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REGIONAL NEWS
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Owning Indigenous history
13 Mar 2009
 Art works developed by Charles Sturt University (CSU) education students will be unveiled on Monday 16 March in a new exhibition aimed at highlighting progress in the teaching of Aboriginal history in the classroom. “The exhibition’s evocative images illustrate Australian history recognising colonisation and its impacts on Indigenous people as well as their responses and the great struggle for justice,” said senior education lecturer, Dr Mary O’Dowd. Describing the art as confronting and moving, Head of the School of Education at Wagga Wagga, Associate Professor Roslin Brennan-Kemmis said, “the exhibition reflects where the Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures interact and where we feel discomfort. It is not easy to face the grief of the Stolen Generations and the role of all Australians in this tragedy.” “The song and imagery in the exhibition unite the two cultures and our shared futures,” said Mr John Muk Muk Burke, a Wiradjuri man and CSU Learning Skills Adviser. During the opening, a six year old non-Indigenous girl will share her knowledge of Aboriginal culture with four Wiradjuri Elders. The Elders will also hear from the Bachelor of Education (Primary) students on what they hope to achieve in the classroom for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. During the opening of the exhibition Aboriginal History: Owning the Past, the University choir will sing Hallleluia as images of Aboriginal history are flashed onto a white wall.
Media Note: Wiradjuri Elder Mrs Isobel Reid and Head of the CSU School of Education, Associate Professor Roslin Brennan-Kemmis will open the exhibition, Aboriginal History: Owning the Past in the CSU Library at Wagga Wagga from 10am, Monday 16 March. CSU Learning Skills Adviser, Mr John Muk Muk Burke and education lecturers, Ms Cheree Dean and Dr Mary O’Dowd will be available for interview at the exhibition opening. Aboriginal History: Owning the Past will run from Monday 16 March until Friday 27 March. CSU Library is in building 13, near car park 7, Nathan Cobb Drive, CSU at Wagga Wagga. The exhibition marks the first group of education students at CSU to complete the subject, ‘Aboriginal History and Culture’.
Print this story Call to rethink investment in land conservation
10 Mar 2009
 Governments across Australia have spent billions of dollars on programs to encourage rural landholders to implement sustainable farming and biodiversity conservation practices, but has this money been well spent? Drawing on his research in south eastern Australia, Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Professor Allan Curtis will address this question when he speaks at the Fenner Conference on the Environment in Canberra on Wednesday 11 March. Professor Curtis will highlight the reality that most conservation work undertaken by private landholders is not funded by governments and that government investment in conservation programs, particularly those that invest in building and engaging human and social capital in rural communities, makes a difference. “The ‘business as usual’ approaches to engaging rural landholders are unlikely to work in the future given the remarkable change occurring as a large proportion of longer-term owners leave the land,” he said.
Media Note: For interviews contact CSU Media. Professor Allan Curtis, Professor of Integrated Environmental Management at CSU at Albury-Wodonga, will speak on Wednesday 11 March at the Fenner Conference on the Environment, Shine Dome, Gordon St, Canberra. Print this story Marking the years
10 Mar 2009
 While 2009 provides Charles Sturt University (CSU) with an opportunity to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the year is also a time to honour the 114-year tradition of excellence and innovation in teaching, learning and research. The University was established when the Charles Sturt University Act was passed by the NSW Parliament in July 1989, however the institution’s history can be traced back to the Bathurst Experimental Farm, established in 1895.The official opening ceremony for the University’s 20th anniversary will be held from 11am, Thursday 12 March, in Joyes Hall at CSU at Wagga Wagga. Read more here.
Media Note: CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Lyn Gorman is available for interview about the University’s 20-th anniversary. A copy of Professor Gorman's speech to the 20th anniversary opening is available from at the end of the CSU news release here. Manager of CSU Archives Mr Wayne Doubleday is available for interview about the University's history. Photos of the official opening of the 20-th anniversary are also available. Contact CSU Media. Print this story Information on the university next door
10 Mar 2009
For Dubbo school leavers pondering their future, it’s good to know there’s a university on their doorstep, as local resident Mitchell Welham discovered. Born and raised in Dubbo, Mitchell enrolled to study a primary school teaching degree at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Dubbo, next door to his high school. “Many people wondered why I would want to further my studies in my hometown,” Mitchell said. “I saw CSU at Dubbo as a way to continue my active participation in the Dubbo community and wanted to show that you didn’t have to go far to gain a successful career.” Having begun his teaching career at Tingha Public School in Northern NSW, Mitchell will return to Dubbo next week to graduate. To find out more about the University and its courses available on-campus or by distance education, CSU staff and students will be at Orana Mall to answer questions and guide prospective students through the next steps on their career pathways.
