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On Friday, Professor Shane Houston, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services) heralded the event as the beginning of a new era of respect, understanding and inclusiveness at the University.

鈥淭oday the University of Sydney community demonstrated how seriously we are committed to cultural competence,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e are the first university in Australia and, I believe, the world to incorporate cultural competence at a whole-of-university level,鈥� he added.

The launch initiates a core pillar of the University鈥檚 , which identifies cultural competence as a key quality staff and students should strive for.

鈥淐ultural competence is essential to our story 鈥� as a student attribute, a component of our curriculum and research, an element of the professionalism of our staff and an essential feature of the student experience. I look forward to our shared journey, as we work towards ensuring this module is embedded in everything we do,鈥� Professor Houston said.

Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence emphasised the important role of cultural competence at the University.

鈥淔or us, this is an identity project,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he Indigenous Strategy and Services portfolio has taken a leadership role for the university as a whole, in what is a vital part of preparing our students for the future, for their work and lives in contemporary Australia.

鈥淐ultural competence is a core intellectual skill. Unless you acquire the capacity to actively listen, to imagine what the world might look like through the eyes of others, then you won鈥檛 have the flexibility of mind you need to be well trained.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also crucial for the development of sharp minds and good hearts, of the kind that we so desperately need for leadership in this country.鈥�

Regarding its place in teaching and learning, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Professor Philippa Pattison AO, said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e made cultural competence one of six core graduate qualities that we hope to develop in every graduate of the University of Sydney.

鈥淲e haven鈥檛 taken this step lightly. It鈥檚 really important for both individuals and society that we do this well and we鈥檒l be measuring the progress we鈥檙e making.鈥�

During a panel discussion at the event, Dr Spence elaborated on how the University鈥檚 embrace of cultural competence could contribute to the community more broadly.

鈥淲hat we are as a society is profoundly at issue in contemporary Australia,鈥� he said.

鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to be the Australia we hope to be, we need to think about how we make the most of the extraordinary cultural richness this country can tap in to, that the perspectives of all are recognised and that leadership across the country is genuinely diverse. That鈥檚 going to require different skills of leaders, policy makers and people in business.

鈥淎t the University we have a unique opportunity to think through those questions together. I think that鈥檚 a remarkable contribution we can make to the future of our country 鈥� asking how do we equip people to work in, to live in, to create a genuinely diverse society?鈥�

The Vice-Chancellor also launched new professional development opportunities for staff, including online training modules showcased at the event.

Created by the University鈥檚 National Centre for Cultural Competence, two new modules for professional and academic staff will support the development of skills required for an open and inclusive community.

鈥淚鈥檓 very pleased to launch these two online modules, which mark the beginning of a journey of exploration as we think through the implications for our staff training, our students and our life together,鈥� Dr Spence said.

The first module, 鈥楯ourney to self discovery鈥�, encourages staff to consider who they are and how they relate to the world around them. The second, 鈥榃hat do you mean by 鈥渃ultural competence鈥�?鈥�, examines the meanings of culture and cultural competence and presents participants with a personalised action plan.

Both modules are available for University staff to complete now and will be embedded into the training provided to new employees from next year, with plans to adapt them for students in the future.

Dr Spence also formally introduced the modules, which assist academic staff to incorporate cultural competence in teaching and assessment, and to develop activities to support student learning.

Developed by the University鈥檚 Educational Innovation team and available to academic staff since 2015, and the modules provide scholarly and theoretical perspectives, as well as applied and illustrative examples for teaching and learning in higher education.

Also featured at the event was a trailer for the 鈥楢boriginal Sydney鈥� Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) due to be released in early 2017. The MOOC explores cultural competence through an exploration of Aboriginal peoples, cultures and places in Sydney.

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