Realising our future
Our Integrated Strategy is built around a series of initiatives, which each have short descriptions, a specific focus area and one or more themes. Here is a summary of our planned initiatives:
- Successful students
- Our people
- Research and knowledge systems
- Society and leadership
- Gender
- Infrastructure
- Community engagement
Successful students
| Initiative title | Description | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing and recruitment | Establish coordination and cooperation across marketing and recruitment effort at the University in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff. | Opportunity |
| Visibly committed | Develop and implement a marketing strategy that highlights the University’s contribution and leadership in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reform. | Opportunity |
| Marketing strategy | Identify the motivators that directly and indirectly influence student choice about higher education providers, review the University’s performance and apply that information to our marketing strategy. | Opportunity |
| Brand recognition | Take action that secures high brand recognition by stakeholders and the community of the University’s increased engagement with and presence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and peoples in the life of the University community. | Opportunity |
| Success profiles | Review Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student admission and outcome data for the University to determine success profiles and develop a detailed proposal to further inform recruitment and retention efforts. | Capability |
| Expanding identification of the best students | Develop and implement a trial of non‐cognitive variables as an alternative admissions program for a period of four years. | Opportunity |
| Breadwinners project | Develop and implement an innovative partnership with government, community and industry that creates new opportunities for working Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to enter undergraduate and postgraduate study. | Opportunity |
| Sydney conversations | Expand the opportunities for non‐Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to confidently engage in enquiry about and discussion of issues relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people | Opportunity |
| Possible and probable | Review and rebalance recruitment efforts to pursue students who have a strong higher education pathway, but commit proportionally greater effort for those quality students whose pathway to university is not as strongly mapped. | Opportunity |
| TAFE link | Target a small number of TAFE colleges and institutes to develop productive opportunities for effective articulation of the student journey to higher education. | Opportunity |
| Sportsmen and sportswomen at Sydney | Establish a relationship with sporting teams in NSW to provide an appropriate opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women to access tertiary study. | Opportunity |
| Sydney in schools | Develop a business proposal and negotiate a program that provides an opportunity for Aboriginal students in high school to commence foundational elements for tertiary study in specific areas. | Capability |
| Research profile | Capture and market the research profile of the University to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, civil society, government and industry and as a specific element of our initiatives to recruit talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander postgraduates to study at Sydney. | Opportunity |
| Cultural competence | Develop and introduce cultural competence in pedagogy, curriculum and staff development. | Capability |
| Graduate attribute | Include cultural competence as a graduate attribute, with measures of acquisition for all students. | Capability |
| Benchmarking current levels | Benchmark non‐Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ current levels of knowledge of cultural competence and engagement in Aboriginal issues. | Capability |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander place in the curriculum | Develop and adopt strategies that enrich the ongoing curriculum renewal agenda to lift the profile of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, experience and issues in the teaching and learning environment. | Capability |
| Mentoring and development | Establish a postgraduate mentoring and development program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. | Capability |
| Aboriginal research network | Establish the University of sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research network and promote its engagement with Aboriginal community, civil society, government, industry and the broader community. | Capability |
| Sharing stories | Review and expand the formal and informal opportunities for non‐Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to confidently engage in enquiry about and discussion of issues relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. | Rights |
| Satisfaction and retention | Review and enhance the orientation, satisfaction and retention continuum for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. | Opportunity |
Our people
| Initiative title | Description | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| National leaders | Develop a campaign to identify and recruit outstanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to this University from the existing pool of academic staff nationally. | Opportunity |
| Talent search | Develop a campaign to identify and recruit talented and qualified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other sectors such as community service, government and industry. | Opportunity |
| Talent building | Develop and implement a strategy to identify and recruit talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other sectors, such as community service, government and industry, who do not yet have tertiary qualifications. | Opportunity |
| Growing our current talent | Design and establish strategies to invest in the careers and potential of existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff at the University. | Capability |
| Sydney qualities | Develop a statement of qualities that describes the attributes and experiences in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander domain we seek in staff at Sydney. | Capability |
| Cultural competence for staff |
Develop and implement a pan-University cross-cultural education program for all staff that meets the targets established by this strategy. | Capability |
| Mob staying in touch | Establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff network to promote sharing of experience, networking and support. | Capability |
| Knowing what’s happening | Implement strategies to improve the collection, collation, linkage and use of quality Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff data, including census days and awareness programs. | Capability |
| Staff development partnerships |
Establish partnerships with key employers that open up development opportunities for existing University staff and provide reciprocal opportunities for staff who work for our partners. | Opportunity |
