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CSU VC Professor Ian Goulter and CSU staff show Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop around the Albury-Wodonga Campus at Thurgoona in April. Photo: Ellisa Cooke |
Dear colleagues
As the first VC News for 2007, I welcome you to the new academic year and look forward to implementing with you the first stages of the University Strategy 2007-2011, including the new Faculty structure and changes in the Divisions. I thank all staff for their patience and understanding in this process and hope we can all work together as we “tie off the loose ends” that are inevitable in such a major undertaking.
In conjunction with the commencement of the Strategy I visited all CSU campuses in February and March to present my initial impressions and outline early challenges presented in the Strategy. I also highlighted some additional upcoming deadlines, including:
- Initial proposals for the University’s RQF trial process, where we are aiming to present up to 30 research groups as the basis of our RQF submission in 2008;
- The selection of Professor Paul Burnett to chair one of the 13 RQF Reference Panels. (Note that Professor Burnett is the only staff member from a non-Go8 or ATN university to chair one of these Panels.)
New Dental Proposal
In February, CSU announced it will seek $54.4 million from the Federal Government to establish a School of Dentistry and Oral Health for inland NSW.
Over the past months I have met with local and federal politicians, the Shadow Minister for Education, Mr Stephen Smith and the Shadow Minister for Health, Ms Nicola Roxon to discuss the project. The NSW Branch of the Australian Dental Association (ADA) has also written to the Prime Minister in support of the proposal.
The communities of western and southern NSW have been approached to support the CSU proposal, which includes a cross campus school based jointly on Wagga Wagga and Orange campuses, with associated dental education clinics on Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo and Bathurst campuses. These facilities will work with existing dental services in these cities.
Further information on our Dental Proposal is available here.
International alliances
One goal contained in the University’s Strategy is to enhance alliances with international universities and research agencies. To this end, the University hosted delegations from universities in Germany, Austria, China and Argentina over the past few months, exploring avenues to develop collaborative research and teaching opportunities in such diverse areas as wine, theology and business.
In early April, I also visited Hannam University in Korea to progress our collaboration with them.
Learning Commons
The University Strategy also highlights to goals to further improve teaching and learning in the University. A major infrastructure development to help achieve this goal is the establishment of a Learning Commons on each CSU campus, the first of which was officially opened on the Bathurst Campus in April by the Federal Minister for Education, The Honourable Julie Bishop. Further facilities will be opened on Albury-Wodonga, Wagga Wagga and Orange campuses over the coming years.
On 17 April, Minister Bishop visited the Albury-Wodonga Campus, where she opened a conference on Rural and Remote Education. During the visit the Minister also toured our Thurgoona site.
New student support
CSU realises that our students are our most important stakeholders and clients, and that to attract students to our campuses we must maintain and indeed enhance the social as well as academic services available. To this end, the University has taken over many student support services formerly managed by the CSU Student Association. The funding spent on positions and facilities in this area are an investment in our students’ total university experience. The formal handover of the services and establishment of the new arrangements occurred on 5 April.
Staff awards
My hearty congratulations go to the winners of the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Professional Excellence for 2006: the Team award was won by the University Contact Centre, based on the Bathurst Campus, while Paul Worsfold from Student Services won the individual award. Both the Contact Centre staff, led by Kerry Browning, and Paul deserve the accolades afforded by the awards due to the professionalism shown in their jobs and their commitment to the University.
We are now entering a new era at Charles Sturt University with the commencement of the University Strategy. I look forward to working with you all over the coming year as we move toward this exciting future.
Professor Ian Goulter
Vice-Chancellor
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