PVC- Indigenous Strategy UNSWIS_Final_SIGN OFF_18 October 2018 low res for | Page 4

From the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic
It is a great pleasure to be able to introduce the first
Indigenous Strategy for UNSW. The introduction of the
office of Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous in 2017 was
the beginning of a long journey in the development of
this strategy. Professor Megan Davis and her team
have worked with Indigenous staff and students,
the local Aboriginal community, university faculties
and administration to develop a high-level strategic
framework underpinned by a commitment to truth and
reconciliation.
I am proud to have the office of Pro Vice-Chancellor
Indigenous sit within my portfolio. Its position within
Academic Division reflects the commitment of
the university to nurturing academic excellence in
Indigenous staff and students. The Indigenous Strategy
provides a framework through its three pillars to create
an environment that is welcoming and supportive of
Indigenous peoples.
UNSW has a long, proud history in the education
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
UNSW’s first Indigenous graduate (and Australia’s first
Indigenous law graduate), Pat O’Shane, graduated
from UNSW Law in 1976 – just 5 years after the
establishment of the law faculty. The Aboriginal Student
Centre, which we now know as Nura Gili, opened
in 1985 and has since seen the establishment of
world-class admissions and support programs
for Indigenous students including the trailblazing
Indigenous Winter School.
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However, it is essential that we do not rest on our
laurels. The Indigenous Strategy will ensure that this
good work not only continues but improves and evolves
constantly. A thriving community of Indigenous staff
and students within UNSW will impact positively on
Australian society generally, building on the work of
Professor Davis and beyond.
UNSW strives to be the university of choice for
Indigenous students and staff. We recognise that
to reach this goal we need world-class facilities,
Indigenous academics, support and opportunities for
Indigenous students; and a genuine, and sophisticated
understanding of the history of this country, the impacts
of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples, and the ongoing effects of colonialism on
communities today. The truth must be understood and
accepted before we can truly reach reconciliation.
The UNSW Indigenous Strategy plays a finite but
fundamental part in achieving this for our university.
Through its implementation, UNSW can continue to
lead by example in the university sector and carry on
our proud legacy of innovation in Indigenous education
into the future.
Professor Merlin Crossley
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, UNSW Sydney