Academic Board
NIDA’s Academic Board is a standing committee of the NIDA Board of Directors and the principal academic authority in NIDA’s governance structure. Its purpose is to provide oversight of NIDA’s educational and scholarly activities including quality assurance, and to monitor the continuing relevance of NIDA’s educational offerings, as understood in relation to current and anticipated developments in the arts sector and entertainment industry and benchmarked against peer educational institutions nationally and internationally.
Membership of the Academic Board comprises up to fifteen (15) persons including, the Chair, who is appointed by and a member of the Board of Directors and three (3) external members with significant experience of senior academic leadership, practice-led teaching and/or governance in the higher education sector as well as a member from the vocational education sector. It also includes representation from NIDA’s teaching staff, as well as student members representing the Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts and Vocational Studies respectively.
Ex-officio members include the CEO, Director of Learning and Innovation, Deputy Director Learning and Innovation (Vocational Education and Training), Head of Curriculum, Manager, Quality Assurance, and Chairs of the Examination and Research and Scholarship committees.
The Academic Board is responsible for a wide range of activities including but not limited to:
- Oversight and approval of NIDA’s Quality Assurance framework
- Oversight and approval of NIDA’s Research and Scholarship plan
- Oversight and approval of major course changes recommended to the Academic Board by the Education Committee
- Oversight of final course results presented via the Examination Committee and recommending those students who are eligible to graduate to the Board of Directors
- Academic policies and procedure
NIDA Academic Board members
- Professor Michael Balfour, Head of School and Professor of Theatre and Performance, UNSW
- Andrew Comrie, Director of Learning and Innovation
- Mark Gaal, Deputy Director, Learning & Innovation (VET)
- Corinne Heskett, Head of Costume
- Liz Hughes, ex officio, CEO NIDA
- Emeritus Professor Amanda Lawson, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, School of the Arts, English and Media, Wollongong, Australia
- Belinda Maudson, Props Teacher Enmore Design Centre (TAFE NSW) and Freelance Props Maker
- Rachael Palazzi, BFA Student Representative and SCON President
- Dr Suzanne Osmond, (Acting) Head of Curriculum and Co-Chair of the Scholarship and Research Committee
- Dr Alexia Derbas, Co-Chair of the Scholarship and Research Committee and Equity and Inclusion Manager
- Professor Anna Reid, Head of School and Dean, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
- Professor Mark Ryan, Academic Lead, Engagement School of Creative Practice Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice Faculty, QUT
- Anna Tregloan, Chair and NIDA Board member
- Julian Hawson (Vocational Student Representative)
- Sev Murphy (MFA Student Representative)
