reference
• Functions
• Reporting
• Section 4 - Delegations
• Delegation from Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer
• Section 5 - Conduct of Committee business
• Meetings
• Business papers
• Quorum
• Use of technology
• Resolutions
• Minutes
• Disclosure of information
• Self-Review
• Secretary to Committee

Section 1 - Overview

Establishment of Committee

(1) The Information Technology Governance Committee (ITGC) is established as a Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer's Committee, and the Committee is delegated a number of functions in relation to information technology governance matters at the University.

(2) The establishment of this Committee and the delegation of powers to it are actions authorised by the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer.

Objectives

(3) The Information Technology Governance Committee (ITGC) will have University wide responsibility for monitoring and advising on the following:

1. The development and championing of principles that will guide and govern decisions around ICT in the University;
2. The development, oversight, periodic monitoring and adjustment of the Information and Communications Technology Strategic Plan;
3. All strategic Information and Communications Technology decisions with respect to both ICT architecture and current and future investment;
4. The performance of Information and Communications Technology services and investments against agreed timelines, scope, benefits and budgets and guide adjustments to plans as required;
5. Ensuring Information and Communications Technology management policies, procedures and rules are established, actively promoted and implemented;
6. Be the focal point for the recording, evaluation and final recommendation to the Senior Executive of the University in relation to Information and Communications Technology current and future new investments;
7. Provide Information and Communications Technology input into the University's planning and budgeting process; and
8. Communication and engagement with the University community in relation to Information and Communications Technology issues.

Section 2 - Committee membership

Membership

(4) The members of the Committee are as follows:

1. Chief Operating Officer;
2. Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor;
3. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research;
4. Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Innovation);
5. HHead of School (to be nominated by the Vice-Chancellor);
6. Chief Financial Officer; and
7. Director Audit and Risk (or nominee).

In attendance

Official attendees

(5) Director, Information Technology Department

(6) Any other person invited by the Chair

Chair

(7) The Chief Operating Officer will act as Chair.

(8) If the Chief Operating Officer is unavailable to act as Chair then Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor will act as Chair. If the Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor is unavailable to act as Chair, then the Committee will elect a Chair from outside of IT staff to act during the period the Chief Operating Officer and Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor are unavailable.

Gender representative objectives

(9) The University is committed to gender equality and, so far as is practicable, it is an objective that the Committee membership should comprise a balance of genders.

Section 3 - Terms of reference

Functions

(10) To monitor and provide guidance to the Chief Operating Officer in relation to the following set of objectives / activities:

1. To ensure that the UNE Information Technology Infrastructure, Systems, Applications and staffing are engaged in delivering quality outputs to support, meet and satisfy the business requirements of the University.
2. To engage with the Senior Leadership of UNE to ensure that:
   1. The IT Department is focussed on supporting the UNE Strategic Plan.
   2. UNE Senior leadership is involved in active decision making.
   3. UNE Senior Leadership is informed and engaged in the active dissemination and enforcement of agreed decisions / projects / policies / rules and subsequent actions.
   4. Other stakeholder groups are engaged in a consultative manner (as appropriate) to enable proper forward planning to take into account their wide range of requirements.
3. To ensure IT adopt and maintain an ongoing customer centric approach to support the business of UNE.
4. To ensure that operating costs are minimised, consistent with maintaining a quality IT environment required by UNE to deliver its competitive products.
5. To ensure that the number of systems, applications and infrastructure are minimised to ensure efficient and safe operations.
6. To ensure that standard, rather than bespoke Infrastructure, Systems, Applications etc are preferred to reduce current and ongoing costs.
7. To take necessary steps to ensure the appropriate level of privacy for all UNE users and their data.
8. To take necessary steps to ensure the security of, and appropriate internal and external access to UNE data.
9. To approve the methodology relating to IT disaster recovery as a part of UNE Business Continuity Planning.
10. To establish measures around current practice and to work towards bringing in external hosted or UNE based IP of whatever type in agreement with the direction given by the committee.
11. To actively control and minimise where possible, all UNE IT related staffing numbers consistent with delivering an acceptable and competitive service within industry sector norms.
12. To actively engage in the monitoring and control of IT overhead expenditure and to:
    1. act as the Governance body to approve such increases
    2. periodically examine such expenditure to confirm its continued relevance.
13. To have oversight of, and agree to all IT standards, policies and rules.
14. To have oversight for the training of all IT staff in the appropriate and efficient use of IT systems.
15. To ensure systems are in place to record new initiatives, evaluate these against the strategic plan and other criteria and present summary priorities proposals to the committee for support during the budget cycle/s.
16. To recommend (or not) any major expenditure related to IT.
17. To have responsibility for the appropriate scalable use of project management and its practices consistent with ensuring a satisfactory outcome for IT internal and university wide projects or initiatives.
18. To receive reports, to understand current risk mitigation plans and to recommend further action as appropriate.
19. To receive reports outlining UNE's level of compliance with all legislative, regulatory and university policies and to understand the level of associated compliance risk.
20. To delegate appropriate authority to, and receive written reports from the following sub-groups and to offer guidance as required to their work:
    1. IT Project Delivery and New Investments Board — Chaired by the Chief Operating Officer.
    2. IT Architecture and Technical Design Board — Chaired by the Director Information Technology.
    3. Change Control Board incorporating university wide release management — Chaired by the Director Information Technology.
21. To regularly receive feedback via internal / external surveys and IT User Groups on the performance of ITD in supporting all aspects of the Universities business and its various stakeholder groups.

Reporting

(11) The Chair of the Committee will report to the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer on the business conducted by the Committee. Reports will normally be to Senior Executive meetings and will include minutes of each meeting.

Section 4 - Delegations

Delegation from Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer

(12) This committee has delegated authority from the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer to perform on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer the approval, advice and monitoring functions set out in these terms of reference and all matters ancillary to those functions. The Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer retains the discretion to withdraw, modify or override this delegation at any time.

Section 5 - Conduct of Committee business

Meetings

(13) The Committee will meet on a bi-monthly basis and is expected to use technology and "flying minutes" to attend to urgent matters. Committee members are expected to be available on short notice, however should be given as much notice as is practicable in the circumstances of matters arising.

Business papers

(14) The Committee will develop and publish a yearly work plan that requests timely papers / presentations to support its deliberation during the year.

(15) Unless the Chair directs otherwise, Committee business papers, or "flying minutes" and explanatory documents accompanying them, will be distributed to Committee members as required and with as much notice as is practicable in the circumstances. Disclosure of business papers, minutes and other information received by the Committee should be made via the Chair or Secretary to the Committee.

Quorum

(16) A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the members of the Committee at the time the meeting is held.

Use of technology

(17) For its business papers, meetings and otherwise to conduct its business the Committee and its members may use technology including telephone, video-conferencing, telepresence, email and internet as arranged by the Chair and/or Committee Secretary.

Resolutions

(18) The Committee may pass a resolution by "flying minute" provided that the resolution has been approved by a simple majority of the Committee members at the time the resolution is made.

Minutes

(19) Meeting notes will be kept to a minimum and circulated promptly following the meeting, including all action items. These will not require formal endorsement by the Committee.

Disclosure of information

(20) Disclosure of business papers, minutes and other information received by the Committee should be made via the Chair or Secretary to the Committee.

Self-Review

(21) Once every twelve-month period, the Committee shall devote at least one part of one meeting to the review of its policies, practices and procedures over the preceding 12 months.

Secretary to Committee

(22) The Executive Officer to the Chief Operating Officer will act as secretary and provide administrative support to the Committee.