University Medal Awards Procedure

Policy code: CG2034
Policy owner: Director, Strategy, Governance and Office of the Vice-Chancellor
Approval authority: Vice-Chancellor and President
Approval date: 04 February 2025
Next review date: 10 November 2024

Purpose
Scope
Legislative Context
Definitions
Actions
1. Identifying potential University Medal recipients
2. Calling for nominations
3. Reviewing, selecting and shortlisting nominations
4. Notifying others of the decision
5. Preparing and presenting the University Medal
Supporting Documents
Forms
Responsibility
Promulgation
Implementation
Records Management

Purpose

This procedure describes the process by which Academic Board will receive nominations and make recommendations to the University’s Council for the awarding of the University Medal. The University Medal is normally conferred twice annually by the Council in recognition of outstanding academic achievement.

Academic Board is responsible for managing the nomination and selection process through the Academic Board Steering Committee. The role of this Committee is to recommend for Council’s approval, the proposed selected recipient/s for the University Medal.

Scope

This Procedure applies to bestowing an award on a graduating student whose academic achievement has been outstanding for the duration of their undergraduate studies.

To be eligible for the University Medal:

  • the student must be eligible to graduate having completed the requirements of an undergraduate (Bachelor or Bachelor Honours Degree level) single award, double degree, double award or joint degree at the University; and.
  • the student must not have previously been awarded the University Medal.

Council may resolve not to award the University Medal in a particular graduation period, or to award more than one University Medal in any one graduation period. 

Legislative Context

  • Federation University Australia Act 2010
  • Federation University Australia Statute 2021
  • Federation University Australia AcademicRegulations 2022

Definitions

AHEGS means Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement

Executive Dean means the Executive Dean of an Institute

University means Federation University Australia

Other relevant definitions, including a list of the University’s awards, are contained within the University Awards Guidelines.

Actions

1. Identifying potential University Medal recipients

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A Generate a list of eligible graduates. Graduations Coordinator
  1. Prepare a list of eligible graduates, who have achieved a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 6.5 or higher in an undergraduate Bachelor or Bachelor Honours degree (including joint and double degrees, and double awards).
  2. Provide the report to Governance and Policy at least 10 weeks prior to nominations closing. 

2. Calling for nominations

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A Issuing notice to Executive Deans Governance and Policy
  1. Issue a call for nominations providing:
  • the list of eligible students in their Institute
  • a link to this procedure, which includes the nomination form.
  • notice of the closing date for the receipt of nominations which is six weeks prior to the start of the relevant graduation/s.
B Nominating a candidate Executive Dean, or nominee
  1. Institutes will nominate ONE candidate only through the Executive Dean using the nomination form supplied and including supporting documents (also outlined on the form):
    1. Executive Dean, or nominee to approach identified student for nomination to seek the student’s input on the criteria when completing the nomination form.
    2. a statement from the Executive Dean of between 150 - 250 words indicating why the Institute selected the nominee for the University Medal.
    3. Note: This statement may be read at the graduation ceremony.
  2. Nominations should be based on a student's academic performance primarily, although not necessarily exclusively, through their GPA. Other academic criteria deemed appropriate with an accompanying explanation will be considered. A graduating student who has transferred from another institution, should have completed at least half their program at the University. Their GPA will be calculated only on units completed at the University.
  3. In cases where a nominee has been granted academic credit from another institution or another course for part of their undergraduate studies, the Institute will ensure the GPA from the recognition of prior learning is still sufficiently high to merit medal consideration.
  4. Under exceptional circumstances, an Executive Dean may request the Chair of Academic Board's permission to nominate an additional candidate.
  5. Nominations from Institutes should address the following criteria:
    1. the GPA of the nominee.
    2. comments on aspects of academic performance that may not be apparent from the grades obtained by the nominee.
    3. details of work or performance of a professional nature undertaken by the nominee either within or outside the University
    4. any other relevant information related to the nominee's academic achievement or professional involvement (e.g. prizes)
  6. The Institute will ensure that the nominee has qualified, or is soon to qualify for graduation, and appropriate documentation has been completed for graduation.
  7. Completed nomination forms, with supporting documentation are to be returned from the Executive Dean to Governance and Policy.
  8. Each Institute and School is required to nominate a student where there is at least one student who is eligible for nomination, or to provide a statement on why they cannot nominate a student.

3. Reviewing, selecting and shortlisting nominations

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A Considering and selecting nominations Governance and Policy
  1. After the close of nominations, convene a meeting of the University Medal Committee (the  ABSC members) to shortlist the applications received from the Institutes , within an in-camera session.
    University Medal Committee
  1. Examine, consider and review all information provided by the Institutes to select the preferred nominee/s for the awarding of the University Medal.
  2. Resolve to recommend the preferred nominee/s to the Council (or Governance and Strategy Committee (GSC)) for approval within the stipulated timeframe. This may require the use of circulatory resolutions.