| Merit appointment incentive |
Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff employed in academic and general staff roles by establishing a merit appoint incentive. | Opportunity |
Research and knowledge systems
| Initiative title | Description | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Enrich the research enterprise | Establish a partnership with Aboriginal communities, governments, civil society, industry and other stakeholders to pursue solutions‑focused research. | Capability/ opportunity |
| Showcase of research effort | Establish and deliver an annual showcase of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research conducted and other developments at the University of Sydney for key government, community, civil society and industry interests. | Capability/ opportunity |
| Network of chairs | Identify priority areas of scholarship in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander space that would benefit from the appointment of a chair and the subsequent contribution and recruit to the chairs. | Capability/ opportunity |
| Senior research director | Create the position of Senior Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research and appoint an Aboriginal academic. | Capability/ opportunity |
| Research register | Create and maintain a register of research specifically focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues and research that has a high potential to contribute to this area. | Capability |
| Knowledge hub | Design and trial a knowledge hub that provides opt-in access to community, civil society, industry and government stakeholders for the outcomes of research and thinking at the University of Sydney. | Capabilities |
| Think tank | Convene a ‘think tank’ of key researchers and stakeholders to review research priorities and effort and to ensure the University optimises its contribution of multidisciplinary research and its attention to emerging areas. | Capability/ opportunity |
| Recognise the Koori Centre | Recognise and capitalise on the Koori Centre’s contribution and reenergise its operations as the foundational base for the National Centre for Cultural Competence. | Capability |
| Invest in postgraduate scholarships | Create a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander postgraduate scholarships that support primarily, but not entirely, research‑based study. | Capability |
| Setting foundations | Establish a policy that commits the University to the respectful exploration and treatment of Aboriginal knowledge that is consistent with the best practices of scholarship. | Rights |
| Integrated scholarship | Establish a taskforce, chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to construct an approach to and plan for the recognition of Aboriginal knowledge in University research and teaching. | Capability |
| International partnerships | Establish appropriate international partnerships that foster the advancement of Indigenous education, research, engagement, cultural heritage, knowledge and cultural expressions domestically and internationally. | Opportunity |
Society and leadership
| Initiative title | Description | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Visiting thinkers | Create a visiting thinkers program for selected international experts in the Indigenous space and national experts in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander space. | Capability |
| Sydney sabbatical | Create a program that provides the opportunity and encouragement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in the community service sector to take a sabbatical to engage in a course of study or research at the University of Sydney. | Capability |
| Leading thinkers | Create development opportunities for leading University thinkers to further enhance their experience and insights into complex issues by working with and in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations. | Opportunity |
| Change is within our reach | Develop a program of communication for the University community, Aboriginal communities, government, industry and civil society which demonstrates the art of the possible and dispels negative beliefs that change in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander space is too hard. | Rights |
| Service learning | Develop two additional effective and focused service-learning initiatives that build on the Broken Hill model in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander space and link Aboriginal community service and academic study. | Capability |
| Social inclusion | Establish a chair of social inclusion to foster, conduct and promote multidisciplinary research, teaching, public debate, and public policy that seeks to create a ‘society for all’. | Rights |
| Partnership patrons | Appoint from outside the University at least two partnership patrons who encourage and model partnership building between staff and student, the University and Aboriginal and broader community, civil society, government and industry. | Opportunity |
| Indigenous international collaborative |
Establish an ongoing collaboration for Indigenous thinkers and leading scholars from around the globe to explore issues of common interest, contribute to a global academic community of interest in the Indigenous space and expand opportunities for collaboration. | Rights |
| Centre for statistics | Establish the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics where information about Aboriginal peoples will be safely and securely curated and accessed. The centre will explore new data development that will contribute to the advancement and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. | Capability |
| Strategic incentives pool | Establish an incentive pool that is applied to the implementation of the strategy with at least 80 percent returned to faculties and professional services units for agreed local implementation priorities | Rights |
| Demonstrate excellence | Construct a program that recognises and rewards excellence in the leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, research and community engagement across the University. | Opportunity |
| Reconciliation space | Create a space designed to reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, managed by Aboriginal people, which will serve as a safe space for discussion involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, students, staff thinkers, cultural leaders and others. | Rights |
| Commit to honest memory | The University will monitor its efforts to implement the Integrated Strategy and share its success and failures. It will ensure that failures and successes are not forgotten by building an effective accessible corporate memory of our efforts to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, research and engagement. | Capability |
Gender
| Initiative title | Description | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| More men studying | Establish a defined element within student recruitment to focus on engaging with and recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men to undergraduate and postgraduate study. | Opportunity |
