Griffith Genesis - GUMURRII Student Success Unit

Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are advised the following content may contain images, voices and names of people who are deceased. Some language and materials may be considered inappropriate, reflecting the views of the period in which it was produced. While this language has been retained to preserve historical context, these are not the current views of Griffith University. We recognise that acronyms previously in common use such as ATSI and AISG are now considered offensive by some First Peoples, however we use them in the context of the historical names associated with GUMURRII at Griffith University.

Beginnings

The GUMURRII Student Success Unit (SSU) is a dedicated unit for First Peoples (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) students at Griffith University. It has evolved over the decades but continues to retain its sharp student focus, offering a safe and culturally appropriate environment to enhance the student experience from attraction to success. How GUMURRII came to be is a unique story. In 1984, the Griffith University Council accepted an offer from the Commonwealth Government to participate in the Affirmative Action Pilot Programme (Griffith University, 1984). Griffith University was one of only three higher-education institutions asked to take part. The pilot initially intended to improve Australian tertiary institution employment opportunities for women. Griffith's involvement in this program cultivated rich discussions at executive level, exploring a broader range of equity considerations and aspirations for Griffith's future. An important social justice issue for Griffith University was to look to attract more First Peoples students to study here.

When looking at the history of GUMURRII, it is important to remember that Griffith University began as a single campus at Nathan. Today's Griffith is a union of five different tertiary institutions (our Logan campus opened in 1998 specifically as a Griffith University campus), all with their own foundation story. The five original entities that form Griffith University today were Griffith University, Mount Gravatt CAE (a campus of the Brisbane College of Advanced Education), Gold Coast College of Advanced Education, Queensland College of Art, and the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. All institutions had their own distinctive policies, procedures, and objectives - before amalgamating as part of the sector shifting Dawkins Reforms, implemented post 1989 and early 1990s. For example, our Mount Gravatt campus (as Mount Gravatt CAE) was part of the Queensland Government administered Brisbane College of Advanced Education (BCAE) network before coming under the Griffith banner in 1990. Mount Gravatt CAE had established a First Peoples student support office in 1983, which was three years before Griffith University established a First Peoples student unit. GUMURRII was formed through the consolidation of the Mount Gravatt CAE Aboriginal and Islander Student Group (AISG) established in 1983, and the then Griffith University Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Unit established in 1986.

These original First Peoples student support units shared a common purpose and soon became operationally aligned, as work began to consolidate the two entities. Both the ATSI Unit and AISG were each offering support to approximately 35 First Peoples students (Griffith University, 1989). There was also a strong alignment of direction and purpose between the two units. Both groups were committed to expanding educational opportunities for First Peoples students through their respective institutions, to support students in both their academic and personal journeys, whilst also promoting improved institutional understanding of First Peoples student perspectives. More broadly, both units were interested in creating campus-wide cultural awareness and responsiveness towards First Peoples perspectives.

First Peoples academic Dr Harry Van Issum (Woppaburra People) in 2004. Harry was integral in the establishment of the Aboriginal and Islander Group (AISG). Photo: Griffith University

There were several administrative and structural differences between the two entities before joining together. The main difference was the ATSI Unit was an administrative office with an administrative officer in charge. Conversely, the AISG was an academic unit headed by an academic staff member. This provided a point of difference over things like governance, reporting and decision making. The ATSI Unit committee was a broader representation of Indigenous bodies and institutions outside of Griffith, along with current First Peoples students and Griffith staff from across the University. The AISG committee focused on academic staff representation and there were also representatives from the community. As with the ATSI Unit model, current First Peoples students were also on the committee for AISG (Griffith University, 1989).

Amalgamations can of course pose problems for groups that are subject to the merging of operations. Putting aside the fact that senior management mandated this unification, there was a spirit of collaboration between the two entities from the outset. The merger was an opportunity to review both operations and create a consolidated unit that was based on the best that both groups had to offer. After several meetings the two groups reached a consensus that the AISG model had been better at supporting and delivering outcomes for First Peoples students. In particular, the new body would follow the AISG lead and sit within an academic department (or School) post-amalgamation, rather than within an administrative department (Griffith University, 1989). Community and First Peoples representative bodies supported the model for the new entity. Most importantly, First Peoples students from both Nathan and Mt Gravatt campuses endorsed the proposed new structure. The merger would also align Griffith University with the Australian Government’s then Aboriginal Participation Initiative.

