None
Monday, 4 October 2010

Our School of Indigenous Studies celebrated 21 highly successful years last week - a milestone that could not have been reached without the dedication and intellectual zeal of the School's former and present staff and students.

This School plays a vital role in our University, providing Indigenous leadership, a visible and vibrant Indigenous community on campus, and an accessible entry point for Indigenous students and communities.

Certainly, within our University, Indigenous education is integral to our activities. In fact, Indigenous knowledge is one of the six priority areas for our research. The principle that guides our activities is the respect of Indigenous people and their culture.

We are particularly proud of our strong track record in graduating Indigenous students from professional degrees such as Law, Medicine and Engineering - a record only possible through the fantastic efforts of the School's staff and students.

Led by Winthrop Professor Jill Milroy, the School has established strong and extensive links to establish effective pathways for Indigenous students from secondary school to University. The School also has a strong publication record, particularly in Indigenous knowledge and oral history.

Some years ago there was a special edition of the highly respected medical journal The Lancet focusing on Indigenous health research. The front cover of that special edition was blank but for a single paragraph from an editorial which read:

"The most urgent call of all is to remove the cloak of invisibility from the shoulders of Indigenous peoples... to protect and strengthen their essential, foundational place in human society."

Given this - and the fact that tertiary education is recognised as ‘a critical pillar of human development worldwide', the important role of universities in engaging with Indigenous issues becomes clear.

Universities play a significant leadership role within our communities and it is from research and scholarship that we can continue to work towards changing society, creating a future where all people are equal and where we celebrate rich cultural differences.

Our role, as educators in general, is now more critical than ever in the construction of civil societies which understand and respect all cultures - particularly Indigenous cultures.

There is no doubt that by exploring and acknowledging our shared heritage, and by coming to understand and respect cultural differences we can make our community and our society a better place in which to live.

Vice-Chancellor Alan Robson

Tags

Groups
UWA Forward