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ORANGE
Home > Regional News > Orange
Nursing student increase at Orange and Dubbo
14 Oct 2008
 The Federal Government has announced that Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will receive 15 new places in the Graduate Certificate in Rural Mental Health Nursing, and the 30 new places for the Bachelor of Nursing course in Orange and Dubbo in 2009. Supporting higher education places in the national priority area of nursing, the Government offered 300 places for rural and regional areas. “We are happy that 45 places were allocated to Charles Sturt University,” said Professor Elaine Duffy, Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery. “It may be a small per cent of the total number allocated, but Charles Sturt University is already a dominant industry supporter and our graduates are highly sought. Applicants from around Australia are invited to learn more about the distance education courses via the CSU website link.”
Media Note: For interviews contact CSU Media. Print this story Hunting for anxious pets
14 Oct 2008
 Charles Sturt University (CSU) is lending its expertise to a recruitment campaign with a difference. Instead of targeting prospective students, this campaign is targeting pet dogs. In partnership with the Sydney Animal Behavioural Service and the company HomeoPet, CSU is recruiting 150 dogs from across Australia to participate in research into the treatment of anxious animals. The study will examine the effect on dogs of the homeopathic remedy known as Anxiety. “We would like to hear from anyone who has a pet dog which reacts to thunderstorms,” said Dr Jacqui Ley from the Sydney Animal Behavioural Service. “The anxiety may be demonstrated in behaviour ranging from destructive activities to simply barking at a storm.” “Through its veterinary science program, CSU will be supporting the research by analysis of the data,” said Head of the CSU School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Professor Kym Abbott.
Media Note: Dr Jacqui Ley, from the Sydney Animal Behavioral Service, is available for interview on (02) 9949 8511. Anyone wishing to participate in the trial can register with the Sydney Animal Behavioural Service via email sabs@tpg.com.au or telephone 02 9949 8511. There are some criteria as to the age and health of pets, and the owner must be at home to administer the drops and record the results to submit to the trial. Print this story Is homework a help or hindrance?
14 Oct 2008
 Educators have recently begun to rethink the value of the tradition of homework, particularly for primary and middle school aged children. Is homework useful? Should our children do homework at all? If so, what would constitute quality homework for children? A free public lecture in Harden on Wednesday 15 October by Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer Dr Tracey Smith will use the example of mathematics to address all of these questions. It will explore perceptions about mathematics, how it is learned most effectively and how parents can help their children learn mathematics. “I will also examine how mathematics homework might be more meaningfully developed to enhance learning opportunities at home rather than create a battle zone for parents and their children,” said Dr Smith.
Media Note: The public lecture ‘Homework and Helping Children with Mathematics’ will be held in the Murrumburrah Public School Hall, Albury St, Harden from 6pm. Dr Tracey Smith from CSU is available for interview. Contact CSU Media. A former primary school teacher and mathematics consultant for the NSW Department of Education, Dr Smith lectures in mathematics education and professional experience in CSU’s School of Education at Wagga Wagga. Print this story Input into national curriculum
13 Oct 2008
 Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be well represented at a national education forum in Melbourne on Monday 13 October. The National Curriculum Board Science Forum is being held to develop a national science curriculum for Australian schools in 2011. Third year science teaching student Ms Lisa Davis from Wagga Wagga will attend the forum with Dr Colin Boylan, a senior lecturer with CSU’s School of Education, also in Wagga Wagga. They will be among the 150 delegates from across Australia. The National Curriculum Board has begun a series of consultations for input into a national curriculum in English, mathematics, the sciences and history, for school students from kindergarten to Year 12.“Participation in such a forum is a rare opportunity and to have a staff member Dr Colin Boylan and student Lisa Davis both heading for Melbourne is an acknowledgement of the University’s engagement with the wider professional and policy bodies that help to shape education in Australia,” said Head of the School of Education, Associate Professor Roslin Brennan-Kemmis.
Media Note: The National Curriculum Board Science Forum will be held from 10am to 4pm on Monday 13 October at 440 Collins St, Melbourne. Dr Colin Boylan and Ms Lisa Davis are available for interview. Contact CSU Media. Further information about the National Curriculum Board is available here. Print this story Good luck to HSC students
07 Oct 2008
.jpg) Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer in Teacher Education, Mr Bob Dengate, wishes regional NSW students well in the looming HSC exams, but suggests that there is much more involved than luck. “It’s all about preparation. HSC students have spent the past two years preparing for these exams in one way or another,” he said. “The students who will do best are those who have a balanced life, yet have done the extra work, using value-added resources such as study groups and online services.” The CSU Director of NSW HSC Online, Mr Dengate has been involved in the recent introduction of study tips on the CSU website link. “This is a great way for students to help students. There are plenty of useful tips already and we invite students to also add their favourite tips and to visit the Study & Exams part of NSW HSC Online”. Developed in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training, the website link provides access to quality educational resources for rural and regional students.
