Professor Cindy Shannon, Pro Vice Chancellor (Indigenous)
Griffith University is proud to announce that Professor Cindy Shannon, a descendent of the Ngugi people and one of Australia’s foremost higher education Indigenous leaders, will join the University as its first Pro Vice Chancellor (Indigenous).
In the new executive leadership role, Professor Shannon will work alongside colleagues in successfully enabling all aspects of Griffith’s First Nations engagement as well as developing strategies to enhance participation, support and success of its First Nations communities.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans welcomed Professor Shannon to the University.
“Professor Shannon brings enormous depth of experience not only as an academic but also as a leader, changemaker and advisor in many Indigenous portfolios locally and nationally.”
“Our recently released Strategic Plan 2020-2025 Creating a Future for all speaks to our values and includes an ambitious recruitment strategy targeting Indigenous academics and leaders to shape outcomes and advance our Indigenous education goals,’’ Professor Evans said.
Announced as a Queensland Great by the State Government in 2017, Professor Shannon’s appointment reflects Griffith’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the best for its First Nations students and staff and expanding the University’s social justice and equity agendas.
“I am delighted to be joining a University with such an excellent reputation and history in Indigenous higher education and look forward to being part of its exciting future.
I am also looking forward to building on the deep community partnerships at the Logan campus, in addition to working with Indigenous students and staff across all campuses.
“Griffith’s record in relation to the participation, retention and success of First Nations students demonstrates its commitment to equity and diversity, as well as excellence,” Professor Shannon said.
Professor Shannon held the position of Pro Vice Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) at the University of Queensland from 2011-2017 and held senior appointments at the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Melbourne.
In addition to her academic and leadership roles, Professor Shannon has served on numerous health advisory boards, including as Chair of the Brisbane South Primary Health Network. She is currently Chair of the Queensland Ministerial Advisory Committee on Sexual Health, Chair of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation and a member of the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service Board.
As Pro Vice Chancellor (Indigenous), Professor Shannon will work closely with Griffith’s Council of Elders and leadership of GUMURRII Student Support Unit, the Indigenous Research Unit (IRU) and the Office of Indigenous Community Engagement, Policy and Partnerships (ICEPP) and other key stakeholders.
Professor Shannon will join Griffith on January 28.
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