A ceremony to be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga tomorrow Wednesday 8 September will mark the lengthy contributions made by numerous staff to the development of the institution for the past three decades. A lunch hosted by Head of Campus in Wagga Wagga Mr Adrian Lindner will be held at CSU in Wagga Wagga to honour 10 staff who have worked for CSU and its predecessor institutions for 20 or 30 years. Lecturer with the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences  Mr Warren Lusby and document production officer with the Division of Learning and Teaching Services Ms Lynda Lawrence will be recognised for 30 years of service at this ceremony. A second ceremony will be held for a further nine staff on Tuesday 21 September. Those receiving the 30 year honour at this event include Ms Cheryl Honey, contracts officer with the Division of Facilities Management, senior lecturer with the School of Information Studies Mr Roy Sanders and production officer Mr John Jones from the School of Communication and Creative Industries.

The two long service ceremonies will be held from 12midday to 3pm on Wednesday 8 September and again on Tuesday 21 September in the Chancellor’s Room of the Convention Centre near car park 16, Jingellic Place, CSU in Wagga Wagga. CSU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Ian Goulter and Chancellor Mr Lawrie Willett AO will attend the Wednesday 8 September ceremony. Professor Goulter will also attend the Tuesday 21 September ceremony.

During its fifth anniversary, the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation - a collaborative alliance between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Industry & Investment NSW - will launch its new field site in Wagga Wagga. The 13 hectare field site will be launched from 9am on Wednesday 8 September. The NSW Natural Resources Commissioner, adjunct Professor at CSU, John Williams, will address the field site launch from 9.15am on Optimising food productivity and environmental protection. A program for the launch of the new field site can be found on the EH Graham Centre site. 

The EH Graham Centre Field Site is located at the corner of Coolamon and Prices Road at Wagga Wagga (about three kilometres north of CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus). The launch will take place from 9am to 12midday on Wednesday 8 September. Professor Deirdre Lemerle is available for interview on 02 69381667 or 0419 816 267. Read more here.

Four school students will make a difference to their charity of choice through a Charles Sturt University (CSU) social justice award. The Social Justice Innovation Award offered through the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU gives teenagers a platform to write about Making a Difference. The judges included senior social work lecturer, Dr Bill Anscombe, and poet and recently-retired English lecturer, Mr David Gilbey. “Although we only advertised the competition in NSW and the ACT, we also received entries from Victoria and the Northern Territory. This highlights the fact that there are a lot of school students with writing talents keen to be involved in the project,” Dr Anscombe said. They winners of Making a Difference 2010 are Mr Kieran Hennessy from Great Lakes Tuncurry Senior High School, Mr Reid Butler from Merewether High School,  Ms Alexandra Jones from Pymble Ladies College and Ms Tara Whitsed of Corryong College.  Their nominated charities, World Vision, Red Cross, Love146 and beyondblue will each receive $250 from CSU.

The Making a Difference competition is an annual event open to students in years 10, 11 and 12 or students aged 16 to 21 years who are studying at TAFE. The four major prize winners receive a $250 cash prize and a further $250 is donated by CSU to a charity selected by the winners. 

The CSU Global Where in the World exhibition will finish its travels when it reaches Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Monday 6 September. CSU Global, the University’s student exchange program, ran a Facebook competition to collect images from international student travels. A cash prize of $500 was awarded to the winning student in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga. Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) student Ms Lauren Owen submitted an image she took in Luang Prabang in Laos. “I like this photograph because it depicts a tradition within the Buddhist community that has been followed for hundreds of years; it shows an ability to enjoy the simple traditions of life, pleasures often lost in a fast paced society,” Ms Owen said. “Having my photograph exhibited gave me a great sense of pride knowing people had viewed, voted and appreciated my work.”  

The Where in the World exhibition launch will be held at the Dining Hall, at CSU in Bathurst from 7pm to 10pm on Tuesday 14 September. The exhibition will be in Bathurst from Monday 6 September to Friday 24 September.

 

As a result of this competition, the CSU Global page on Facebook has had an increase in fans, from 356 in April to a 3 293 in June. Over 129 entries were submitted to the competition with a rise in page visits from 259 in April to 19 113 in June.

 

The Where in the World exhibition was initially launched at CSU in Wagga Wagga and travelled to Albury-Wodonga before reaching Bathurst to promote CSU Global and its world travel opportunities.