| Role and role models | Establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait men’s working group that will advise and contribute to student and staff recruitment campaigns. | Opportunity |
| More men working | Develop and pursue specific elements in our staff recruitment strategies to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. | Opportunity |
| Aboriginal gender research | Allow for different gender specific considerations in efforts to construct and pursue research partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and other stakeholders who bring greater understanding in this area. | Capability |
| Merit subsidy | Include specific provision that promotes the appointment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to senior roles. |
Capability/ opportunity |
| Women in senior roles | Establish and implement a professional senior development initiative for Aboriginal women at Sydney. |
Capability/ opportunity |
| Reducing barriers to work and study | Create a project to explore, especially in the area of family responsibility, the creation of additional services and initiatives in partnership with Aboriginal organisations to provide work opportunities at Sydney. | Opportunity |
| More women | Create specific scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, which are structured to take account of the barriers to education for women. | Capability/ opportunity |
| It’s men’s and women’s business | Include in the Annual Report an analysis of the University’s efforts to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander access and outcomes in education, research and community engagement from a gender perspective. | Rights |
| Child care and elderly care | Develop and trial support programs that allow Aboriginal women and men who are full-time or part-time care givers to participate in further education. | Capability/ opportunity |
| Diversification | The University will review the enrolment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and men in non-traditional courses and faculties and develop strategies to ensure that any unnecessary hurdles are eliminated. | Rights |
Infrastructure
| Initiative title | Description | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Improved identification of people and effort | Develop and implement strategies to encourage improved levels of self identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and students and accurately record their Aboriginality in linked data management arrangements. The strategy will include promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s pride, confidence and engagement in university life. | Rights |
| Business intelligence model | Design an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business intelligence model and include in the Strategic Information and Business Intelligence (SIBI) project. | Capability |
| Aboriginal voices | Collect information and report annually on the overall satisfaction of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and men with university life and the quality of the teaching and learning environment. | Capability |
| Pursue data linkage | Establish a data linkage initiative to improve the functionality of the Aboriginal identifiers in the University data systems. | Capability |
| Performance framework and reporting | Establish and report against a performance and reporting framework in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, research and community engagement. | Capability |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander online | Develop a web portal for students and staff that provides easy internal access to key services, data and information and initiatives, including online access to appropriate staff development initiatives, virtual networks and a clearinghouse. | Capability |
| University webpage | Modify the homepage to reflect the University’s commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, research and community engagement. | Capability |
| Flexible delivery | Examine the opportunities that a flexible delivery system, support structure and appropriate pedagogies might provide to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students manage various demands and challenges to accessing and completing higher education. | Opportunity |
| Design principles | Develop a series of building design principles that reflect the University of Sydney’s recognition of and vision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in university life. | Rights |
| Public art | Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public art installations on our campuses. | Opportunity |
| Flagship gateway building | Construct a National Centre for Cultural Competence that will assist with embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and experience in pedagogy and epistemology and act as a friendship space. | Capability |
| Student accommodation | Commit to providing access to suitable student accommodation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. | Opportunity |
Community engagement
| Initiative title | Description | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement program | The University will establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners program to establish, promote, value add and monitor the effectiveness of trust-building partnerships. This program will support the University’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, research and engagement priorities and identify and market the quality, benefit and potential of partnerships. | Rights |
| Social responsibility | Develop and publish a social responsibility report every two years as a record of contribution and as a device to promote discussion, reflection and review about engagement and social responsibility. | Rights |
| Engagement framework | The University will establish an engagement framework that will promote and secure the importance of community engagement to the realisation of the University’s vision. | Opportunity |
| Family, community and organisation | The University will establish an intensive engagement strategy that focuses on building relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, communities and organisations. | Opportunity |
| Industry sector dialogues | The University of Sydney will establish a program of industry sector dialogues that will identify the challenges and issues that the sectors confront. It will also seek to identify ways that the University can contribute, through its teaching, research and engagement capabilities. | Opportunity |
| Government sector dialogues | The University will establish a series of ongoing government sector dialogues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs and Indigenous affairs internationally. | Opportunity |
| Civil society dialogues | The University will establish a series of ongoing civil society sector dialogues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs. | Opportunity |
| Alumni engagement | The University will create an annual alumni event that focuses on showcasing our contribution in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander space. We will engage alumni in our efforts through regular updates in Sydney Alumni Magazine (SAM) and other events. | Opportunity |