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Recognition of Excellence Procedures

Please note that these procedures have not yet been revised or converted to the new format .

University Medal

Nominations and Selection Process

Students become eligible for the University Medal in their final year of enrolment in their initial undergraduate degree.

Nominations for the University Medal should be made to the Dean of each Faculty. As the University Medal is determined strictly upon academic criteria, these nominations should come from the faculty manager, using the student database as a guide.

It is suggested that faculties use their Boards of Examiners to make their medal selections. The selection committee (composition of which should be determined by the Faculty) would determine the names of those students to be awarded the University Medal immediately after or during the Boards of Examiners meetings at the end of each academic year.

It is expected that decisions regarding the recipients of medals will be finalised no later than 31 January for the previous year's nominees.

An individual student may be nominated at the same time or separately for both the University and the Sir John Monash medals, and could be awarded both medals. Each medal may be earned only once in a student's career at the University, although a student may achieve one or both of the undergraduate medals and go on to be awarded the PhD medal later in their academic career.

Reporting requirements

The names should be reported to the relevant Deputy Vice Chancellor immediately after the determination is made, in order to allow for the engraving of the medals, and for the information to be forwarded to Student and Staff Services for inclusion in graduation programs and on the student's official transcript. The relevant Deputy Vice Chancellor shall also ensure that no student to be offered a medal has previously been awarded that same medal.

Eligibility

The principle that a student should only be permitted to receive ONE University Medal and/or ONE Sir John Monash Medal is implicit in this statement.

A student will be considered for the medals only by the faculty in which they are enrolled. In the case of a student enrolled in a double or combined degree, only the managing (enrolling) faculty should consider the student for an award. A list could be provided by Callista of the management of each degree.

Recipients of the University Medal must have the minimum requirement of an overall average grade of Distinction. No student who has failed a unit is eligible for this award, except under exceptional circumstances.

Students who have qualified for at least the award of Bachelor, and for no more than the second part of a combined or double degree, at the end of semester two examinations in their respective discipline(s) are eligible to receive this award. Individual faculties should decide whether they wish to make this award to students enrolled in the pass or the honours degree, and make this decision known to the Academic Board. In the case of an honours candidate in a combined degree program, the "Other" or non-managing faculty is permitted to consider the student for a medal provided they have not yet been awarded one. Students who qualify for the award of Bachelor over the summer semester are considered to have qualified in the following year for the purpose of these awards.

The awards must be comparative within the faculty, and the faculty committees may choose not to award some or all of the medals in a particular year if they feel that there are insufficient candidates of high calibre. Faculties may choose to include additional criteria to their selection process, and this should be reported to the Academic Board for information.

Academic Medals

Faculties should develop individual proposals for Academic Medals. The following suggestions may prove useful in the development of each proposal.

Faculties may wish to consider an award for the final year undergraduate student with the highest academic result within each discipline, department, school or degree program. For faculties teaching on more than one campus, consideration should be given to developing an award for the highest academic achiever on each campus.

It is recommended that students who have failed a unit should not normally be considered eligible for these awards, and that faculties decide whether they wish to consider the student's academic record in all units in all years, or whether they wish to concentrate on final year studies or studies only within the discipline when determining the recipients of the awards.

Faculties should develop proposals for ratification by the Academic Board. Not all faculties may choose to develop proposals, but this should be indicated to the Board.

Dean's Recognition Awards

Eligibility

Full time students from all faculties and subfaculties who achieve a result of High Distinction in at least two thirds of the units attempted during each semester (including summer) shall receive a certificate from the Dean of their faculty indicating this achievement.

No student who fails a unit during the semester in question is eligible.

Determination of "two-thirds" would be made based on EFTSU, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Where Student and Staff Services is unable to provide this information to faculties each faculty shall establish internal procedures for the identification of eligible students after the release of results at the end of each semester. The certificates may be produced centrally, and distributed to the faculties for signature and delivery to the students.

Sir John Monash Medals

Nominations and Selection Process

Students become eligible for the University Medal in their final year of enrolment in their initial undergraduate degree. Nominations shall be called for in university and community publications no later than 15 October of each year.

Nominations for the Sir John Monash Medal should be made to the Dean of each Faculty. A nomination for the Sir John Monash Medal could be made by the student, a fellow student, any Monash staff member, or any member of the community. The nomination must include a letter explaining the reason for the nomination, any supporting information which could be of use to the selection committee and permission from the student to have his or her records released to the selection committee.

It is suggested that faculties use their Boards of Examiners to make their medal selections. The selection committee (composition of which should be determined by the Faculty) would determine the names of those students to be awarded the Sir John Monash Medal immediately after or during the Boards of Examiners meetings at the end of each academic year. Should the faculty choose to use its Board of Examiners to determine the medal recipients, the Dean should present the non-academic material regarding the nominees for the Sir John Monash Medal to the committee.

It is expected that the decisions regarding the recipients of the medals should be finalised no later than 31 January for the previous year's nominees.

An individual student can be nominated at the same time or separately for both the University and the Sir John Monash medals, and can be awarded both medals. Each medal may be earned only once in a student's career at the University, although a student may achieve one or both of the undergraduate medals and go on to be awarded the PhD medal later in their academic career.

Reporting requirements

The names should be reported to the Academic Registrar immediately the determination is made, in order to allow for the engraving of the medals, and for the information to be forwarded to Student Services Division for inclusion in graduation programs and on the student's official transcript. The Academic Registrar shall also ensure that no student to be offered a medal has previously been awarded that same medal.

Eligibility

The principle that a student should only be permitted to receive ONE University Medal and/or ONE Sir John Monash Medal is implicit in this statement.

A student would be considered for the medals only by the faculty in which they are enrolled. In the case of a student enrolled in a double or combined degree, only the managing (enrolling) faculty should consider the student for an award. A list could be provided by MUSIS of the ownership of each degree.

Recipients of the Sir John Monash Medal must have the minimum requirement of an overall average grade of Credit. Recipients must also be seen to have made an outstanding contribution in another arena (eg sports, community service, performance etc). No student who has failed a unit should be eligible for this award, except under exceptional circumstances.

Students who have qualified for at least the award of Bachelor, and for no more than the second part of a combined or double degree, at the end of semester two examinations in their respective discipline(s) are be eligible to receive this award. Individual faculties shall decide whether they wish to make this award to students enrolled in the pass or the honours degree, and make this decision known to the Academic Board. In the case of an honours candidate in a combined degree program, the "other" or non-managing faculty shall be permitted to consider the student for a medal provided they have not yet been awarded one. Students who qualify for the award of Bachelor over the summer semester are considered to have qualified in the following year for the purpose of these awards.

The faculty committees may choose not to award this medal in a particular year if they feel that there is no candidate of sufficiently high calibre. Faculties may choose to include additional criteria to their selection process, and this should be reported to the Academic Board for information.

Scope

These procedures apply to undergraduate and PhD students.

Related Documents

Governing Documents

Responsibilities for Implementation

  • University wide - Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) 
  • Faculty wide - Deans

Review Schedule

Academic Board will review these procedures in conjunction with any review of Recognition of Excellence Policy.

Approved

Approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Planning) on 2 December 2002

Change to "Responsibilities for Implementation" made by Education Committee Meeting 6/2005, 26 October 2005.