Three public schools in the Riverina will be on show next week as a Japanese delegation visits the region to learn more about school education in Australia. The three academics and five students from Yamagata University in north east Japan will visit the region from Monday 6 September to Friday 10 September. Hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga, the delegation will be given an overview of school education in Australia by senior lecturer Dr Brian Hemmings from the School of Education at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Monday 6 September. They will then visit The Rock Primary School on Tuesday 7 September, Wagga Wagga High School on Wednesday 8 September and Wagga Wagga Public School on Friday 10 September.  The delegates will inspect classrooms and lead activities with the school students such as a Japanese Food and Culture program at The Rock. “We anticipate that this visit will forge a stronger link between the two universities in Australia and Japan. We are also interested in talking about the possibility of teacher education students from Charles Sturt University visiting Yamagata in 2011 or 2012 to give them an international perspective in their studies, ” Dr Hemmings said.

For interviews and photos or an itinerary of the Yamagata University study tour to Wagga Wagga, contact CSU Media. Senior lecturer from the School of Education at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Dr Brian Hemmings is available for interview on 02 6933 2451. The delegation from Yamagata University in Japan is being led by Professor MIURA Toshikazu.      

 

The lives of parasites will be under the microscope in a new exhibition at the Museum of the Riverina in Wagga Wagga. Through its School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Wagga Wagga, Charles Sturt University (CSU) is an exhibition partner in Parasites in Focus from Wednesday 1 September until Wednesday 23 February 2011. After a tour of capital centres, the exhibition comes to Wagga Wagga at the Museum’s Botanic Garden site in Baden Powell Drive. It features spectacular photographic prints and interactive exhibits which gives a rare glimpse into the world of parasites. Head of Campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga Mr Adrian Lindner will open the exhibition at 6.30pm on Wednesday 1 September. There will be a special school holiday program for children aged eight years and above on Wednesday 6 October from 10am to 12midday. Bookings are required on 02 6926 9554. Read more about the Museum of the Riverina here.

 

Oral health programs from across Australia, Fiji and New Zealand will be represented at a meeting being held at the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga this week. The Oral Health Educators’ meeting will be held from 8.30am to 4pm on Friday 3 September. Thirty academics who teach the Bachelor of oral health programs within dentistry schools in the three counties will discuss issues such as new developments in oral health programs and regulations. The meeting is being held at CSU in Wagga Wagga following its new oral health program which began in 2009. Representing CSU at the meeting is the Head of School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, Professor David Wilson, and acting Director of the Oral Health and Dental Clinic, Mrs Helen Tane. The University introduced its Bachelor of Oral Health (Therapy/Hygiene) at CSU in Wagga Wagga and its Bachelor of Dental Science at CSU in Orange in 2009

Head of the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, Professor David Wilson, will open the Oral Health Educators’ Meeting between 8.30am and 9am on Friday 3 September in building 30, near car park 5, Nathan Cobb Drive, CSU in Wagga Wagga. There will be a morning tea break from 10.30am to 11.15am.

 

Crime scenes are scattered across Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga this week as students study the finer art of criminal and forensic investigations. About 40 students are attending a four-day residential school at CSU in Wagga Wagga from Tuesday 24 August to Friday 27 August for the distance education subject, Crime Scene. The residential school includes lectures on physical evidence, its collection and preservation and coroner’s courts. From 1.30pm to 4.30pm on each day of the residential school, the students will go out into the field to examine various crime scene scenarios set up with mannequins to test practical skills.  

Students enrolled in the subject, Crime Scene are undertaking courses such as the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Medical Science/Bachelor of Forensic Biotechnology double degree or the Bachelor of Policing. Casual lecturer, Mr Pieter Strik, from the Faculty of Arts  is  available for interviews at the simulated crime scenes at CSU in Wagga Wagga.   

With the cost of the Federal election running into the tens of millions of dollars, two Charles Sturt University (CSU) academics have spoken out in favour of voting online, stating it would be cheaper, secure and more efficient. “Australians are able to do their taxes online, bank online and even register to vote online,” lecturers Mr Geoff Fellows and Mr Ken Eustace said. “Yet Australians still turn up to polling stations around the country and have their names crossed off the roll in pencil and then mark their ballot papers in pencil. The technology is there for the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to conduct the poll online. Voters could use their Medicare numbers to vote at portable ATM-style machines. The votes could still be scrutinised and it may reduce the number of voters who mistakenly vote informal if the system ensures invalid votes are authorised. Voters could also vote from home by pre-registering their computer and then voting through a special website. The AEC could even charge the political parties to have links from the special site to election material.”

