The mission of the Council is to promote and advance engineering education, research and scholarship on behalf of Australian universities, and support engineering graduates for the profession's current and future needs.
The Council pursues this mission by conducting studies, making contributions to national debates on relevant issues, and supporting the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AaeE). Much of the Council's work is undertaken in collaboration with Engineers Australia.
The Council operated as an unicorporated association from 1993 to mid-2011. In June 2011 the Council incorporated in New South Wales, as the Australian Council of Engineering Deans Inc.
Engineers for the Future
During 2007 - 8, ACED led a consultative study "to address the supply and quality of Australian engineering graduates for the new century", with support from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, AaeE, Engineers Australia and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE).
The study report has now been published in full and as an extended summary with the full recommendations.
Submissions to National Reviews
During 2008 ACED made submissions to several national reviews:
- ACED Submission to National Innovation Review
- ACED Submission to National Research Training Review
- ACED Submission to HEd Review final_doc
Constitution
The constitution of ACED Inc. was approved in October 2011, and consists of the following sections:
- Name
- Interpretation
- Mission
- Objectives
- Powers
- Membership and Meetings of Council
- Office Bearers
- Finance
- Subscriptions
- Voting Rights
- Winding Up
- Amendments
In October 2010, the Council confirmed the following priority objectives for 2011:
- Develop activities of the Tripartite Committee (ACED, Engineers Australia, and ATSE) to more strongly position engineering education and research in national forums.
- Disseminate outcomes from ALTC projects, including the Discipline Support Strategy for Engineering & ICT.
- Track and build systematically on the outcomes of the Engineers for the Future review.
- Collaborate effectively with the OECD AHELO project to ensure best possible value from having Australia as a lead partner.
- Participate in the development of the Global Engineering Deans Council.
- Strengthen collaboration with the Australian Council of Deans of Science and other deans' councils.
- Increase capacity for lobbying for improvements in the position and future for engineeering in Australian universities.