About DDOGS

The Council of Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies in Australia (DDOGS) is a forum of representatives of universities engaged in graduate research to discuss matters related to the provision, quality and advancement of graduate research.

The purpose of the Council is to promote excellence in training, research and scholarship and to seek to maintain high national standards for all graduate degree programs.

What does DDOGS do?

The Council acts as a convening body to bring together academic Deans and Directors with university-wide responsibilities for graduate research (hereafter deemed the members) in seminars and working groups to facilitate the exchange of ideas and dissemination of information on graduate education.

DDOGS Membership

Full membership is open to Australian universities that have formal procedures for the administration of graduate research programs.

The Council also welcomes associate membership from colleagues who are engaged in graduate resarch in associated institutions/organisations in Australia, representatives from universities in New Zealand, National Convenors of DDOGS equivalents in other countries and a representative from the Australian Research Training Administrators Group (ARTA).

No membership fee is charged. The Council exists solely for education purposes and no member shall enjoy any financial profits from its operation. All activities of the Council are to be self-funding including the appropriate reimbursement to any member for legitimate expenses incurred in the conduct of an activity.

How does DDOGS operate?

Between the full meetings of the council, the business of the Council is conducted by an Executive Group comprising representatives of full member institutions.

The convenor acts as first point of contact for the Council during their term of office. He/she works with the member from the host institution to convene two meeting of Council per year and is responsible in the interim for the business of the Council.The convenor is responsible for developing the agenda for the meetings of Council, maintaining a membership database and the DDOGS website, coordinating the activities of working groups; distributing to members any relevant information, and if necessary, responding to media enquiries and coordinating any response or advice on behalf of members on matters deemed significant for dissemination.

Membership of the Executive Group

Members of the Executive Group are nominated by and from the full member institutions (but not from Associate Member institutions). The composition of the Executive should be broadly representative of the kinds of institutions and geographical locations of Australian universities.

Membership of the Executive should comprise:

1. the convenor
2. one penultimate and one anti-penultimate convenor ex officio and
3. five additional members.

Each member of the Executive is appointed for a two year term and appointments are staggered to ensure continuity within the group. Of the five additional members, two terms will expire in line with the current and anti-penultimate convenors, and the remaining three shall be nominated/elected in the intervening year. Normally, successive convenors will not come from the same grouping of universities and a convenor will only serve one two-year term.

Appointment Processes

A new convenor takes office in January every second (even numbered) year. Nominations for convenor are called for (by the Executive Officer or current convenor) at the first meeting of the preceding year (usually held in May) with nominations closing by the end of the formal business on the first day of the meeting. Nominations must be with the agreement of those being nominated.

Should there be more than one nominee, an election will be held at that meeting. One vote can be cast by each full membership institution.

If no nominations are received, then it is up to the convenor to propose a nominee to the second meeting of the year.

After the election of the convenor in May, nominees are called for the November meeting to fill the vacancies of the three retiring Executive members and any other vacancies that may come about. A similar procedure of nominations and elections occurs in the following year for the subsequent three retiring Executive members. Again, nominations must be with the consent of the nominee and will close by the end of the first day of business.

Should there be more than the required number of nominees, an election will be held at the November meeting. Should there be fewer nominations than vacancies, it is up to the convenor to propose nominees.

The newly constituted Executive Group will take office in the following January.

The Executive Group must ensure that annual nominations fulfil the requirements of diversity of institutional type and geographical location.

In the event of a vacancy during a member’s term of office, a co-opted replacement will be nominated by the convenor at the next meeting, until that particular term of office expires.

Current Membership:

Role	Name	Term Expires at the end of:
Convenor	Helene Marsh	2011
Penultimate Convenor	Max King	2011
Anti-penultimate Convenor (Barbara Evans)	Frank Bullen	2010
Additional Members	Zlatko Skrbis	2011
	Erica Smith	2011
	To be announced	2010
	Rod Wissler	2010
	Joe Luca	2010