Mr Ken Eustace is a lecturer in Information Technology in the School of Computing and Mathematics at CSU in Wagga Wagga. Mr Geoff Fellows is as adjunct senior lecturer with the School of Computing and Mathematics  at CSU in Wagga Wagga. They also write a weekly column about IT issues for the Daily Advertiser in Wagga Wagga. The lecturers are available for interview.

An official copy of the Australian Government’s apology to child migrants in the 1900s will be displayed at the Learning Commons at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange.  With many Central West residents holding strong memories of Fairbridge Farm in Molong - one of the locations where child migrants from the United Kingdom were housed - the apology offered many a sense of closure to a dark time in Australia’s history. “Charles Sturt University in Orange is pleased to have this framed apology on display,” Head of Campus in Orange Professor Kevin Parton said. “It is an important part of our modern history and serves as a reminder to those studying here that events like this have happened.” The child migrants were from care institutions in the UK. Agencies involved in the child migration were Barnados and Fairbridge as well as agencies representing the Catholic and Protestant churches. Child and youth migration to NSW ended in 1967.

Head of Campus in Orange, Professor Kevin Parton will hang the framed apology at 11am on Thursday 26 August in the Learning Commons at CSU in Orange. For more information contact CSU Media.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is embracing the establishment in Wagga Wagga of the new Australian Aviation Hall of Fame. As one of the founding members of the Hall of Fame, the Head of Campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Adrian Lindner, will address its official opening on Tuesday 24 August at the Civic Theatre in Wagga Wagga. “Our involvement in the national Hall of Fame to honour the aviation industry comes as Charles Sturt University explores the introduction of a postgraduate aviation course,” Mr Lindner said. “It is also envisaged that the Charles Sturt University Library and Regional Archives will be providing advice on collecting, displaying and storing archival material.” Professor Mark Farrell from the Faculty of Arts said, “Charles Sturt University is working closely with industry representatives to develop a Graduate Certificate in Aviation Management and also a Master of Business Administration (Aviation Management).”

The Australian Aviation Hall of Fame is the brainchild of the former Managing Director of Regional Express, Mr Geoff Breust, former Qantas chief pilot, Captain Chris Manning, and the chief executive officer of the Regional Aviation Association of Australia, Mr Paul Tyrell.

 

The Mayor of Wagga Wagga Councillor Kerry Pascoe will launch the Hall of Fame during a ceremony from 6pm to 6.30pm on Tuesday 24 August. Head of Campus of CSU in Wagga Wagga Mr Adrian Lindner will outline the University’s support for the project at about 6.15pm. The Australian Aviation Hall of Fame has adopted a vision to honour those Australian individuals and organisations whose outstanding contributions have advanced aviation.

 

Local researchers and international guests will gather in Wagga Wagga to challenge current thinking about energy and its consumption. Attending a workshop in the city on Monday 30 August are members of a group of multi-disciplinary researchers who hail from the Institute for Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University (CSU). “The 'big' question the researchers are asking is: What can we learn from the present and the past to help people overcome energy constraints and share our resources equitably?” conference organiser, Adjunct Professor Ian Gray from the ILWS said.  At 9am on Monday 30 August at the Riverine Club in Sturt Street, Wagga Wagga, Professor Gray will welcome delegates to the three-day event, including historian Professor Colin Divall from the University of York in the United Kingdom, Professor Hans-Luidger Dienel and Dr Massimo Moraglio, both from Germany’s Berlin Technical University.

Illness has forced National Party Senator Fiona Nash to cancel her speech to a dinner with the researchers at the Country Comfort Motel in Wagga Wagga on Sunday 29 August.

 

The group, Innovative Perspectives on Energy and Climate Change, led by Associate Professor Ian Gray, is one of seven strategic research areas of CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS). Read about the research areas here. Professor Gray is available for interview on 02 6933 2701 or mobile 0418 164 565.  ILWS Communication Coordinator Ms Margrit Beemster will attend the conference in Wagga Wagga and is available on 02 6051 9653.

 

Professor Colin Divall from the University of York in UK and Professor Hans-Luidger Dienel and Dr Massimo Moraglio, both from Germany’s Berlin Technical University, are due to address two free public seminars at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 1 September. Read more here and here.

Rural health professionals will take advantage of the modern facilities when they visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange this Thursday 26 August to conduct training. Eleven nursing assistants from Orange will use CSU’s simulation hospital as part of their Certificate III in Health Services Assistance. Nurse educator for the Greater Western Area Health Service’s (GWAHS) Centre for Rural and Remote Education, Ms Trish Casey, said, “The facilities are a wonderful asset when it comes to training local professionals”. Skills laboratory attendant with the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health at CSU in Orange, Ms Sarah Strutt, hopes the ongoing relationship between the two institutions can continue to grow. “Charles Sturt University puts a lot of emphasis on these types of relationships. It gives both parties the opportunity to develop and ensures our regional communities benefit.”