Media Note: The CSU Advisory Days will take place on Thursday 12 March from midday to 7pm, Friday 13 March from midday to 6pm, and Saturday 14 March from 10am to 2pm at Orana Mall, corner of Wheeler’s Lane and Mitchell Highway, Dubbo. The 2009 graduation ceremony for CSU at Dubbo will be held on Wednesday 25 March. Print this story St Patrick’s Day service
10 Mar 2009
 A warm Irish invitation is extended to the Canberra community to attend the annual ‘Celebration of St Patrick’, to be held at 12noon on Monday 16 March in the chapel of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C) in Canberra. The service is a joint project of the ACC&C and the Canberra Friends of Ireland Society and will be presided over by Reverend Professor James Haire, AM, ACC&C Director. The homilist will be the retired Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, David Cremin, and Ms Susan Ryan, AO, a former Minister in the Keating Government, will give the Irish-Australian Address. Representatives of other churches will take part, as well as representatives from the Embassy of Ireland and diplomatic missions of other countries with historic ties to Ireland. Canberra’s Irish organisations, the Celtic Choir and Irish traditional musicians will provide music, songs and prayers in English and Gaelic. The collection will aid the peace and reconciliation of the Inter-Denominational Corrymeela Community in Northern Ireland.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. The annual ‘Celebration of St Patrick’ will be held at 12noon on Monday 16 March, in the ACC&C chapel, corner of King’s Avenue and Blackall Street, Barton, Canberra ACT. Parking is available in the grounds of the Centre and in nearby public car parks. For more information, contact Ms Jessica Nelson at the ACC&C on (02) 6272 6201. Print this story Valuing our natural places
10 Mar 2009
 People in and around Maryborough and Castlemaine in Central Victoria will soon be able to have their say on how communities value natural assets. Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher and PhD student Ms Eloise Seymour is hoping for over 500 replies to a mail survey she is sending out which will give her feedback on how people value local environmental assets such as the local Box-Ironbark Forests, the Moorlort wetlands, and the Loddon River between Baringhup and Vaughan Springs. “The Moorlort wetlands have been dry for 10 years due to the drought but local farmers have said how important they are for bird migration and how spectacular they used to be. Survey participants should consider how they value wetlands now and in the past,” Ms Seymour said. The survey, which should take 20 minutes to complete, will be sent to people living in small towns, regional centres, on farms and with special interests such as field naturalists. “The survey results will help develop better ways for environmental organisations in Australia to decide what natural places should receive government funding and resources,” Ms Seymour said.
Media Note: For interviews with Ms Eloise Seymour on her research project titled ‘Considering community values for natural assets in regional Natural Resource Management decision making’, contact Margrit Beemster on (02) 6051 9653. Her research is funded by the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre and is part of the Institute for Land, Water and Society. Survey results should be distributed to respondents by August 2009. Print this story Victory in blood donations
10 Mar 2009
 The Australian Red Cross Blood Service has named Charles Sturt University (CSU) as the winner of its Club Red Corporate Challenge in Wagga Wagga for the second successive year. The University made the highest number of blood donations of businesses in Wagga Wagga in 2008. During a visit to CSU at Wagga Wagga by the Red Cross donor mobile unit, the Club Red Corporate Challenge trophy was presented to the University, with donations by CSU staff and students totalling 233 in 2008. The University’s blood donation efforts continue in 2009 as part of CSU’s 20th anniversary celebrations. The University has issued a ‘North-South’ challenge in March where the total staff and student blood donations at CSU at Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst (North) will be tallied against donations at Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga (South). Read more here.
