Introduction
Griffith University is committed to attaining excellence through diversity. Its Indigenous education strategy is focused on access through award courses from bachelor’s degree to research higher degrees, rather than through enabling courses. To complement the education strategy, Griffith also has an Indigenous employment strategy. In 1998, 1.2 per cent of Griffith staff are Indigenous Australians.
Objectives
The key objectives for the Indigenous education strategy are:
to encourage levels of access and participation by Indigenous Australians that are consistent with the overall representation of Indigenous Australians in the state and the nation;
to ensure levels of success and retention that are congruent with a high quality learning environment;
to develop and disseminate curricula that give expression to Indigenous Australian perspectives;
to promote and maintain Indigenous Australian cultural identity and heritage; and
to ensure graduate outcomes in employment and full-time study that are consistent with overall outcomes for graduates.
Strategies
| Objective | Program/Policy | Performance Indicator ** |
| Encourage aspiration to university study | (1) Statewide recruitment program. In
collaboration with other Queensland universities, communities and schools across
Queensland are visited by Gumurrii staff to encourage Indigenous Australians to consider
tertiary study. (2) School liaison through hosting visits to the university by primary and secondary school students. (3) Pre-tertiary preparation course, Kangaroo Point TAFE. (4) Unireach program targets students in disadvantaged schools and offers a program of study skills, peer mentoring, and university familiarisation. |
Increasing levels of access by
Indigenous Australian students approaching representation of Indigenous Australians across
the State. Indications of increased recruitment of Indigenous Australian students from beyond Griffith catchment area.* |
| Encourage access to university study | (1) Alternative entry program. Jointly
undertaken across Queensland universities: 178 applicants for Griffith. Of these, 152 were
interviewed and set a written test: 127 were made an offer at Griffith. (2) Merit equity scholarships ( a proportion of Griffith’s merit equity scholarships are targeted to Indigenous Australian students). (3) Honours and postgraduate scholarships for Indigenous Australians. Three such scholarships have been awarded annually since 1996. (4) Indigenous Pre-Law course and support program provided before entry to academic year. |
Increasing levels of access by
Indigenous Australian students approaching representation of Indigenous Australians across
the State. Indigenous Australian students spread across a range of degree programs and from bachelor’s degrees to postgraduate courses. |
Performance: Access and Participation **
| Over the period, access for Indigenous Australian students has increased and is, in 1998, in excess of representation in the catchment area* and above the national average. Following strategies for recruitment and entry outlined above, Griffith anticipates maintaining levels of access into its degree courses at levels consistent with the representation of Indigenous Australians in the nation and working to increase these levels to reflect state levels of representation. |  |
Participation of Indigenous Australian students
Indigenous students at Griffith are spread across a wide range of fields of study. Compared to the total Griffith student population, Indigenous students have a higher representation in arts, humanities, and social sciences, education, and law and lower levels of representation in business, engineering, health, and science (although their representation relative to all students in science has improved from 1995 to 1998).
Indigenous students are more heavily concentrated in undergraduate courses than the total student population, although over the past four years their representation in postgraduate degrees has steadily increased in both research higher degrees and postgraduate coursework. In general the profile of Indigenous student access to postgraduate degrees and across a range of fields of study is beginning to approximate more closely the profile of the total student population.
Participation by Field of Study Compared to all Students
 |
 |
 |
 |
| all % of all students in field of study as proportion of all students | |
| % of Indigenous students in field of study as proportion of all Indigenous students | |
Participation by Level of Study Compared to all Students
| Objective | Program/Policy | Performance Indicator |
| Ensure successful completion of university subjects attempted | (1) Orientation and familiarisation
program provides a mechanism for assessing support needs as well as assisting with
integration to university environment. (2) Academic support through a program of small group and individual assistance across a range of subject areas. Approximately eighty student consultations per week are provided. (3) Masterkey program provides support through first semester of study by peer mentors, specific study skills programs and other resources. |
Success levels to rise to match level of general student population |
| Ensure retention of students through to completion of degree | (1) Support programs outlined above. (2) Culturally sensitive curricula such as Bachelor of Visual Arts in Contemporary Indigenous Australian Art, Indigenous studies major in Bachelor of Arts, subjects covering Indigenous experience in education, environmental studies, justice administration, and law. |
Retention to increase to match retention levels of all students |
| Facilitate good graduate outcomes in full-time employment and further study | (1) Career awareness support program organised by Gumurrii Centre and Indigenous employment strategy staff. | Graduate outcomes in terms of full-time employment and further study that match overall student population |
Success and retention
| Success and retention rates for Indigenous Australian students declined in 1996 but improved again in 1997. In 1995, however, success and retention rates for Indigenous Australian students at Griffith were well in excess of national average rates. By 1997 retention rates had risen above 1995 levels, although success still remained below 1995 levels. |  |
Graduate outcomes
| Indigenous Australian graduates tend over the period 1995 to 1997 to have a higher proportion unemployed than the general student population (although absolute numbers of graduates in this situation are very small). Involvement in full-time employment and full-time study has fluctuated relative to the general student population. In 1997 the graduate outcomes for Indigenous Australian students at Griffith are comparable with national outcomes as collected by the Graduate Careers Council of Australia. |  |
* Griffith Catchment area is defined as the statistical districts of Moreton, Brisbane and Richmond–Tweed.
** Standard DEETYA Performance Indicators are used throughout this report.
Contact Officer
Ms Boni Robertson
Director, Gumurrii Centre
Telephone: 07 3875 7032
Facsimile: 07 3875 7033
Email: B.Robertson@edn.gu.edu.au