Last year Uni Adelaide management signalled an academic restructure for 2022, following the faculty merger that took professional staff jobs last year. It’s still on – which will give the new academic board connection with council plenty to discuss (CMM September 30).

While “no assessment on the impact on roles and structures” has happened yet, work “will continue to occur over the coming months in concert with the academic community,” the university tells CMM.

The assessment might interest professors thinking of running for chair of Academic Board, to be an elected and important position under a plan adopted by university council next week.

“My hope is that Academic Board will come to be seen as the principal means by which the voices of the university’s academic staff reach the council,” Chancellor Catherine Branson told the university community.

Which may make for interesting conversations if academic staff kick-up over changes to courses and staffing.

Ditto at VC Executive – where the chair of academic board will be an observer.

Explanations about the chair not making policy may not impress staff appalled if courses are lost or upset if jobs go and who will expect their chair to speak up for them.