Charles Sturt University (CSU) has “whole-heartedly embraced its commitment to regional communities” acting as a leader in responding to community need, the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) [ see background ] has found. 

AUQA commended the University for displaying a “genuine desire to work in close collaboration with its communities for mutual benefit”.

The report comments that CSU is “regarded very positively as being a proactive leader of development where it sees a community need, while at the same time being willing to listen and respond to initiatives that community representatives might propose”.

Highlighting CSU’s contribution to graduate employment in its communities, where up to 70 per cent of graduates are retained in the regions, AUQA says that this is a success that CSU should pursue “demonstrating, explaining and celebrating its achievement relative to other regional universities”. 

Welcoming the high regard in which CSU’s efforts in regional engagement have been received, Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter commented that the report reinforced CSU’s own analysis of where improvements can be made. 

“In the course of preparing for this AUQA report, we found a need to better map the contribution of our staff to regional engagement, which is a process we are embarking on now, and AUQA supports us in those efforts. 

“Given the strong focus the University has placed on regional engagement, it is heartening to see that AUQA found there was overwhelming support for CSU in our communities, and that the entire University strongly supports our regional focus. 

“We know we work well with our communities, and this report has confirmed that we are on the right track. We know we have areas to improve, such as in tracking our staff contribution, and fine tuning the indicators by which we will judge our success. 

“We will continue to champion through community consultation, developing quality courses to meet regional need such as allied health fields, and our new veterinary science program as well as support for artistic, cultural, educational and sporting activities that enhance the fabric of life in our communities,” Professor Goulter said.