Remembering that the merger of these two First Peoples support units was part of the broader amalgamation of the two campuses in 1990, it was then that the combined units began operating as Griffith University’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Unit. At this time, around half of First Peoples students at Griffith University were undertaking education studies at Mount Gravatt. This, along with the agreed post-merger structure, led to the Division of Education at Mount Gravatt to host the new ATSI Unit (Griffith University, 1989). The ATSI Unit began providing personal and academic support to ninety-eight enrolled First Peoples students across both campuses. Among the initial support services offered for First Peoples students were individual student tutorials and dedicated admissions pathways to study at Griffith. The ATSI Convenor managed the new Unit and the role was again to be an academic posting, but now at a senior lecturer level. There would still be two Coordinator positions in the new structure, one responsible for operations at each campus. The below image shows the original reporting line and staff structure of the Griffith University Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit in 1990 (Griffith University, 1989).

The 1990s

As the First Peoples student support unit evolved, there was focus on dedicated admissions pathways to the University for prospective First Peoples students. This would see ATSI Unit staff travel all over Queensland, making fifty stops to Queensland regions as remote as Waiben (Thursday Island) and Doomadgee (Far North Queensland) (Griffith University, 1993). The program would see prospective First Peoples students provided with extensive information about courses and require them to travel less and do fewer tests for admission to Griffith University.

By 1992, the breadth of services the ATSI Unit offered and its presence across Griffith had grown considerably. Services by this time included providing group and individual student tutors, academic and personal counselling, assistance with housing, ATSI peer support initiatives, and promoting studies in First Peoples culture in an Australian multidisciplinary context. By this time, the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, the Queensland College of Art, and the Gold Coast College of Advanced Education, had all become part of Griffith University through the Dawkins Reforms. The expansion of Griffith to a multi-campus university had seen student numbers triple, which in turn, had seen First Peoples student numbers grow. Senior management of the time decided that the name ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit’ was dated and no longer accurately reflected the vision for the Unit. ‘The GUMURRII Centre’ (with GUMURRII standing for Griffith University Murris and Islanders) was created to provide greater focus on, and direction for, our First Peoples student recruitment and support activities (Griffith University, 1992). Another key change to GUMURRII at this time was the reclassifying of the Convenor role from Senior Lecturer level to Associate Professor level. And so it was that Associate Professor Eve Fesl AM (of the Gubbi Gubbi and Gungulu Peoples) was appointed as head of GUMURRII on 19 July 1993. Associate Professor Fesl (now deceased in 2023) was a highly accomplished academic who made history when she became the first Indigenous Australian to receive a PhD from an Australian University.

"Thanks to the work of a small group of Indigenous Australian academics and other members of their communities who saw education as a pathway to equality, units such as the GUMURRII Centre were established. The next stage in forwarding educational opportunities for our people is securing university support. Griffith University is at the forefront of pursuing the goal of increasing the numbers of our people in the professions." (Associate Professor Fesl quoted in Griffith University, 1993, p. 1).

Further resources allocated to GUMURRII would see GUMURRII Centres open at both Nathan and Mount Gravatt, in 1993. Both campuses held official openings, with the Mount Gravatt Centre opening 5 April, and the Nathan Centre opening on 17 September. Former Australian Government Senator and Griffith University Doctor of the University recipient, Neville Bonner AO (of the Jagera People) was the keynote speaker at both events.

Audience at the opening of the Nathan GUMURRII Centre in 1993. Photo: Griffith University

Associate Professor Fesl released her vision for GUMURRII:

“The Centre has an Indigenous Australian vision that incorporates the provision of a culturally distinct learning environment enabling achievement of academic excellence, independence and personal fulfillment for students and staff. The promotion and maintenance of Indigenous Australian identity and cultural heritage is reflected in an ongoing commitment to research and policy that will enhance the relationship between the University and Indigenous Australian communities.” (Griffith University, 1995, p. 4).

With the GUMURRII Centre now at the heart of the University's continuously evolving First Peoples education strategy, GUMURRII started to look beyond its advances in attracting and supporting First Peoples students. It was now time to put greater emphasis on the academic success, retention, and graduation rates for First Peoples students. There were a number of initiatives that GUMURRII undertook to improve these specific areas. Perhaps the most significant of these new undertakings was the establishment of a School of Indigenous Australian Studies that had inbuilt teaching, learning and student support elements within its administrative structure.

Other actions included concerted promotion of mature-aged and post-graduate student places at Griffith, and as a result, participation for both demographics significantly increased. GUMURRII academic staff were also required to be qualified university-level teachers, have skills in flexible-learning approaches, and be skilled in the use of contemporary teaching and learning technologies.

As the 1990’s progressed, GUMURRII and Griffith more broadly, were finding challenges in achieving comparable educational outcomes for First Peoples students at Griffith University. During 1992 – 1993, Griffith University experienced an increase in applications to study by First Peoples, but acceptance of place offerings was lower than expected. Additionally, during this period, attrition rates for First Peoples students was also higher than expected. The University identified several contributing factors, including inadequate GUMURRII staffing levels to support First Peoples students, along with student personal circumstances. Economic, educational and social disadvantage significantly impacted some students' readiness for study at university.  Factors such as studying away from home and being separated from their Community were also identified as a significant challenges for First Peoples students. The lack of dedicated GUMURRII study spaces outside of the Nathan and Mt Gravatt campuses continued to create challenges (Griffith University, 1993).

