Major boost for Indigenous education and research
A major centre of Indigenous research was launched this month at
UniSA.
The David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research (DUCIER) aims to produce high quality research that will have a sustainable impact on the wellbeing of Australia’s Indigenous community.
Dean and Head of DUCIER, Peter Buckskin (pictured), says that in promoting Indigenous scholarship, the College is intellectually groundbreaking.
"DUCIER invokes the spirit of endeavour, thirst for knowledge and determination that was so much a part of the character of David Unaipon," Buckskin says.
"It is that passion for knowledge that we want to give to our students and researchers."
The College also aims to increase Indigenous tertiary participation and graduation rates, and to ensure every student who studies at UniSA has the chance to learn something about Indigenous people in a way that portrays them as an important social group in Australia, contributing to the social and economic fabric of the community.
"It is vital that there are research environments where it is safe and nurturing for Indigenous scholars to explore their thoughts and their take on issues from their own cultural perspective," Buckskin says.
"But we also aim to make Indigenous research practical, by examining how the white community engages with the black community."
UniSA is unique among
universities here and overseas in that it aims to have Indigenous
content in every undergraduate program by 2010, and includes
Indigenous indicators in its statement of graduate qualities.
The College already boasts its first PhD student - Professor Bernice Joseph, Vice Chancellor for Rural, Community and Native Education at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Pro Vice Chancellor, Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, Professor Michael Rowan, said the University had a long history of research and teaching in Indigenous studies.
"I believe DUCIER will support Indigenous academics to undertake the kind of leading edge research and scholarship that will be the foundation of the University’s continuing achievement in this important field," Prof Rowan said.