The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

You are reading: 2019–20 Equity Fellowship Snapshots

Since 2016, the NCSEHE Equity Fellows Program has supported 12 Fellows to undertake high-impact projects, specifically to improve higher education access, participation and success for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The 2019/20 Equity Fellows, Mr David Eckstein, Associate Professor Tim Pitman, Dr Janine Delahunty, Dr Andrea Simpson, Dr Katelyn Barney and Dr Nicole Crawford focused variously on regional and remote students, students with disability, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

The release of these six reports during 2021 and 2022 is complemented by a series of Snapshots print and digital publications, showcasing the Fellows’ work in unique and eye-catching formats.

Building a stronger evidence base to support effective outreach strategies for Indigenous students

Dr Katelyn Barney

Katelyn Barney’s Fellowship identified success factors and highlights areas to strengthen outreach initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students.

Read the final report

“On the radar”: Supporting mental wellbeing of mature-aged students in regional & remote Australia

Dr Nicole Crawford

Nicole Crawford’s Fellowship investigated proactive approaches to support the mental wellbeing of mature-aged university students in regional and remote Australia.

Read the final report

‘You going to uni?’ Explore how people from regional, rural & remote areas navigate higher education

Dr Janine Delahunty

Janine’s Fellowship explored how regional and remote people navigate into and through higher education and what challenges they face in realising their goals.

Read the final report

Meaningful jobs for students with disability: From luck to business as usual

Mr David Eckstein

David Eckstein’s Fellowship investigated the provision of targeted careers support for students with disability, as well as barriers to service provision.

Read the final report

Supporting persons with disabilities to succeed in higher education

Associate Professor Tim Pitman

Tim Pitman’s Fellowship looked at how universities can best support people with disability, particularly regional, rural and remote students.

Read the final report

Indigenous students’ journeys to & through allied healthcare programs

Dr Andrea Simpson

Andrea Simpson’s Fellowship investigated pathways to higher degree allied health coursework programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Read the final report

Featured publications
This report outlines policy options in relation to parity targets for four priority equity groups in Australian higher education – students from low SES backgrounds, First Nations Australian students, students with disability, and students from regional and remote Australia.
This study addressed this topic in the Australian context using data from the annual Student Experience Survey (2016–2020 waves) with linkage to administrative records for 24,292 students from seven higher education institutions.
A case study documenting the transition of one Indigenous student, Robbie, from an underprivileged school located in the Western suburbs of Sydney to an urban Australian university.
The Critical Interventions Framework Part 3 (CIF 3) focuses on evaluative studies which provide details of the impacts of specific interventions on equity groups in relation to access to and success in higher education.
More publications