The media are welcome to attend the training at 10.30am on Thursday 26 August at the nursing laboratory at CSU in Orange. GWAHS Trainers Ms Wendy Hamilton and Ms Trish Casey are available for interviews.

Nursing is the focus of a careers night to be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Wednesday 1 September. Ms Cathy Maginnis, academic advisor for the Bachelor of Nursing at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health at CSU in Dubbo, said, “The evening provides the opportunity for anyone interested in a nursing career to get expert information from the guest speakers about the courses available at Charles Sturt University. Prospective students will be able to learn about the campus, and speak to nursing students,  graduates and staff about the course and career options.” Enquiries about the nursing careers information evening can be made to Ms Kellie Butler, Administration and Clinical Placements Assistant at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health at CSU in Dubbo on 02 6885 7321 or send an email.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Ms Cathy Maginnis from the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health. The Nursing at CSU careers information evening will be held from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, Wednesday 1 September at Charles Sturt University in Dubbo.

Tickets for the inaugural fund-raising dinner for the Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarship at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Friday 24 September are on sale for $120 each, with all proceeds going to the scholarship fund. Head of Campus in Dubbo, Dr Beverley Moriarty, said, “Former Dubbo Mayor Tony McGrane’s legacy continues to serve the people of Dubbo and the region, and it is fitting that the memorial scholarship fund we are establishing in his name will ensure students from western NSW will be able to gain a university education. We’re also delighted to have received the portrait of Tony McGrane by artist Ms Leonie Sainsbury, to be on display at the dinner.” To purchase tickets to the dinner please contact Ms Christine Stewart at CSU on 02 6885 7370 or send an email. Businesses and community members who wish to support the Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarship can obtain sponsorship details from Dr Moriarty or Ms Stewart.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Head of Campus in Dubbo, Dr Beverley Moriarty.

Ms Libby Clark from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Community Health sometimes feels a twinge of sorrow for tele-operators whose job it is to sit on the phone all day, trying to maintain a calm, clear voice as they either deal with complaints or try to sell a product. “I know we all loath those telephone calls, but after working with these people, and realising how hard this type of work is for the human voice, it really does make me feel sorry for them,” she said. As a discipline leader in speech pathology at the School of Community Health, Ms Clark spends a great deal of time helping people develop their voice for their working life. “Our voice, our speech and our language skills are central to everything we do as human beings,” she said. “It’s It’s how we develop and maintain relationships, but it's also really important for our working lives.” As well as feeling empathy for tele-operators, Ms Clark has concerns for the elderly. “It's important to spend time working with the elderly because if they often find it hard to be heard - especially if they have had some kind of communication impairment like a stroke or have a hearing loss. Just because they are old, doesn't mean they don't have a right to have a say, to be heard, to have a voice in what goes on in their lives.” Dr Clark has worked on voice and speech production skills with tour guides, sport professionals, teachers and business leaders. Speech Pathology Australia is hosting Speech Pathology Week from 22 to 28 August.

For interviews with CSU academic, Ms Libby Clark, contact CSU Media. She is regular on ABC Radio in NSW. Ms Clark is based in the School of Community Health at CSU in Albury-Wodonga.

The success of a scholarship program for students moving from TAFE to Charles Sturt University (CSU) is being expanded in the wake of its success. CSU’s ‘TAFE to University’ Scholarship Program was developed last year specifically for Diploma and Advanced Diploma students studying at TAFE NSW’s Riverina Institute and TAFE Western, and the Canberra Institute of Technology. Due to the program’s success, it has now been expanded to include an additional five TAFE institutes. The move doubles the number of scholarships available to TAFE students in 2011. Three scholarships are available to each of the TAFE providers. “Charles Sturt University is committed to creating strong education pathways. Our collaboration with TAFE institutes is a great example of how educators can work together to ensure students reach their potential,” Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at CSU, Professor Ross Chambers said. Applications for the $2 500 scholarships are open until 5pm on Friday 26 November 2010.

Participating in the scholarship program are: TAFE NSW Riverina Institute; TAFE Western; Canberra Institute of Technology; TAFE NSW Northern Sydney Institute; TAFE NSW North Coast Institute; Wodonga Institute of TAFE; Sunraysia Institute of TAFE; and Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE.

 

The selection criteria includes academic achievement, industry experience and financial hardship.