4. Notifying others of the decision

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A Notifying the Institutes Governance and Policy
  1. Provide an extract from the minutes of the meeting of Council (or GSC) confirming the decision on the successful recipient/s of the University Medal to the Executive Deans and Graduations Coordinator.
B Notifying the nominees Executive Deans
  1. The Institutewill notify the successful recipient of the decision of Council/GSC and communicate the outcome to relevant staff within the Institute.
  2. The Institute will notify the Graduations Coordinator when the recipient has been advised of their success.
  3. The remaining Institutes will notify their unsuccessful nominees that their AHEGS will be notated with 'Outstanding AcademicAchievement for the Institute of [insert Institute name] in [insert year]'.
  4. The University expects that the recipient of the University Medal will attend a Graduation ceremony to accept their award. Exception may be made under extraordinary circumstances.
C Notifying other staff Governance and Policy
  1. Provide the Corporate Communications Team with the successful nominee’s application for background information. The team manage publicity of the award and finalise the statement to be read by the Vice-Chancellor at Graduation.
  2. Advise Graduations Coordinator of unsuccessful nominations and provide details.
  3. The Graduations Coordinator will be notified no less than four weeks before the next Graduation period.
D Notating AHEGS Graduations Coordinator
  1. Check that the recipient has responded online to the invitation to graduate, and confirm that they will be attending the relevant graduation ceremony.
  2. A record of the awarding of the University Medal is to be shown on the student's AHEGS with the words:
    • "[insert student name] has been awarded The University Medal for academic achievement in the [insert program name]. This is the highest academic award that can be bestowed on a graduating student by the University."
  3. Recognition of the significant achievement of the unsuccessful nominees will be recorded on their AHEGS with the words:
    • "Outstanding Academic Achievement for the Institute of [insert name] in [insert year]."

5. Preparing and presenting the University Medal

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Safekeeping Governance and Policy
  1. Unpresented University Medals are stored by the Manager, Governance and Policy.
B. Meeting design specifications Governance and Policy
  1. The design of the University Medal will be as follows:
    1. Diameter: 70mm
    2. Colour: Silver
    3. Obverse: Full Arms of the University
    4. Reverse: The words to include "For Outstanding Academic Achievement" cast into the bottom half, with the winner's name and the year in which the medal is awarded to be engraved in the centre.
C. Preparing for the presentation Manager, Governance and Policy
  1. The Manager, Governance and Policy will coordinate the engraving of the University Medal with the recipient/s name (in the recipient's preferred format as confirmed by the Institute).
  2. Deliver the engraved University Medal to the Graduations Coordinator the week prior to the ceremony scheduled for the presentation.
D. Presenting the University Medal  Chancellor
  1. The University Medal is presented by the Chancellor (or nominated Council member) on behalf of the University Council at the relevant graduation ceremony.

Supporting Documents

Forms

Forms

Responsibility

  • Vice-Chancellor and President (as the Approval Authority) is responsible for monitoring the implementation, outcomes and scheduled review of this procedure.
  • Director, Strategy, Governance and Office of the Vice-Chancellor (as the Document Owner) is responsible for maintaining the content of this procedure as delegated by the Approval Authority.

Promulgation

The University Medal Awards Procedure will be communicated throughout the University community in the form of:

  1. an Announcement Notice via FedNews website and on the 'Recently Approved Documents' page on the 'Policies, Procedures and Forms @ the University' website to alert the University-wide community of the approved Procedure
  2. notification by email to Executive Deans, Director of Governance & Strategy, Graduations Coordinator and Corporate Communications.

Implementation

The University Medal Awards Procedure will be implemented throughout the University via notification by email to Executive Deans at the stipulated time each year.

Records Management

Document Title Location Responsible Officer Minimum Retention Period
Nomination forms The University's approved records management system Governance and Policy Nomination forms for successful nominees will be kept a minimum of seven years, and unsuccessful for 12-months. Electronic records will be retained in the University's records management system under relevant Academic Board Steering Committee meetings.
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Policy Glossary

Approval Authority: Vice-Chancellor and President Original Issue 11/01/2019
Policy Sponsor: Director, Strategy, Governance and Office of the Vice-Chancellor Current Version: 04/02/2025
CRICOS Provider Number 00103D Review Date: 10/11/2024
TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12151 Provider Category: Australian University
RTO Code 4909 Policy Code CG2034