“It will not be possible to overcome all the factors which have contributed to the decline in participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in the short term, and as a result the University has revised its targets downwards.” (Griffith University, 1993, p. 16).

More broadly, since Griffith University had established GUMURRII in 1992, the University had been trying to address equity across the University. Improving employment opportunities for women, people with disabilities, people from non-English speaking backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, became a focus of a wider Griffith affirmative action agenda. This university-wide focus meant increased competition for business and academic units across Griffith, including GUMURRII, to fund their resource requirements.

With the release of the Griffith University Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy 1996 – 1998, GUMURRII strategies were developed and mapped against university-wide equity objectives of the time. This document outlined a substantial number of new access, participation, retention, and engagement initiatives for First Peoples students. Individual strategies were designed and applied to specific study areas across Griffith. Business, Commerce, Arts, Asian & International Studies, Nursing and Engineering were some of the numerous degrees that had their course objectives and structure respond to the needs, knowledge, and experiences of future and current First Peoples students (Griffith University, 1995).

Increased postgraduate participation of First Peoples students was also an area of focus. The Graduate School of Management offered a new MBA Indigenous scholarship and specific funding was provided to encourage more post-graduate studies in Law. Additionally, the Queensland College of Art developed Honours and Postgraduate programs specific to First Peoples students. GUMURRII also developed programs with units outside Faculties and Schools. University Administration and the Division of Information Services (now Griffith University Library and Digital Solutions respectively) participated in the delivery of programs such as cultural awareness workshops for Griffith staff, information literacy programs for First Peoples students, and First Peoples tutors. With the year 2000 approaching, GUMURRII had embraced the challenges of competing for funding, limited resources and remaining relevant withing Griffith University by taking an innovative and initiative-taking approach to how it operated and supported First Peoples students.

Murri Court with former Chief Magistrate of Queensland, Diane Fingleton (centre), in 2002. Photo: Griffith University

GUMURRII in the New Millenium

GUMURRII continued a progressive and creative approach to First Peoples engagement into the new millennium. In 2002, GUMURRII partnered with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (ATSILS) to create Queensland’s first urban Murrii Court (Griffith University, 2002). This initiative was designed to provide guidance to magistrates and the broader community about delivering justice to First Peoples in a culturally respectful and inclusive way. Traditional Elders and respected Indigenous community representatives offered advice on proceedings to the presiding Magistrate. In 2003, and twenty years since the formation of AISG, GUMURRII allocated $80,000 for up to eight First Peoples scholarships for undergraduate, honours and postgraduate studies. This was dedicated funding based on academic merit, full-time study and students demonstrating likely success in their academic endeavours (Griffith University, 2003). 

GUMURRII Student Success Unit remains central to Griffith's whole-of-university cohesive approach to optimising the student experience, educational and employment outcomes for First Peoples students. In response to an evolving sector and following a 2019 major element review, in 2020 the University approved a change of name for the unit from GUMURRII Student Support Unit to GUMURRII Student Success Unit (SSU). This was a very intentional change, reflecting a progressive and active move away from a deficit model to a strengths-based approach for the unit, whilst recognising First Peoples diversity and excellence.  

In 2025, GUMURRII Student Success Unit remains a dedicated unit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, which works to ensure student success from recruitment, orientation to graduation, providing undergraduate and postgraduate services and support including tutorial assistance. With learning centres and staff based on all the Griffith's physical campuses, GUMURRII supports one of the largest cohorts of First Peoples students amongst all Australian Universities.

References:

Griffith University. (1984). Griffith University Annual Report 1984. https://griffitharchive.griffith.edu.au/nodes/view/219

Griffith University. (1989). Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Students' Group: Amalgamation of the Nathan and Mt Gravatt Units [University report].

Griffith University. (1992). Griffith University Annual Report 1992. https://griffitharchive.griffith.edu.au/nodes/view/227

Griffith University. (1993). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy 1994 to 1996.

Griffith University. (1995). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy 1996 to 1998.

Griffith University. (2002). Griffith University Annual Report 2002. https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/171960/2002-annual-report.pdf

Griffith University. (2003). Griffith University Annual Report 2003. https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0031/171958/2003-annual-report.pdf

Griffith University. (2020). Griffith University Annual Report 2020. https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/1310842/Griffith-University-Annual-Report-2020.pdf

All images are sourced from the Griffith Archive collection.