 

More information about CSU’s ‘TAFE to University’ Scholarship Program is available here, telephone 02 6051 9849 or send an email.

 

Information for TAFE students thinking of studying at CSU is available here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will be one of the highlights of a visit to the city by civic and political leaders from sister city, Kunming in the Yunnan Province of China. The 10 member delegation, including the Mayor of Kunming Municipal People’s Government, Mr Zhang Zulin, has been invited to the city by Wagga Wagga Mayor, Councillor Kerry Pascoe. The Head of Campus of CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Adrian Lindner, will welcome the group to the University at 9.30am on Tuesday 24 August before leading a tour of the campus. At 10am, the delegation will meet with researchers from the University’s International Centre of Water for Food Security. A lunch will be held in the Convention Centre at CSU from 12midday for the delegation, staff from the University and Wagga Wagga City Council.

Media note: The sister city relationship between Wagga Wagga and Kunming in Yunnan Province, China, was established in 1988. In addition, CSU has had a 10 year partnership Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (YUFE) in Kunming. During this time about 2 000 business students have graduated from the CSU/YUFE joint program. The International Centre of Water for Food Security is located in building 24 near car park 2, Darnell Smith Drive at CSU, Wagga Wagga. For further information, contact CSU Media’s Ms Fiona Halloran on Tuesday 24 August on 02 6933 2207.

 

The members of the delegation include; Mr Zhang Zulin (Mayor of Kunming Municipal People’s Government); Mr Zhang Chaofeng (Deputy Director of Kunming Municipal People’s Friendship Association with Foreign Countries); Mr Bao Jianbin (Director of Guandu District Government); Mr Yao Zhenkang (Deputy Secretary-General of Kunming Municipal People’s Government); Mr Xu Yonggang (Director of Kunming Municipal Bureau of Public Health); Mr Zhou Xingshun (Director of Kunming Municipal Bureau of Land Administration); Mr Liu Yuejin (Director of Kunming Municipal Bureau of Environment Protection); Mr Xu Changming (Deputy Director of Kunming Municipal People’s Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office); Mr Zhang Wenzhi (Chief of General Affairs Office of Kunming Municipal People’s Government); and Ms Shan Yong (Deputy Chief of Kunming Municipal People’s Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office).

If you think the leader of the Labor party is working tirelessly prior to the election this Saturday, try being her comic double, Julia Spillard. Having perfected Prime Minister Gillard’s voice, facial expressions and hand gestures, the character actor, comic and Charles Sturt University (CSU) graduate, Ms Gabby Millgate, is winning votes throughout the country as she visits various locations on her busy schedule. Ms Millgate, a graduate of CSU’s Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media), has been seen in movies such as Muriel’s Wedding and thriller Feed, on television, radio, theatre and has also worked as a script writer. She is thought of as one of Australia’s most versatile and resourceful actors. “Charles Sturt University’s Theatre/Media degree gives students the tools they need to succeed in any medium of the arts,” says senior lecturer in the School of Communication and Creative Industries, Dr Gerard Boland. “Gabby is a perfect example of how our graduates use their skills to construct meaningful careers in the media, events and live entertainment industries.” Ms Millgate’s character, Julia Spillard, could be seeing a lot more work, if the election is won by the Labor party this weekend, which makes you wonder how Ms Millgate will vote.

Dr Gerard Boland is available for interviews. For more information contact CSU Media. For more Gabby Millgate material, visit  http://www.youtube.com/user/gabbymillgate or http://twitter.com/gabbymillgate

The Premier of NSW, the Hon. Ms Kristina Keneally, MP, will meet with the Vice-Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Ian Goulter, during her visit to Bathurst on Friday 20 August. Professor Goulter will discuss with Ms Keneally the University’s proposal announced on Wednesday 18 August for $90 million from the Federal Government to establish a medical school at CSU in Orange, as well as funding for an Integrated Primary Health Care Clinic at CSU in Bathurst. The University has indicated it intends to seek the support of the NSW Government to open additional clinical places for CSU medical students in NSW hospitals. While at CSU in Bathurst, the Premier will also inspect the University’s newly completed Dental and Oral Health Clinic. Ms Keneally will discuss with Professor Goulter and Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Nick Klomp, the University’s request for government support for the construction of Australia’s first national paramedic education centre in Bathurst. The centre would allow the University to significantly increase its student intake and provide students with access to world-leading paramedic education facilities. The meeting will be joined by the Mayor of Bathurst, Councillor Paul Toole, to discuss a planned Technology Park adjoining CSU and the Western Institute of TAFE in Bathurst.