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15 Mar 2011
A key part of the graduation celebrations later this month at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga is the Town and Gown ceremonial parade through the city’s central business district. The annual parade of academics, local councillors and graduates will be held from 4pm on Tuesday 29 March. The procession will be led by the Riverina Concert Band and follow a route down Baylis Street to the Civic Theatre where a reception will be hosted by the Head of CSU in Wagga Wagga Mr Adrian Lindner and the Mayor of Wagga Wagga, Councillor Wayne Geale. More than 3 000 graduates are eligible to attend six ceremonies to be held at CSU in Wagga Wagga from Wednesday 30 March to Friday 1 April. The Town and Gown is open to members of CSU’s governing body, the CSU Council; CSU general and academic staff; Wagga Wagga City Councillors; CSU graduates. Eligible staff from the Riverina Institute of TAFE NSW, UNSW’s Rural Clinical School, and the Wagga Wagga City Council have also been invited to participate in the colourful annual event.

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: Academic robing will take place from 3.30pm in the Townhouse International Motor Inn, 70 Morgan Street. The procession will commence at 4pm from the corner of Morgan and Baylis Streets and conclude at approximately 4.20pm for a public reception in front of the Civic Theatre. Further information about graduation at CSU in Wagga Wagga can be found here.
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14 Mar 2011
The US Consul General in Australia, Mr Niels Marquardt, will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 16 March to learn about the work of the University and to deliver a lecture to staff and students. The Head of Campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Adrian Lindner, said, “I look forward to welcoming Mr Marquardt to the University and showing him some of the excellent facilities here. We will tour the campus, and visit the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, and the International Centre of Water for Food Security. We will also discuss the work of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation. Mr Marquardt will then present a lecture for staff and students about his experience in the US Peace Corp.” Mr Marquardt’s lecture, The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love: Volunteering in the Developing World, will explore his experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda from1977-79. The Peace Corps is an independent US government agency established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to encourage young Americans to serve their country in the cause of peace by volunteering to live and work in developing countries that request assistance. Mr Lindner hopes meeting and listening to Mr Marquardt’s experiences will inspire current CSU students to get involved and make a positive contribution in developing countries.

Media Officer	: Mark O'Brien
Telephone	: 02 63657813

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09 Mar 2011

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note:
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09 Mar 2011

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: For further information, contact CSU Media.
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08 Mar 2011
Students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Environmental Sciences will give high school students from around Albury-Wodonga a personal experience of study at CSU on Thursday 10 March. The 11 high school students will work with CSU undergraduate students for the day, following them through lectures, laboratory study and fieldwork, as the CSU students go about a ‘normal day’ in their studies as part of the University’s MyDay program. Head of the School of Environmental Sciences, Associate Professor Ben Wilson, said open days can only show a snapshot of university life, but “you have to ‘be a student for a day’ to see what it is really like. This is particularly important for such a ‘hands-on’ degree as environmental sciences.”

Media Officer	: Wes Ward
Telephone	: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Associate Professor Ben Wilson at 11am, as well as pictures of the students sitting in lectures or learning in the campus environment.
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08 Mar 2011
Indigenous poet Ms Ali Cobby Eckermann is the first Writer-In-Residence for 2011 at the Booranga Writers’ Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. A Nunga writer, Ms Cobby Eckermann lives in the South Australia town of Koolunga. Her first poetry collection, published by Picaro Press in 2009, little bit longtime, charts her journey to reconnect with her Yankunytjatjara family. In 2007, Ms Cobby Eckermann was granted two poetry mentorships through the Northern Territory Writers’ Centre and Varuna, The Writers’ House. The poet will be joined in Wagga Wagga by fellow writer Mr Lionel Fogarty, a Murri man from Queensland. His internationally acclaimed work includes ten books of poetry and a children’s book. Mr Fogarty is well known for his activism for the rights of Indigenous Australians since he was a teenager. While a Writer-In-Residence until Friday 11 March, Ms Cobby Eckermann will be accompanied by her partner on visits to the Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre in Wagga Wagga, where they will be working on writing with detainees.

