In Principio v18 no1 (2007)

4 • UNIVERSITY NEWS UNIVERSITY NEWS Associate Professor Lyn Henderson-Yates A Personal Reflection This edition 's contribution is from Associate Professor Lyn Henderson– Yates, Assistant Dean, Arts & Sciences and Coordinator of Aboriginal Studies, Broome . Towards the end of 2005, Notre Dame appointed its first Aboriginal Associate Professor and Coordinator of Aboriginal Studies. This appointment, which is located on the Broome Campus, is significant for both Notre Dame and Aboriginal people for two reasons. First, the Broome Campus is designated as the Campus of Reconciliation which aims to provide strong support for the process of Reconciliation between non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal Australians. The Campus provides a supportive environment for its Aboriginal students and offers opportunities for non– Aboriginal and Aboriginal people to live together and to learn about Australian and Aboriginal history, Aboriginal culture, language, education, health, legal issues and media studies. Second, it has only really been in the last 30 years that Aboriginal people have had ready access to education. Since those early years Aboriginal people have worked hard towards achieving greater recognition of the importance of ensuring t hat Aborigina l people are in senior positions in programs that involve Aboriginal people, content and issues. So, it was with great excitement and a strong sense of feeling very privileged that I arrived on the Broome Campus on Christmas Day 2005. I felt tremendous pride that a Kimberley Aboriginal person was now in a leadership position at Notre Dame. I knew my task is to represent Indigenous people both in the Kimberley, throughout Western Australia and Australia. While this is a huge responsibility, it is also wonderful to be able to meet with Aboriginal students to discuss ways in which we are able to work together to realise their educational aspirations. In addition, it has been extremely valuable meeting with Aboriginal communities and people to discuss ways of strengthening our ties with them. In addition to coordinating Aboriginal Studies, I was also appointed Assistant Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences on the Broome Campus; another significant appointment for Aboriginal people and Notre Dame. I believe that Notre Dame is the first Australian university to appoint an Aboriginal academic to the mainstream position of Associate Dean. My time on the Broome Campus is very challenging and very rewarding . Taking Aboriginal Studies and Arts & Science into the future is full of vision and planning which will result in Notre Dame being able to continue providing courses and programs that are innovative and challenging. This combined with our focus on Reconciliation will make Notre Dame, and especially the Broome Campus, a great place to study and learn from each other. Senior Appointments Arts & Sciences Professor Gerry Turcotte has been appointed as the first resident Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences on t he Sydney Campus. Professor Turcotte was previously Head of the School of English Literature, Philosophy & Languages in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Wollongong. He has an extensive background in English, Film Studies and Creative Arts. In addition to his individual creative publications, he has published works in his primary research f ields of Indigenous literat ure, post-colonial theory, fi lm and performance studies. Deputy Vice Chancellor, Sydney, Mr Peter Glasson, paid tribute to Executive Dean Arts and Sciences, Professor Simon Adams and Assistant Dean, Mr Peter Dean for their foundation work_ in est ablishing the School of Arts and Sciences in late 2005. Ph ilosophy and Theology Professor Hayden Ramsay has been appointed the Executive Dean of the University's National College of Philosophy and Theology. Professor Ramsay studied at the University of Edinburgh, to Masters and PhD levels, and also spent many years there learning how to teach philosophy. He taught initially at the University of Edinburgh and University of Stirling. In 1994 Professor Ramsay moved to Australia and in 2004 he moved to Sydney, following appointments in the Office of the Archbishop of Melbourne and at the Catholic Theological College, Melbourne. He also taught philosophy at the Universities of Melbourne and La Trobe. Professor Ramsay will oversee the curriculum and management of Notre Dame's College of Philosophy and Theology and its constituent academic schools on the Fremantle and Sydney campuses.