The University of Sydney Senate oversees all major decisions concerning the conduct of the University. ItÌýis responsible forÌýstaff appointments and welfare, student welfare and discipline, financialÌýmattersÌýand the physical and academic development of the University. It also awards all degrees and diplomas and is responsible to the Parliament of NSW.
This update provides an overview for the University community and other stakeholders of Senate’s meeting on 20 March 2026. It is not intended to cover every decision made at the meeting, nor to be the formal record of Senate’s decisions and discussions.
SenateÌýinvited the heads of theÌýstudent representative groups toÌýdiscussÌýtheirÌýcurrent priorities andÌýshare their views onÌýthe University’s work to deliver a transformational student experience. The heads of theÌýStudents’ Representative Council (SRC), theÌýSydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA), theÌýUniversity of Sydney Union (USU)ÌýandÌýSydney Uni Sport & Fitness (SUSF)Ìýhighlighted a number ofÌýareas,ÌýincludingÌýcost of livingÌýchallenges (and what that means for the University’s provision of food and accommodation),Ìýas well as ideas around how to encourageÌýstudents to spend more time on campusÌýto increaseÌýtheirÌýsense of belonging.
Senate discussedÌýa whole-of-University response to mitigate risks and challenges associated with larger-than-expected enrolmentsÌýfor Semester 1,ÌýwhichÌýfocused onÌýsupport for students and staff, ensuring safe and sustainable teaching conditions, and maintaining a transformational, high-quality learning environment.ÌýDespite a higher intake compared to Semester 1 2025, we have had a smoother start to semesterÌýthis year, with lower instancesÌýof complex student and technical issues.ÌýGrowth isÌýlargely owedÌýto the domestic undergraduate cohort; pleasingly, we will have our largest-ever intakes ofÌýMySydneyÌýand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars.ÌýSenate FellowsÌýdiscussed future trajectories for enrolments,Ìýand the potential priorities ofÌýtheÌýAustralian Tertiary Education CommissionÌýas itÌýscales up to be fully operational.
Senate discussed progress to develop a strategy to diversify our international student cohort, which recognises that the University’s international student cohort is vital to our academic quality, financialÌýsustainabilityÌýand global reputation.ÌýWhile Semester 1 has seen the University enrol its most diverse cohort ever, long‑term reliance on a small number of source countries continues to expose the organisation to geopolitical, financial and policy risksÌý– a challenge faced byÌýthe higher education sectorÌýmore broadly.
The Vice-Chancellor briefedÌýSenateÌýonÌýdevelopmentsÌýunder the University’s Civic Campus program, including ongoingÌýwork toÌýaccelerate consolidation and improvement of our complaints managementÌýprocesses.ÌýThe Vice-Chancellor also briefed Senate onÌýcontinued actionÌýrelating to antisemitism,ÌýracismÌýandÌýsocialÌýcohesion, including theÌýUniversity’s responseÌýto theÌýrecent finalÌýreport of theÌýRacism@UniÌýstudy.
Senate received a briefing on work to define a clear institutional approach to AI that aligns to the University’sÌýSydney in 2032Ìýstrategy andÌýitsÌýfuture ambitions. Following early leadership in AI innovations (such asÌýtheÌýCognitiÌýAIÌýassistant for educatorsÌýandÌýupdating our approach toÌýassessment), the University is evolving its AI strategic priorities to accelerate scale and impactÌýamidÌýthe fast pace of change.ÌýSenate FellowsÌýdiscussedÌýimplications for increased use of AI across theÌýUniversity’sÌýeducation,ÌýresearchÌýand operationsÌý– underscoring theÌýimportance of effective and ethical use of technologiesÌýacross those domains, as well as equipping ourÌýgraduatesÌýtoÌýsuccessfullyÌýwork withÌýtechnological developmentsÌýin their future careers.ÌýFellowsÌýalsoÌýoffered feedbackÌýto clarify and strengthenÌýa series of guiding principles that balance ambition with integrity, privacy,ÌýfairnessÌýand accountability.ÌýÌýSome representatives from student associations also attended this item andÌýprovidedÌýhelpful insights into student perspectives on the ethical and practical decisions made by students in their personal choices regarding the extent to which they use AI.Ìý
SenateÌýalsoÌýreceived an update onÌýefforts to improveÌýthe University’sÌýdigital capability underÌýthe Digital Sydney program,Ìýone of theÌýmajorÌýinstitutionalÌýstrategic prioritiesÌýfor 2026–28,Ìýwhich aims toÌýsimplify everyday tasks, enhanceÌýour teaching, learning and research, and createÌýa more connected experience forÌýourÌýstudents, staff, alumni and partners.ÌýSenate FellowsÌýsought assurance onÌýstudent engagement, as the program moves from planning into delivery. They alsoÌýunderscored the importance of capturingÌýand communicating howÌýtheÌýrollout of Digital Sydney initiativesÌýwas making it easier to learn, teach, research and work atÌýSydney. ThisÌýincludesÌýcontinuing toÌýfocusÌýonÌýthe effectiveness of new initiatives once launched.
SenateÌýalsoÌýapprovedÌýa roadmap toÌýcontinue to strengthenÌýthe University’sÌýcyber resilienceÌýagainst two complementary frameworks: the Australian Cyber Security Centre's (ACSC) Essential Eight mitigation strategies and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cyber Security Framework (CSF) version 2.0. The roadmap will dovetail withÌýwork underÌýDigital SydneyÌýwhereÌýappropriate.