Print this story Jobs, jobs, jobs at fair
10 Mar 2009
.JPG) The prospect of gaining fresh employment leads was so inviting to a Charles Sturt University (CSU) distance education student that he travelled from Adelaide to attend the University’s Careers Fair at Bathurst on Monday 9 March. Mr Paul Cooper has studied a Bachelor of Business (Agricultural Commerce) with the School of Management and Marketing by distance education and will graduate at CSU at Orange later in March. “This is a great way to kick off career employment opportunities,” Mr Cooper said. “It’s an excellent meeting place for employers and graduates, and has confirmed for me that networking is the way find a great job. It has definitely been worth coming over from Adelaide to attend this event.” Ms Vicki Anderson, Student Services Career Counsellor and event organiser, said that the 36 employer organisations who participated all gave her positive feedback, as did the many CSU students who attended.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Employer groups participating at the CSU Careers Fair included the Australian Defence Forces, government departments, education employers, international accountancy firms such as KPMG and Ernst & Young, and regional firms WHK, Morse Group Accountants, and Boyce Chartered Accountants. Print this story Careers Fair for employers and CSU students
05 Mar 2009
 Despite a gloomier national and international economic outlook, 36 organisations that employ university graduates will participate at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) 2009 Careers Fair at the Bathurst Campus on Monday 9 March. The Event Manager and Student Services Career Counsellor at CSU Bathurst, Ms Vicki Anderson, said that the global financial crisis was now impacting on jobs nationally and the next few years could make it harder for graduates to attain a job or career in their chosen area. “Employers of graduates are now making hard decisions about where they can recruit the best graduates. The world of graduate employment has turned face-about, and it is now an employers’ market,” Ms Anderson said. “The 2009 Careers Fair will showcase Charles Sturt University as a professional organisation that encourages its students to be proactive in shaping their futures.” Employer organisations will host displays and present workshops throughout the day to educate students on the attributes that graduates require, and CSU representatives from Alumni, Marketing, Career Services and Faculties will also attend to advise students.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Ms Vicki Anderson. The Manager of Stakeholder Relations at CSU, Ms Jan Hudson, will open the 2009 Careers Fair at the CD Blake Auditorium (Gynasium) at the CSU Bathurst Campus at 10.45am, and the Fair will conclude at 2.30pm. Information about the 2009 Careers Fair can be found here and the Program can be found here.
Print this story Victimology explored at 'stalking' conference
03 Mar 2009
.jpg) The development of the study of victimology will be explored by Dr Diane Westerhuis, lecturer in Justice Studies at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies, during the conference, 'Stalking' on Friday 6 March in Bathurst. “Victimology is an indication of the concerns we have as a society about ever-increasing levels of violent crime,” Dr Westerhuis said. “In order to understand how to respond to such levels of violence and to program for prevention, we need to study the impact such violence has upon the innocent, particularly children and women, who are most often the victims. Victims of stalking are particularly vulnerable, because the nature of stalking affects the victim’s long term psychological, social and interpersonal functioning. This is a particularly difficult issue to research, because stalking is not always reported, and you will not find stalking identified in the latest crime statistics.”
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with CSU lecturer Dr Diane Westerhuis. The state-wide conference on 'Stalking' will be held on Friday 6 March from 9.30am to 4.30pm at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, William St, Bathurst. Please direct all conference enquiries to the Central West Women's Health Centre, Bathurst, on 02 6331 4133. Other speakers at the conference include keynote speaker Mr David Vaile, Executor Director of the Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre, University of New South Wales (the latest research and laws relating to cyber stalking), Ms Fiona Gray, Solicitor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions ('Prosecuting stalking cases'), and Dr Shaunagh Foy, Forensic Profiler ('Profiling perpetrators').
Print this story The business of AIDS
03 Mar 2009
Many business leaders around the world are aware that they must ‘do something’ about HIV/AIDS. However, in order to take effective action, they need to understand the diverse economic, social, political and health issues relating to the epidemic. Charles Sturt University (CSU) postgraduate student Ms Saskia Faulk aims to develop a risk management tool for companies seeking to understand the extent and dynamics of HIV/AIDS so they can put into place HIV/AIDS workplace programs. Ms Faulk is completing a CSU Doctorate of Business Administration by distance education from Switzerland. Ms Faulk has also co-written a book, AIDS and Business, which presents case studies of businesses in countries including Brazil, India, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand, South Africa, and Switzerland. “The spread of HIV/AIDS affects businesses in all sectors, all industries and all countries, so companies and organisations must take action,” she said.
Media Note: For interviews with CSU postgraduate student Ms Saskia Faulk, contact CSU Media. AIDS and Business by Ms Faulk and Mr Jean-Claude Usunier is published this month by Routledge. Print this story Students forge new ground in Pakistan
03 Mar 2009
 Four Charles Sturt University (CSU) students from the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences have returned with a wealth of experience after a three week visit to Pakistan where they worked with dairy farmers to improve the nutrition and health of their animals. A highlight for the CSU students Ms Amanda-Lee Charman, Mr Rhys Duncan, Ms Emma Hand and Mr Shahid Khalfan was conducting a seminar for 40 Pakistani students on topics including calf management, animal nutrition and health and fodder production. “The visit broke through new frontiers as the CSU students introduced new concepts in learning,” said CSU’s Professor Peter Wynn, who is leading an Australian project to assist Pakistani dairy farmers. “Our host, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Veterinary and Animal Science in the city of Lahore was very interested with the students’ approach to the seminars and he hoped that his University would be able to adopt similar ‘problem solving’ teaching techniques.”
