Director's message

Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney BEd, MEd, PhD (Flinders), MACE,
Director
Yunggorendi First Nations Centre for Higher Education and Research

Welcome to the Yunggorendi First Nations Centre for Higher Education and Research at Flinders University.  

Yunggorendi provides a range of services including:

• recruiting and maintaining Indigenous students
• an innovative research centre
• delivery of teaching in Indigenous Education and Indigenous Studies.

It is well connected to Indigenous communities through professional and community service.

Flinders University values and respects social, cultural and linguistic diversity of its community. Flinders recognises Indigenous Australians unique position as First Nations people. The university is committed to improving higher education outcomes for its Indigenous students which is evidenced through its commitment to Yunggorendi First Nations Centre. 

One of Yunggorendi central tasks is to make the university's vast resources more accessible to Indigenous peoples, and to improve Flinders’ ability to meet the needs of First Australians. 

In 2008 a central strategic focus of Yunggorendi will be to build research capacity and infrastructure across the entire centre’s operations. Developing graduate studies growth will also be a focus along with facilitating an international component to address liaisons, program development, research, and scholarly exchanges with Indigenous Peoples around the world.

In 2009 it is proposed that Yunggorendi will be reviewed internally to set the key strategic direction for innovation in Indigenous education.  This review will compliment and coincide with the university’s strategic priorities.

2010 will mark the twentieth year anniversary of Yunggorendi. Planning will commence throughout 2008-2009 for this celebration.  Through our commitment to student support, teaching, research and professional community services both on-campus and internationally, Yunggorendi aims to be at the forefront of educational change.

Fields of Scholarship

Our scholarship and teaching are animated by a commitment to challenging commonplace myths about Indigenous communities and generating possibilities for social transformation of Indigenous inequality toward a more sustainable and socially just Australia. Yunggorendi is further characterized by theoretical depth in Indigenous Affairs including, methodological diversity, innovation and praxis in scholarship, teaching and civic engagement.

Our fields of scholarship and teaching include:

• Indigenous development, capacity, leadership and policy
• Indigenous research methodologies, epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy
• Equity and diversity in education (race, gender and class)
• Indigenous Teacher Education (Indigenous literacy and numeracy)
• Indigenous Student Support in Higher education
• Indigenous Health
• Indigenous Archaeology
• Law and Indigenous peoples
• International and comparative Indigenous education
• Media, popular culture and representation
• Youth and children in schools, families, and communities
• Adult and community education and social movements
• Citizenship and human rights
• Cultural politics, critical multiculturalism and feminist studies