Albury based commercial builder Zauner Construction has won the tender to build new academic offices on Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Albury-Wodonga Campus. The $3 million two-storey office building will feature insulation on the outside of the building, similar to the iconic Australian “esky”, which will reduce energy costs. Research by CSU staff has revealed a desire for living and learning in a clean, comfortable environment, said Head of the Albury-Wodonga Campus, Professor Gail Whiteford. "The University’s Thurgoona site is looking to reduce the cost of energy used in large public buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy production." Construction on the Thurgoona site will officially commence in December.

The first sod will be turned for construction of the next academic building on the Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Thurgoona site by Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter on Tuesday 12 December. He will be joined by representatives from international chemical company BASF and regional energy provider Country Energy, whose products and services will be incorporated into the building’s construction and management. Worth $3 million, the two storey office block will use innovative materials developed by BASF for building insulation, the first time these materials have been used in Australia. Country Energy will provide expertise in monitoring and managing energy use in the building. “We are aiming to build a public building that minimises air conditioning and energy use by improving building insulation,” says Professor Goulter. “It demonstrates the University’s commitment to sustainability and will be a showcase for all Australia.”

One of Australia’s largest banks Westpac will announce an agreement with Charles Sturt University (CSU) to produce regular agribusinesses reports for all Australia’s regions. CSU’s Western Research Institute will produce quarterly reports for Westpac on the health of farming and related businesses in all Australia’s States and territories, starting in 2007. This will be the first such report on each and all regions of the nation.The official announcement will be made during a Business and Community Reception to be hosted by CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter. The reception will start at 5pm on Thursday 7 December on the University’s Albury-Wodonga Campus at Thurgoona.

As the nation celebrates the centenary of local government in Australia, a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has published a history of three councils – Culcairn, Holbrook and Hume – in a twentieth century account of rural NSW. Historian Professor Bruce Pennay has told the story of how rural people shared good times and tough, through depression, drought, fire, flood, war and changing markets. “The book explains how local government responsibilities changed and how they struggled for improvements to help them win or retain populations,” Professor Pennay said. He also examined the impact and subsequent unravelling of the Albury Wodonga Growth centre in the 1970s and 80s and finally their recent amalgamation into a single council. “This work shows communities are shaped by their memories and histories, as well as their geography and economic development,” he said.

“I’m delighted by this award because, in a sense, it brings to prominence something which I truly believe,” said Paul Worsfold, senior career development officer in Charles Sturt University’s Division of Student Services and recipient of the Vice-Chancellor's 2006 Individual Award For Performance Excellence (General Staff). Mr Worsfold was nominated for innovations on the Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga Campuses such as establishing a graduate careers and employment research prize, online careers workshops, and an intern program. “My nomination recognises the necessary collaboration between a university’s careers service and the academic staff who strive for their students’ best possible futures,” he said. “The careers service plays an important part in helping the University achieve one of its key objectives – providing distinctive educational programs for the professions that prepare students for work and citizenship.”

Superlatives flow like fine wine when it comes to the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion: “a must have for any serious lover of Australian wine”, “the No. 1 bestselling guide to wineries and wine in Australia”, “keenly anticipated by winemakers, faithful collectors and wine lovers alike”. In the 2007 edition, it is James Halliday who waxes lyrical about the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery, giving it, and its 2005 Orange Chardonnay, the highest rating. Only “outstanding wineries capable of producing wines of the highest calibre” can receive five stars from Halliday, while the 2005 Orange Chardonnay was an “outstanding wine of the highest quality” and “outstanding value”. CSU’s winemaker Andrew Drumm says the Winery is “very pleased to receive this honour, especially from someone like James Halliday. It makes the students feel proud of the time spent in the winery and reinforces our education and research activities.”

As Year 12 students continue sitting their Higher School Certificate (HSC), latest performance research on the NSW HSC Online study resource by Internet research company Hitwise shows it is in the top 10 education websites in Australia. Now in its tenth year, NSW HSC Online was heralded for providing access to quality learning resources, especially for students in rural and remote areas. The current performance data support this success in providing equity, with high use by students living in provincial centres, who traditionally have below average use of the Internet. There were also more boys than average for an educational website going to HSC Online in the lead-up to the HSC, with 58 per cent males and 42 per cent females using www.hsc.csu.edu.au. The research also revealed excellent brand recognition and a strong association of the site with CSU. Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Lyn Gorman said the website’s success highlights its value in bringing high quality resources to all HSC students, regardless of where they live. The NSW HSC Online project was initiated and continues to be maintained and updated by the University in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is expanding the number of student Accommodation Residences as a major initiative in response to demand from prospective students and their families. CSU’s acting Executive Director of Student Services, Andrew Callander said the University is planning to substantially increase the number of beds available for students and to increase the variety and type of accommodation available. Initially CSU will add around 170 beds by 2009 on all its major campuses: Albury-Wodonga Campus: 48 new beds to come onto the Thurgoona site; Bathurst Campus: Four eight-bed cottages to open by February 2007; Dubbo Campus: Fully commissioning of new student accommodation totalling 62 places; Orange Campus: Converted cottages for 20 students on the CSU Orange Campus; Wagga Wagga Campus: Two eight-bed cottages to come on stream by February each year from 2007 to 2009. A 20-bed complex using funds from a bequest to the University will be built in 2007. “We are also planning for a large scale project to add 600 new beds to meet increasing demand for on-campus accommodation on our Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga campuses,” Mr Callander said. The project will expand the range of accommodation offered and take the total beds available for students on campus at CSU to around 3 000.

Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia will inspect the Wagga Wagga Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Thursday 12 October. He will be accompanied by a large delegation from Cambodia, a country in Southeast Asia with a population of more than 13 million. Head of the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus Professor David Green says the Prime Minister is visiting Wagga Wagga as part of his official visit to Australia. “The Cambodian Prime Minister expressed an interest in seeing Australian agricultural facilities, hence the visit to our Campus.” Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter said “it is very clear that our model of collaboration with government agencies and with industry, as demonstrated with the E H Graham Centre and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, is a model for other countries to use.”  The Cambodian delegation will be briefed on current collaborations between the NSW Department of Primary Industry and Cambodian research institutions before a luncheon hosted by CSU. Professor Deirdre Lemerle, Director of the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, a joint research venture between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, says the visit is a “tremendous opportunity to showcase our excellent research capacity in agriculture, and further develop our collaborative links with Cambodia to create profitable and sustainable agricultural systems.”