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: The poets will also give a public reading at the City Library in Baylis Street in Wagga Wagga from 5pm on Thursday 10 March and conduct a writers’ workshop at the Booranga Writers’ Centre from 2pm on Saturday 12 March.
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08 Mar 2011
One the of the oldest public institutions in Albury, the public hospital, is celebrating its 150^th anniversary. Local historian and adjunct academic with Charles Sturt University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, Associate Professor Bruce Pennay, has gathered a collection of documents, photos, films and artefacts to commemorate the event, which will be on show at the Albury LibraryMuseum in Kiewa Street. “Many people have been involved with the Albury Hospital since it was established in 1861, either as patients, visitors, employees or fund-raisers. This is their opportunity to celebrate the hospital and its links to the Albury community,” Professor Pennay said. The Exhibition will be officially opened at 1pm on Sunday 13 March in the LibraryMuseum, and continues to Sunday 1 May.

Media Officer	: Wes Ward
Telephone	: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: For interview with Associate Professor Bruce Pennay, contact CSU Media.
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08 Mar 2011
Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst are being encouraged to sign up for the Red Cross 2011 Inter-campus Blood Donation Challenge when the mobile donor unit visits the campus from Monday 14 to Thursday 17 March. The Head of Campus in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, said, “Charles Sturt University is happy to encourage such a competition. The activity is entirely consistent with the University’s desire to see CSU students contribute to the broader society and develop their sense of social responsibility.” Mr Brendan McIlveen, a final-year paramedic student at the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences, said that the competition aimed to see which CSU campus can donate the most blood to save the most lives. “Just one blood donation can help save the lives of three people, so with hundreds of potential donations from people at the University we may be able to save the lives of thousands. As well as this, blood donations assist medical research and can be used to treat patients in emergencies and disasters. It takes less than an hour to make a donation and it’s a wonderfully practical thing to do to assist others in need,” Mr McIlveen said.

Media Officer	: Bruce Andrews
Telephone	: 02 63386084

Media Note: For more information, please contact Mr David Tallentire (Manager, CSU OH&S) on 6338 4096.
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08 Mar 2011
Senior students from high schools in the region will gain information and insights about communication courses they can study when they attend the MyDay promotion at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 15 March. CSU Prospective Student Adviser, Ms Fran Dwyer, said, “This MyDay will focus on journalism, public relations, theatre/media, advertising, and commercial radio. About 40 students from 14 schools around the central west will attend general information sessions and interactive sessions with academics from the relevant disciplines and courses.” Participating schools include All Saints College, Cowra High School, Gulgong High School, James Sheahan Catholic High School, La Salle Academy Lithgow, Lithgow High School, Mackillop College, Mudgee High School, Muswellbrook High School, Oakhill College, Portland Central School, Red Bend Catholic College, St Mary’s Senior High School, and St Stanislaus College.

Media Officer	: Bruce Andrews
Telephone	: 02 63386084

Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews.
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07 Mar 2011
A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic will address a dinner in Bathurst on Tuesday 8 March to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD). Associate Professor Leonora Ritter, an Honorary Fellow in the CSU Division of Learning and Teaching Services, will speak about the achievements of women in the past century and draw attention to what she thinks needs to be achieved in the future. Outlining her speech, Professor Ritter said, “We seem to have made more progress in masculinising women to suit a patriarchal world of aggression, competition and oppositional politics than in feminising the world. I believe we need to ‘feminise’ men and the public sphere by promoting creativity, collaboration, communication, empathy and adaptability.” Professor Ritter will also address a CSU Senior Women’s Forum IWD breakfast at 8am at the University on Tuesday 8 March.

Media Officer	: Bruce Andrews
Telephone	: 02 63386084

Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Associate Professor Leonora Ritter will speak at the International Women’s Day dinner at The Vanilla Bean restaurant, Bentink St, Bathurst, on Tuesday 8 March.
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01 Mar 2011

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note:
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01 Mar 2011
Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) are being urged to do their bit for Clean Up Australia Day. CSU Green is calling for volunteers on its five major campuses - Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga - to participate in the national event on Friday 4 March, the day designated for schools. Volunteers are encouraged to register their interest in the clean up on their local campus through the Clean Up Australia Day site here. “We hope to see staff and students and their family and friends turn out between 8am and 11am to pick up rubbish and conserve the local environment,” CSU Green’s Ms Nicole Hyde said. “The event will be a positive start to the commencement of on campus classes during the week. Volunteers are asked to bring along some gloves to wear and of course a hat and sunscreen.”