Media Note: CSU is running a long term project through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) which aims to improve extension services for the 8.5 million small dairy farmers of Pakistan. The program is a part of the Australian Government’s commitment to the Pakistani Government under the Agriculture Sector Linkages Program (ASLP). CSU Professor of Animal Production Peter Wynn and the students, based in Wagga Wagga, are available for interview. Contact CSU Media.
Print this story Support for Cooinda families
03 Mar 2009
As part of their engagement with their local community, over 30 third year speech pathology students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will again participate in Cooinda Family Support Services, a community organisation assisting families in the Albury-Wodonga district to support themselves. CSU clinical coordinator Ms Marion Vile says the annual Cooinda student project allocates pairs of students to individual families for up to 14 weeks. The students work closely with clients and their families to develop an individual assessment and intervention program and then implement the program. “The students also gain in-depth learning experiences and can hone their skills under the supervision of an experienced speech pathologist,” Ms Vile said.
Media Note: CSU speech pathology students will meet with their families in the Cooinda project for the first time in 2009 from 12.30pm on Tuesday 10 March in the CSU Nowik Lecture Theatres, Guinea St, Albury. For interviews with the CSU clinical coordinator Ms Marion Vile, and speech pathology students and families in the Cooinda project, contact CSU Media.
Print this story A new tool for fruit fly control
03 Mar 2009
 Two species of parasitic wasps, identified in southern NSW during on-going research at Charles Sturt University (CSU), could unlock new ways to fight fruit fly in Australia. PhD student Mrs Jennifer Spinner has been collecting fruit ‘stung’ by fruit fly in home gardens during the fruit fly season (October to May) in Albury, Cootamundra, Ganmain, Gundagai, Lake Cargelligo, Lockhart and Wagga Wagga. The fruit has been held in a laboratory at CSU at Wagga Wagga in a controlled temperature environment until adult fruit fly or parasitic wasps emerge. “I am examining whether the wasps are present in inland NSW and whether large releases of the wasps could be used for the biological control of fruit fly,” said Mrs Spinner. The female wasp lays her eggs inside the fruit fly larvae, which hatch and feed on the fruit fly larvae, ultimately killing the pest. In 2009, the PhD student will travel to Guatemala, Hawaii and Mexico where releases of parasitoids have improved the management of fruit fly.
Media Note: Mrs Spinner is a student with the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity based at the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries in Wagga Wagga. The research project is supported by Riverina Citrus and Horticulture Australia Limited and supervised by Professor Geoff Gurr, Dr Olivia Kvedaras and Mr Andrew Jessup. Mrs Spinner recently presented the early findings of her research ‘Parasitic wasps: a new tool for fruit fly management in Australia?’ to the 3rd International Symposium for the Biological Control of Arthropods in New Zealand. Print this story Faith and evolution in the 21st century
03 Mar 2009
 Celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the birth of the ‘father of evolution’, Charles Darwin, will include a seminar highlighting two prominent Charles Sturt University (CSU) scientists this weekend in Wagga Wagga. A workshop will be held on Saturday 7 March to discuss the theory of evolution and Christian faith, with keynote speakers including CSU’s Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Nick Klomp, who will speak on science and evolution. Internationally recognised water scientist and active Christian, Professor David Mitchell from CSU, will then talk on ‘The role of uncertainty in the pursuit of truth’, while seminar coordinator, Fr Roger Munson, will discuss evolution and its implications for a progressive faith in the 21st Century.
Media Note: The seminar and weekend celebration will be held from 2pm at St John's Anglican Church in Wagga Wagga from Saturday 7 to Sunday 8 March. For interviews before the event with CSU Dean of Science, Professor Nick Klomp, or CSU’s Professor David Mitchell, contact CSU Media. For interviews about the seminar and the celebration, contact Fr Roger Munson on mobile 0408 674 762. Fr Roger Munson is former Dean of St Alban's Cathedral in Griffith.