SenateÌýreceived an update onÌýthe Service Excellence program,Ìýanother institutional 2026–28 strategic priorityÌýthatÌýaims to deliver excellent professional services that make it easy to study, teach, research and workÌýat the University.ÌýThe program builds fromÌýfoundationsÌýestablishedÌýthrough theÌýProfessional Services Review, which hasÌýconcluded its consultation phase and will report back to the University community in April 2026, synthesising feedback and key insights from the discussion paper process.ÌýThere are five key priority areas for 2026 that will be referenced in futureÌýinternalÌýcommunications.ÌýSenate endorsed the program’s proposed prioritiesÌýfor 2026, governance arrangements and roadmap.Ìý
Senate approved the University’s 2025 Annual Report, which includes the University’s 2025 annual financial statements and, for the first time,Ìýa mandatory climate-related financial disclosure. TheÌýreport will beÌýsubmittedÌýto the NSW GovernmentÌýby the end of April andÌýthen published on the University websiteÌýonce tabled in the NSW Parliament.
The annual report includesÌýa reportÌýofÌýthe University’s 2025 performance against the institutional key performance indicators (KPI) that inform progress towards realising our aspirations in theÌýSydney in 2032Ìýstrategy.ÌýPerformance against three of our institutional KPIs improved in 2025 when compared to 2024: quality of the overall educational experience, staffÌýengagementÌýand the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as a share of our domestic undergraduate cohort.Ìý
Senate received a presentation from Sydney Law SchoolÌýleadershipÌýaboutÌýthe school’sÌýstrategic priorities forÌý2026–28.ÌýThe Head of School and Dean, Professor Fleur Johns,Ìýunderscored the school’sÌýreadiness andÌýcapabilityÌýtoÌýcontributeÌýto multidisciplinary research at the University, given that law and policy issues and regulatory design questions lie at the heart of most major societal challenges today.ÌýSenate Fellows noted the importanceÌýand impactÌýof this work, as well as the valueÌýand adaptabilityÌýofÌýa legal educationÌýnot only to legal practitioners but also to graduates who choose other career pathways.Ìý
FellowsÌýnotedÌýthe signals of positive cultural changeÌýunderway in the Law School,ÌýreflectedÌýin increased staff engagementÌýand a growing sense of student belonging. TheyÌýdiscussed elementsÌýof theÌýschool’sÌýstrategic prioritiesÌýfor 2026–28Ìýahead of their imminentÌýpublication, andÌýwelcomed the alignment of the Law School’s key performance indicators (KPI) to the University’s KPI frameworkÌýas a means toÌýfocus efforts to improve teaching and research.ÌýÌý
This part of the Senate meeting was part of anÌýongoingÌýseries of presentations that will enable Senate to discuss the strategic vision and key features of each faculty and University school and their contributions to the realisation of theÌýSydney in 2032Ìýstrategy, including through the Collective Excellence strategy.
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The Chief Governance Officer provided Senate with an overview ofÌýstepsÌýtakenÌýto respond to theÌýrecommendations in the final report of the government-appointed Expert Council on University Governance, with aÌýworkplan for future workÌýtoÌýbe provided toÌýSenate’s NominationsÌýand GovernanceÌýCommitteeÌýin April. They also updatedÌýSenateÌýonÌýprogressÌýin response toÌýexternal review of Senate committee operations in 2025, with allÌýrecommendations from this review either delivered or on track.Ìý
The Chair of the Academic Board briefed Senate on work underway to improve delegations, risk reporting, papersÌýsubmittedÌýto Academic Board, and the terms of reference of its supporting committees. A newÌýAcademic Governance Enhancement Working GroupÌýis driving this work, which implements the recommendations ofÌýa furtherÌýexternalÌýreviewÌýof corporate and academic governanceÌýthe University commissioned in 2025.ÌýRecognising the importance ofÌýa strong relationship between the Academic Board and Senate, it was agreed the new working group wouldÌýliaise closely with Senate’sÌýNominations and Governance Committee.
Senate discussed the regularÌýconsolidatedÌýview it receivesÌýof the University’s operational performance across cyber security, health, safety and wellbeing, central operations, risk,ÌýfinanceÌýand human resources, whichÌýsupportsÌýtransparent governance oversight of operational performance and emerging risks across the University.
The March 2026 operational reports highlightedÌýareas of stable performance alongside key operational pressures and risks requiring ongoing oversight, including cyber security vigilance, health and safety impacts associated with infrastructure remediation, seasonal demand pressures in shared services, and several enterprise level risks thatÌýremainÌýoutside tolerance.
Senate approved an updated Risk Appetite Statement, whichÌýsets clear guardrails for decision-making by defining the level of risk the University is willing to accept in delivering the strategy and day-to-day operations.
Senate approved the University’s 2025 modern slavery statement, an annual mandatory requirement under federal legislation to outlineÌýthe actions taken toÌýidentifyÌýand address modern slavery risks in its operations and supply chains.ÌýThe statement will be published on the University’s websiteÌýin due course.
In addition to the above, Senate received and discussedÌýa number ofÌýreports from Senate committees, and theÌýChancellor briefed Senate on his recent engagements, or engagements by other Fellows of Senate deputising on his behalf.
Present:ÌýDavid Thodey AO FTSE FAICD (Chancellor), Emeritus Professor Alan PettigrewÌý(Deputy Chancellor), Professor Mark Scott AOÌý(Vice-Chancellor and President), Shirley Chowdhary,ÌýEdwina Grose, Professor Jane Hanrahan,ÌýWeihong Liang, Lisa McIntyre,ÌýKaren Moses OAM, Professor Joel Negin,ÌýProfessor Ben Saul, Jason Yat-sen Li
Apologies:ÌýTom Calma AOÌý(leave of absence),ÌýSusan Lloyd Hurwitz
Absent:ÌýEthan Floyd
For questionsÌýregardingÌýthis update, emailÌýchancellor@sydney.edu.au.Ìý
Senate’s next meeting will be onÌý8 MayÌý2026.