Media Note: For interviews contact CSU Media. Print this story CSU graduates good for mental health
07 Oct 2008
Charles Sturt University (CSU) nursing graduates are helping to build resilience against mental health issues in rural and regional Australia says the University’s Associate Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ms Linda Goddard. “More than ten percent of our graduates choose to work in the field of mental health each year and they are remaining in that field,” Ms Goddard explained. “Graduates return to CSU to talk to our current students about their work and are involved in the clinical environment supervising and mentoring our students when they are out on placement. Each year more graduates are gaining employment not only in local adult mental health services but also child and adolescent mental health.” CSU’s Graduate Certificate in Rural Mental Health Nursing aims to prepare registered nurses to practice in a variety of rural and remote settings to meet the mental health needs of diverse clients. “Our graduates are equipped to deal with the issues of mental health and the success of our postgraduate programs is demonstrated with the number of professionals with a CSU degree working in the industry.”
Media Note: For interviews contact CSU Media Print this story Investing in inland Australia
24 Sep 2008
 Plans by Charles Sturt University (CSU) to invest tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure for inland Australia in coming years will be delivered directly to the construction and building industry during briefings this month. Hosted by CSU’s Division of Facilities Management (DFM), the industry briefings will be held in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 24 September and in Bathurst on Tuesday 30 September. “The briefings allow us to talk directly with local and national building professionals, contractors and consultants that are interested in partnering with CSU to deliver the extensive infrastructure investment across our campuses,” said Mr Stephen Butt, Executive Director of DFM. “The University’s programs of Veterinary Science in Wagga Wagga and Dentistry in Orange and Wagga Wagga are well advanced but we also have plans that include major refurbishment of teaching spaces and laboratories across the campuses, construction of student amenities and facilities, office upgrades and improvements to sporting facilities,” said Mr Butt. “The University Strategy is supported by between $150 million to $175 million dollars worth of capital expenditure over the next three to five years.” A recent national call for expressions of interest for the registration on the University’s ‘Multi Vendor List’ prompted 400 companies to download documents from CSU.
Media Note: CSU’s Mr Stephen Butt is available for interview. The industry briefings will be held in the Wagga Wagga RSL Club on Wednesday 24 September from 10.30am to 12.30pm and in the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre on Tuesday 30 September from 10.30am to 12.30pm. An agenda for the industry briefings is available here.
Print this story Funding boost for sustainable farming practices
23 Sep 2008
 Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) strong tradition of working with farmers to provide solutions to agricultural challenges is continuing through collaboration on a project with Murrumbidgee Landcare to manage drought through sustainable farming systems. Funded by grocery giant Woolworths, the project was launched by the NSW Minister for Primary Industries, The Hon. Ian Macdonald, MP, at the Henty Machinery Fields Days in the Riverina on Tuesday 23 September. Researchers from the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation will work on the project with Murrumbidgee Landcare and farmers at Henty, Junee, Mirrool Creek and Harden. Centre director Professor Deirdre Lemerle says encouraging farmers to retain the stubble from cereal crops, rather than burning it, increases soil moisture and carbon content. “The funding means we can continue to work closely with farmers to manage stubble for soil health, which, in association with integrated weed management, aims to secure the long term sustainability of agriculture,” she said.
Media Note: The NSW Minister for Primary Industries, The Hon. Ian Macdonald, MP, launched the $150 000 Woolworths sponsored project ’Sustainable Farming Drought Program’ at the Henty Machinery Fields Days. The EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation is a collaborative alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Print this story Mental health workers for Indigenous Australia
23 Sep 2008
 An innovative Charles Sturt University (CSU) program to educate and train Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to work as mental health and drug and alcohol practitioners in their communities will be on show later this week. Nine final year students in the Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health) will attend an Indigenous mental health conference on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus on Thursday 25 September. The students from across Australia will address mental health topics involving colonisation, carers, Aboriginal women, drugs and sexual assault. Known as the Djirruwang Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health program, the course aims to build workforce capacity and improve health care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by equipping the graduates to work in mainstream and cultural organisations and communities. The conference is being held during the students’ final residential school at CSU. Professor Elaine Duffy, Head of the CSU School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mr Ray Eldridge, the Manager of CSU Indigenous Support Unit, and Mr Wayne Rigby, the Director of the Djirruwang program, will also address the conference.
Media Note: The conference will be held in the Convention Centre, CSU, Wagga Wagga, from 9am to 4pm. A Welcome to Country by Wiradjuri Elders will be held at 9.10am. The conference will also hear from Ms Christine Fejo-King, the Indigenous co-Chair of the Stolen Generation Alliance and the Chair of the National Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Workers, Ms Jenna Bateman, Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Coordinating Council, the peak body for community mental health organisations in NSW. A program for the conference is available from CSU Media. The Djirruwang program was awarded a citation in 2008 from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning and an award in 2007 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Initiative. Read more about the Djirruwang program here.
Print this story Students in partnership with stroke victims
23 Sep 2008
 With a significant percentage of stroke victims left with speech and language impairments, Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) speech pathology course is training a new generation of therapists to ensure that the focus is always on getting people back to the activities that are important to them. Lecturer at CSU’s School of Community Health, Ms Libby Clark, believes that rehabilitation after stroke is something that should not stop at the hospital door. “It needs to reach right back to the community level to support people who have strokes to get back into the everyday activities that give their lives meaning,” she says. “The CSU program strongly emphasises the social aspects of health to students. This teaches them to think beyond what the person can’t do, and to think about what the person can do, and what everyday activities are important to the person. Our students get very practical, hands-on experience during the four year course, with a real emphasis on working in partnership with the client and their families.”
Media Note: For interviews with speech pathology lecturers and PhD students contact CSU Media.
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