Print this story Orange joins blood challenge
03 Mar 2009
 Blood donations are set to flow this Friday 6 March when the Red Cross Donor Mobile Unit arrives at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Orange. Staff and students will have the chance to assist Victorian bushfire victims by taking on the ‘North-South’ challenge. As part of CSU’s 20th anniversary celebrations this year, the University has issued a challenge where the total staff and student blood donations at CSU at Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst (North) will be tallied against donations at Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga (South). “This is a great opportunity for staff and students in Orange to do their bit for the bushfire victims,” said the Head of Orange Campus, Professor Kevin Parton.
Media Note: The Red Cross Donor Mobile Unit will be at CSU Orange from 9.30am to 2.30pm on Friday 6 March. Read more about the ‘North-South’ challenge here. CSU students can attend any blood bank site during March to donate blood by registering for the challenge through the Red Cross Blood Service. For interviews contact CSU Media on Thursday 5 March. Print this story Interfaith celebration at ACC&C
27 Feb 2009
 Members of the public are invited to attend a multi-faith Celebration of the Commonwealth to be held at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra at 11am on Commonwealth Day, Monday 9 March 2009. The Executive Director of the ACC&C, Reverend Professor James Haire, AM, said “The celebration is modelled on the Commonwealth Observance which Her Majesty the Queen attends in Westminster Abbey each Commonwealth Day, and the theme for the celebration this year is The Commonwealth @ 60 – serving a new generation. Local leaders of major world religions will participate in the reading of six affirmations at the celebration which will feature indigenous participation, cultural performances, a Tongan choir, a Chinese group, a Ugandan quartet and the Woden Valley Youth Choir.” The celebration, which is expected to last for 90 minutes and will be followed by lunch, has been assisted by the ACT Government’s Multicultural Grants Program 2008-09.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. The Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture is at the corner King’s Avenue and Blackall Street, Barton, Canberra ACT. Parking is available in the grounds of the Centre and in nearby public car parks. Print this story Uniting through faith
24 Feb 2009
Fourteen visitors from Indonesia touring Victoria and Tasmania to bring closer understanding between Muslims and Christians will meet with members of the Border community at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Tuesday 3 March. Hosted by the Uniting Church in Australia, the group particularly aims to increase mutual understanding and cultural appreciation between the Muslim majority of Indonesia and Australia’s Christian communities. While in Albury, the group will visit the University’s facilities and speak with CSU students at Thurgoona. “The University hopes the visit will enhance understanding and relations between the faiths and our cultures,” said visit coordinator and CSU student counsellor Mr Geoff Simmons. The visit will include a public forum hosted by CSU Professor The Rev. James Haire from the University’s School of Theology in Canberra.
Media Note: For interviews with CSU student counsellor Geoff Simmons on Monday 2 March, or with Professor The Rev. James Haire who has worked in this field and Indonesia for many years, contact CSU Media. The public forum, Social Justice in the Christian and Islamic Faiths, will start at 7.30pm on Tuesday 3 March at the Nowik Lecture Theatre, Guinea St, Albury. Print this story Senior international appointment for CSU scientist
24 Feb 2009
 International recognition for his expertise in wetland management has led to the reappointment of a senior Charles Sturt University (CSU) scientist to a scientific panel for the international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Director of CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society Professor Max Finlayson will be a member of Ramsar's Scientific and Technical Review Panel from 2009 to 2012, specialising in the effects of climate change on wetlands and water and the social and economic effects on people who rely on them. Professor Finlayson said the appointment is a great honour and is recognition of scientific expertise available at CSU. The Ramsar Convention, established in 1975, aims to protect wetlands worldwide, including the iconic Barmah Forest and Lower Lakes on the Murray River and the Macquarie Marshes in central NSW.
Media Note: For interviews with ILWS Director Professor Max Finlayson, contact CSU Media. Print this story CSU blood donors wanted for Red Cross
24 Feb 2009
.jpg) In this Year of the Blood Donor staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) are being asked to donate blood on its five campuses from Monday 2 to Friday 6 March. As part of CSU’s 20th anniversary celebrations this year, the University has issued a ‘North-South’ challenge, with the total staff and student donations at CSU campuses at Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst (North) being tallied against donations at Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga (South). The Head of Campus at CSU at Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, said the University aims to achieve 1 000 donations during the week. “While we have been planning this event for some time, it is given added urgency and significance by the needs of burns victims from the recent bushfires in Victoria,” Mr Sharp said. “I urge all University staff and students to donate blood if they possibly can. It costs nothing, takes less than an hour and does so much good.” One in three Australians will need blood during their lifetime, yet only one in 30 donates blood.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Print this story |
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