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

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01 Mar 2011
The new Head of the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga, Professor Nick Sangster, is keen to make research a priority. Professor Sangster joined CSU in 2006 and specialises in Veterinary Parasitology, the study of the relationship between parasites and animal hosts. He has a passion for research and has earned an international reputation for his work into drench resistance of sheep internal parasites. In his new role, Professor Sangster wants to ensure his School continues to turn out high quality graduates while further developing research opportunities and infrastructure. “At Charles Sturt University, we have a close connection with farmers in the region,” Professor Sangster said. “Our diagnostic services and student workplace learning in the rural sector means we are in a unique position to identify problems, find solutions and pass those on to producers.” The new appointment comes as the first group of veterinary science students prepare to graduate from CSU in Wagga Wagga on Friday 1 April. In 2006, Professor Sangster was awarded the Fellowship of the Australian Society for Parasitology.

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: The new head of the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Professor Nick Sangster is based at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The School offers undergraduate programs in Animal Science, Equine Science and Veterinary Science, and postgraduate programs in Animal Science and Captive Vertebrate Management. Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews.
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01 Mar 2011
Ms Lara Cowling, an administration assistant in the Division of Student Administration at Charles Sturt University (CSU), may only have lived in Orange a short time, but she has fast become a local sports-figure and will represent New South Wales (NSW) at the International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) / Pistol Australia (PA) National Championships in April. Ms Cowling, gained recognition at the recent Australia Day ceremonies when she received a certificate of achievement in pistol shooting. She began the sport back in her home town of Gauteng, formally known as Johannesburg, in South Africa. “I’ve probably been involved in the sport for about 10 years. Besides personal protection in South Africa, I was a Reservist for the South African Police Service for about five years and that’s how I got interested in shooting.” Ms Cowling took up the sport in Australia when she arrived here three years ago, and will represent NSW in the national titles for the second time when she travels to Adelaide this Easter. “It’s a physical and mental test and I take it very seriously. Pistol shooting is approximately 90per cent mental and only 10 per cent physical.”

Media Officer	: Holly-Amber Manning
Telephone	: 02 6365 7813

Media Note: Ms Cowling will travel to the national competition with Ms Helen Lord, Mr Dean Brus, Mr Davey Oates and Mr Max Wicks from Orange, which makes them a significant part of the NSW team.
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01 Mar 2011
For the first time, Orange Buslines has included Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on its bus route this week. Travelling on the first bus to the campus, Head of Campus at CSU in Orange, Professor Kevin Parton, said the service is of great convenience to the staff and students. “The Charles Sturt University campus is on the outskirts of Orange so in the past students have needed a bike or car to travel to classes. Now they can catch the bus almost anywhere in town to attend classes and return home in the same fashion. It’s good to know students don’t have the pressure of purchasing a bike or car when they first arrive here. It is hoped that more staff can leave their cars at home and catch the busy to work, to reduce our carbon footprint even more,” Professor Parton said. At this stage, the bus will travel to CSU and back three times a day picking up passengers from Hill Street, Summer Street and Dalton Street bus stops and dropping off at the Orange campus.

Media Officer	: Holly-Amber Manning
Telephone	: 02 6365 7813

Media Note: For more information contact CSU Media.
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01 Mar 2011
As part of an extensive research project driven by the Charles Sturt Universitys (CSU) Faculty of Education, regional and remote CSU Early Childhood and TAFE Diploma of Children’s Services students will attend forums this weekend in Griffiths and Parkes. Associate Head of School of Teacher Education at CSU in Dubbo, Dr Alison Lord, says the forums are part of a project that aims to build workforce capacity in Early Childhood Education and develop training pathways that are accessible and locally supported in these areas. “This project is a great example of how Charles Sturt University has collaborated with partners to create a valuable resource,” Dr Lord said. “Along with TAFE NSW Western Institute (WIT), TAFE NSW Riverina Institute (RIT), and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Education (BIITE), CSU will hold public forums for students and volunteer mentors to discuss the wellbeing and rights of children who are part of inland and Indigenous education.” The project team plans to develop online resources for teachers studying and working in regional and remote Australia.

