College Structure

The Unaipon School

The Unaipon School was established at the University of South Australia in January 1996 as a result of the amalgamation of the Aboriginal Studies and Teacher Education Centre and the School of Aboriginal and Islander Administration which was preceded by The Aboriginal Task Force. It was named to honour David and James Unaipon who were Ngarrindjeri men. David is remembered as an inventor and scholar, and his father James as an educator.

The School is located within the Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences and is a multi-disciplinary School offering awards in Aboriginal Studies, Aboriginal Policy and Management and Australian Studies ranging from undergraduate Diplomas and Degrees through to post-graduate qualifications by coursework and by research. It offers a high quality teaching and learning environment to all its students and plays an important role in introducing Indigenous perspectives and cross cultural awareness to students who are enrolled a wide range of vocational awards.

It also provides awards in Teacher Education for remote area Aboriginal communities which are offered on site in the Pitjantjatjara Yunkunytjatjara Lands through the delivery of the Anangu Tertiary Education Program (AnTEP).

The Aboriginal and Islander Support Unit

The Aboriginal and Islander Support Unit (AISU) has a vital role in ensuring that Aboriginal and Islander people gain access to University of South Australia (UniSA) Programs. AISU provides academic and social support that contributes to the improvement of Indigenous peoples participation and success rates. AISU strives to improve retention rates through appropriate intervention strategies and the allocation of resources to maximise successful outcomes for Indigenous people studying at UniSA. 

The Support Unit provides services for all ATSI students at all city campuses and at five off-campus centres at Ceduna, Pt. Augusta, Whyalla, Murray Bridge and Pt. Lincoln. An important component of AISU is the Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ATAS). This DETE funded scheme has responsibility for providing individualised tutorial assistance to meet the educational needs of over 300 ATSI students.