The Academic Board (Provisional) held its first meeting on 24 January 1995. At that time, the Board was chaired by the Director and had 28 members in its first year of operation, including 2 students who had been invited to attend the Board in the absence of elected representatives from the student body.
The Board functioned as a regular Institute-wide forum to discuss and make decisions on major academic matters and was supported by various working groups and coordination committees presided by academic staff. The Board was formally established when the Rules of Procedure were approved by The Council in May 1995.
Currently, the Board is the chief academic forum of the University with the President as the Chairperson. The Board comprises members from faculties, academic departments, academic support units and students. The main function of the Board is to formulate academic policies and oversee all academic matters of the University. To realise this function, an infrastructure of boards and committees is set up to deal with different academic decisions within the University. The quorum and procedures of the Board meetings are governed by its Rule of Procedure.