Media Officer	: Holly-Amber Manning
Telephone	: 02 6365 7813

Media Note: The Early Childhood Education Workforce Capacity Project supports the transition from TAFE to University study. The Pilots will involve students continuing their TAFE study as usual as well as enrolling in CSU University Certificate in Educational Studies. By co-enrolling in TAFE NSW and CSU, students will be able to complete one subject at University while still studying their TAFE Units. An artwork painted by well-known Indigenous painter Mr Darren Cooper will be presented to the Early Childhood Education Workforce Capacity Project team during the forums.
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22 Feb 2011
Weeds occupy a lot of the time of scientist Dr Rex Stanton, a postdoctoral fellow with the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation – an alliance of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Industry & Investment NSW. Dr Stanton has been honoured with the Medal for Excellence in Weed Management 2010 from the Weed Society of NSW for his work on glyphosate (active ingredient in herbicide Roundup) resistance in annual ryegrass, management of silverleaf nightshade, and his contribution to general weed management and administration in the state. Dr Stanton has been involved in weed research at CSU in Wagga Wagga for many years and is also the President of the Weed Society of NSW. His current research focuses on new ways to manage silverleaf nightshade and prairie ground cherry, two perennial deep-rooted weeds active in summer. His work examines improving the efficiency of herbicides; competitive pasture options; and assessing allelopathic compounds. Another member of the Weed Society of NSW, Mr Jim Swain, was a co-recipient of the Society’s Medal for Excellence in Weed Management 2010.

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: Dr Rex Stanton is on the national Glyphosate Sustainability Working Group; the only national body looking at how to manage herbicide resistance for a single herbicide. Read more about Dr Stanton here.
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22 Feb 2011
A play by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer about the behind-the-scenes workings of a television current affairs unit will have its world premiere in Bathurst on Thursday 24 February. The Sand Dwellers, by Ms Kay Nankervis, lecturer in broadcast journalism at the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Bathurst, explores and lampoons the world of ratings-driven commercial television current affairs programs. Ms Nankervis said, “This is a big, complex collaboration which has drawn on creative talent from the people of Bathurst, the Bathurst Theatre Company, Local Stages-BMEC, and staff and recent graduates of the School of Communication and Creative Industries, for set design, TV logos, actors, multimedia production, and overall production management. I’ve enjoyed great support from the School throughout the development of my script, as part of my University research work, which has enabled me to interview practising current affairs journalists and managers about the play’s subject matter.”

Media Officer	: Bruce Andrews
Telephone	: 02 63386084

Media Note: The Sand Dwellers is produced in conjunction with the Bathurst Theatre Company and Local Stages-BMEC, features a local cast, is designed by Mr Karl Shead, with multi-media by Mr Thomas Druitt, and is directed by Ms Becky Russell.
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15 Feb 2011
An Indonesian academic will discuss his research into the risks associated with transmission of avian influenza and swine fever with researchers at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Thursday 17 February. Dr Muktasam Abdurrahman, a social scientist specialising in rural community development with Indonesia’s Mataram University, is assessing the risk of avian flu and swine fever in eastern Indonesia through the movements of poultry and pig between the islands of Bali, Lombok, Flores, Sumba and West Timor. “He will highlight social, cultural and environmental dimensions to the spread of these diseases, which have important implications for Australia’s biosecurity,” says CSU researcher and host, Dr Joanne Millar. Dr Muktasam is in Albury to present a seminar and work with Dr Millar who has also been investigating livestock movements in eastern Indonesia.

Media Officer	: Wes Ward
Telephone	: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: For interviews and pictures with Dr Muktasam Abdurrahman, contact CSU Media. Dr Abdurrahman will be available for interviews at the CSU School of Environmental Sciences, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.
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15 Feb 2011
He began his working life as a junior clerk with the Wagga Agricultural College and ends it as finance chief of Charles Sturt University (CSU), overseeing a budget of $380 million. Mr Jim Hackett will retire as Executive Director of the University’s Division of Finance on Friday 18 February after 44 years with CSU and its predecessor institutions. Reflecting on his lengthy career with the organisation, Mr Hackett said, “The capital development of Charles Sturt University during the last five years has been staggering. Between 2007 and 2010, capital expenditure was $250 million; up 50 per cent from an asset base of $500 million.” Looking to the future, Mr Hackett said, “The capital plan for the next five years of $200 million is fully funded. We are now a major player, a genuine university with national and international recognition.” Mr Hackett says he is looking forward to having more ‘time’ during his retirement in Wagga Wagga. This includes time for travel and his three grandchildren. Mr Paul Dowler has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Division of Finance.

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: The Division of Finance at CSU is responsible for providing financial, legal and related services to the University. An informal farewell morning tea will be held for Mr Jim Hackett from 10am on Friday 18 February at the Staff Club in building 6 near car park 4, Tooma Way at CSU in Wagga Wagga.
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