This is a call for nominations for HERDSA Executive positions for the period July 2025 to July 2027. 

The current HERDSA Executive will complete a two-year term at the end of June 2025 and all positions (except the President) are therefore declared vacant.

The Executive shall consist of ten (10) elected financial members including a President and President-Elect. In addition, the convenor of the immediate next and subsequent annual conferences will be ex-officio members of the Executive until the conclusion of the respective conferences. The positions of Vice-President and Treasurer are determined within the Executive. Members of the Executive become members of one of the four portfolios: Secretariat, Publications, Professional Development and Networks. The portfolios are supported by HERDSA Officers.

A call for nominations for the President-Elect position was made in March 2024 and Professor Christy Collis will be the next HERDSA President for the period of July 2025 to July 2027 term.

In accordance with the Constitution the term of office for members of the Executive is two years. Individuals may serve up to three consecutive terms of office, after which they are no longer eligible for nomination in the following term.

If there are more than nine nominations for the Executive, an electronic ballot will be held.

This information includes:

• The names of the current members of the Executive and eligibility for re-election
• Position description for a Member of the Executive and Portfolio descriptions
• Details of the nomination process
• Nomination Form ​
• HERDSA Code of Practice

While the HERDSA Constitution does not stipulate branch or regional representation, branches are encouraged to nominate a representative to provide a link between the Executive and the branch committees.

Being on the HERDSA Executive requires a commitment of time. In addition, it requires a basic understanding of organisational governance.  The role of the executive is to determine HERDSA’s strategic directions and to administer member funds for member benefit.

The closing date for nominations is 5:00pm AEST Friday 7th March 2025. The new Executive will be ratified at the HERDSA AGM to be held during the HERDSA 2025 Conference in Perth, Western Australia.

CURRENT EXECUTIVE MEMBERS WHO ARE ELIGIBILE FOR NOMINATION

• Raj Shekhawat, SA (Eligible for nomination)
• Julia Choate, VIC (Eligible for nomination)
• Kwong Nui Sim, NZ (Eligible for nomination)
• Eva Heinrich, NZ (Eligible for nomination)
• Alice Brown, QLD (Eligible for nomination)
• Manisha Thakkar (Eligible for nomination)
• Lee Partridge (Eligible for nomination)

NOMINATION PROCESS

• Nominations must be received by 5:00pm AEST Friday 7th March 2025.
• A separate NOMINATION FORM must be used for each member’s nomination. 
• Completed nomination forms should be emailed to:

HERDSA Office  office@herdsa.org.au

In calling for these nominations, the Society is looking to achieve leadership in Higher Education in Australasia and certain balances of representation on the Executive, as well as an enthusiastic preparedness to contribute.

Position Description: MEMBER OF EXECUTIVE

The roles and responsibilities of a member of the HERDSA Executive include:

• Attend all meetings of the Executive. There is one executive meeting per quarter, with two face-to-face meetings per year with the main meeting being held prior to the conference. Travel and accommodation for meetings are met by HERDSA.
• Support the work of the Executive and collaborate with other Executive members.
• Participate actively in at least one of the Portfolios as outlined below.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of HERDSA strategic directions.
• Represent the Executive when present at HERDSA activities.
• Promote the aims of HERDSA as an organisation, and support HERDSA activities.
• Identify personal skills, interests or contacts that may be of value to the work of the Executive, and if feasible, make them available to support the work of the Executive. 
• Abide by the HERDSA Code of Practice
   

HERDSA EXECUTIVE ROLES
Specific role statements for key positions of President, Vice President, and Treasurer are described below. Note, the President role is a specific position which is filled in a separate election. Other positions are determined by the Executive following the confirmation/ratification of the elected committee.

President
The President has an inward and outward focus. With major responsibility for governance of the Society, effective leadership of the Executive Committee is critical. The role includes a strong strategic guidance of the various Executive portfolios, chairing of Executive meetings and oversight of the society’s activities. Externally, the President role ensures HERDSA is represented at international and national forums and that its interests are fostered through collaborative initiatives.  In keeping with the HERDSA constitution, this role is determined by the election of a President-elect in the alternate year to the Executive election to allow a full induction of the incoming President. The President–Elect is Professor Christy Collis.

Treasurer
The Treasurer carries responsibility for due diligence of HERDSA expenditure and budget management. The role liaises with the President and the HERDSA Office and ensures HERDSA’s affairs are audited and reported appropriately at the AGM.  

Vice-President
The Vice President is selected to ensure strong representation of regional interests. The Vice President supports the President by representing HERDSA when appropriate and assisting with planning Executive Meetings.

HERDSA EXECUTIVE PORTFOLIOS
Each member of the Committee is asked to take responsibility for or contribute to a portfolio.  Members may contribute to more than one Portfolio. Each portfolio is supported by the HERDSA Office. The current portfolios are briefly described below. Several Officers of HERDSA support the portfolios. Officers are not members of the Executive. 

Secretariat
The Secretariat includes the President, President-elect, Vice-President, Treasurer and the HERDSA Office and has responsibility for the management of the Society including conference oversight, grants and awards, the website and communications.

Professional Learning       
The Professional Learning Portfolio provides oversight to the HERDSA Fellowship Scheme including review of criteria, standards and guidelines and the assessment process including training of assessors and facilitating activities for Fellows. The HERDSA Executive has placed a strong emphasis on the support of new scholars in learning and teaching. The portfolio provides support for new scholars in learning and teaching through the provision of professional development activities. The portfolio has also developed and manages the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoTL) modules.

Networks               
The development of our local HERDSA presence in branches and regions is critical to HERDSA. The Networks Portfolio supports the Branches and HERDSA activities across the regions. Policies and practices are in place to support Branch committees to facilitate activities and financial management. The Networks Portfolio also includes Special Interest Groups (SIGS)

Publications
HERDSA has a range of publishing activities including Higher Education Research & Development (HERD), Advancing Scholarship and Research in Higher Education (ASRHE), HERDSA Review of Higher Education, HERDSA Connect Blog, HERDSA Notices, HERDSA Publications. Each publication area is managed by an Officer of HERDSA.

CODE OF PRACTICE

HERDSA Code of Practice

CALL FOR NOMINATION FORM

Call for Nomination Application Form 2025-2027.docx