New name for major Murdoch facility

Murdoch University has officially named its Building 360 development.

Vice chancellor Andrew Deeks today said the precinct, which will open next year and accommodate up to half of the university's students once upon, will be called Boola Katitjin.

Musician and artist Richard Walley chose the Noongar name which translates to 'lots of learning'.

Professor Deeks made the announcement this morning, saying Murdoch had strived to embed inclusivity and belonging in its physical structures.

“Boola Katitjin will build on the work being done by Kulbardi and others to help our students feel a sense of belonging, from the wide range of spaces to connect with others throughout the building, to the Indigenous and digital artworks spread across the four floors," he said.

Dr Walley explained the name in an accompanying statement.

“When you have a building that has many different levels of learning and many different functions and facets, that's boola, that’s many," he said.

"And when you’re learning and acquiring knowledge and passing knowledge on, that’s called katitjin.

"So it’s quite natural to name the building Boola Katitjin, which means many facets, many levels of learning."

Today's news comes on the same day as Professor Deeks celebrated a threefold increase in Indigenous graduates over the past four years, driven in part by the university's Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre.

Chanelle van den Berg, pro vice chancellor of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, said student retention was now almost at parity with non-Aboriginal students.

“Seeing student walk across that stage proudly is the end goal and why we get out of bed every morning," she said.

"Not only this, but to see students transform and become changemakers.

“I can’t wait to see how Boola Katitjin helps our students feel even more connected and supported.”

Multiplex is the developer behind the site.