• Section 1 - Purpose and Scope
• Section 2 - Principles and Key Requirements
• Guiding Principles
• Organisational Structure
• Section 3 - Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities
• Senate
• Vice-Chancellor and President
• Section 4 - Monitoring, Review and Assurance
• Section 5 - Recording and Reporting

Section 1 - Purpose and Scope

(1) This Policy provides a framework for the optimal management of The University of Queensland’s (UQ or the University) formal organisational structure. An organisational structure is a system used to define a hierarchy within an organisation, defines each area and where it reports to within the organisation. 

(2) This Policy does not encompass non-supervisory academic units that are defined under the Research Centres and Research Networks Policy.

(3) The Policy applies to the management of UQ’s formal organisational structure.

Section 2 - Principles and Key Requirements

Guiding Principles

(4) UQ will adopt a consistent and planned approach to its organisational structure.

(5) The organisational structure hierarchy will be appropriate for business management, facilitating system alignment to enable efficient service provision and reporting. 

(6) The organisational structure should maximise the opportunity for innovation and provide flexibility to respond to change.

(7) UQ will ensure proposals for change to the organisational structure are transparent and in accordance with the Enterprise Agreement.

(8) UQ will establish procedures to ensure Teaching and Research supervisory units are reviewed in accordance with institutional quality assurance processes.

Organisational Structure

(9) UQ’s organisational structure is partitioned into Central Administrative supervisory units, and Teaching and Research supervisory units.

(10) Central Administrative supervisory units comprise the organisational units that are positioned under the Senior Executive portfolios of:

1. Vice-Chancellor and President;
2. Provost and Deputy President;
3. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic);
4. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation);
5. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement);
6. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement); and
7. Chief Operating Officer.

(11) The following Teaching and Research supervisory units comprise the core academic structure within UQ positioned under the Provost:

1. Faculties, which are primarily responsible for academic activity in research and teaching across a range of discipline areas;
2. Schools, which are primarily responsible for research, teaching and other services for those programs that fall within the academic disciplines covered by the School; and
3. Institutes, which are prominent, large-scale, multi-disciplinary units providing a coordinated focus for major areas of research and which, at the date of introduction of this Policy and for its purposes, are:
   1. Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology;
   2. Institute for Molecular Bioscience;
   3. Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation;
   4. Queensland Brain Institute; and
   5. Sustainable Minerals Institute.

Section 3 - Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Senate

(12) Senate is the University’s governing body and accountable for the effective and efficient governance of the University. Senate has the power to and is responsible for establishing, re-naming and disestablishing Faculties and Institutes.

Vice-Chancellor and President

(13) The Vice-Chancellor and President is responsible for the optimal management of UQ’s formal organisational structure. 

(14) Subject to clause 12, the Vice-Chancellor and President has the power to and is responsible for making changes to UQ’s organisational structure. The Vice-Chancellor and President may sub-delegate that power (except for the power to make changes to the Central Administrative supervisory units and Core Teaching and Research supervisory units set out in clauses 10-11).

(15) The Vice-Chancellor and President is responsible for informing the Senate of material changes made to the organisational structure of Faculties, Schools and Institutes within a reasonable time.

(16) The Vice-Chancellor and President may make recommendations to Senate with respect to establishing, re-naming and disestablishing Faculties and Institutes.

Section 4 - Monitoring, Review and Assurance

(17) The Governance and Risk Division will monitor UQ’s official organisational structure and provide relevant reports to Senior Management when required.

(18) UQ’s schools and institutes will be subject to regular review as part of the broader framework of UQ’s quality assurance processes.^[1] These reviews will:

1. include an evaluation of the unit’s performance since the previous review, including the results of the program of improvement implemented in response to the recommendations of that review;
2. benchmark current structures, activities and performance against appropriate comparable organisations to determine the unit’s standing, nationally and internationally, in relation to its key strategic goals;
3. involve an evaluation of the unit’s future prospects in the context of the University’s strategic goals, its resources, and internal and external opportunities.

(19) The procedures provide further details on the review frequency and process.

(20) Reviews of faculties and central admin units will be at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor, with advice from the University Senior Executive Team.

Section 5 - Recording and Reporting

(21) The official organisational structure is recorded in UQ’s Organisational Database. In addition, the Organisational Database facilitates the sharing, management and reporting of organisational data in UQ systems. For information on how to process changes in the UQ Organisational Database refer to the UQ Organisational Database website.