Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst will host the first national Mensheds Australia conference on 16, 17 and 18 June. CSU is the major sponsor of the conference which has the theme ‘Sustaining your Menshed’. Dr Pat Bradbery, Director of the Professional Development Unit in the CSU Faculty of Business, said this is the first-ever national conference for Mensheds Australia participants, with about 70 indigenous and non-indigenous men attending from all over Australia. “The Mensheds movement is relatively new, has grown rapidly to about 300 individual Menshed groups/locations, and has a strong focus on educational development. The conference will include a half-day workshop to consider the CSU-TAFE education initiative developed for Mensheds, and CSU looks forward to building a relationship with Mensheds Australia into the future,” Dr Bradbery said. Conference participants will be welcomed to Bathurst by Mr Greg Westman, a Bathurst Regional Councillor, and to CSU by the Head of Campus, Mr Col Sharp.

When three days of intense competition concluded in Bathurst yesterday, Charles Sturt University (CSU) was named the Australian University Sport 2009 Eastern University Games Overall Champions, for highest overall points scored by all its teams. CSU also placed third in the points-per-capita category. The Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Ian Goulter, congratulated the students and praised the organisers for the smooth management of the Games. “I am delighted that the Games have been staged here so successfully and thank everyone involved for a job well done,” Professor Goulter said. “I am particularly proud that Charles Sturt University won in the University’s 20th anniversary year, as well as winning gold medals in several individual sports. My thanks also go to Bathurst Regional Council and local businesses for their support for the Games.” CSU teams Manager, Mr Nik Granger, said “This is a great way to top off what has been a fantastic week of competition for our nearly 300 competing students who come from a number of CSU campuses. They have represented their University and participated in the right spirit, and should all be proud of their efforts. We would also like to thank the University for supporting this event, as it has been a great way to celebrate our 20th anniversary year by hosting – and winning - the games here in Bathurst.” The 2009 Australian University Games will be held on the Gold Coast from Monday 28 September.

The Vice-Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Ian Goulter, has announced the University’s new Head of Campus at Dubbo. Dr Beverley Moriarty, who is Associate Head of the School of Teacher Education at Dubbo, will take on the Head of Campus role for three years, effective from Wednesday 15 July. Professor Goulter welcomed Dr Moriarty’s appointment and looks forward to working closely with her to develop further the campus at Dubbo. Dr Moriarty said she was honoured to accept the new role. “These are exciting times for the higher education sector and I am delighted that I can contribute to realising the opportunities for Charles Sturt University as it moves ahead as the University of Inland Australia,” Dr Moriarty said. “I also want to acknowledge the contribution of my predecessor, Mr Gary Shipp who has taken on an important new role in the University as Special Adviser, Indigenous Affairs.”

The first group of students from South Korea to study business courses with Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Faculty of Business in Albury-Wodonga will experience the sights of Albury and surrounding districts before they commence their studies. The students will be welcomed to Albury City by Deputy Mayor Alice Glachan on Monday 20 July before taking part in orientation activities, which will include introducing skills in learning, computing and the library as well as visits to local services and attractions. Associate Dean (Administration) with the Faculty of Business, Associate Professor John Atkinson said, “this is a very exciting time for CSU and the Albury-Wodonga community, as we welcome the first group of students from Dongguk University in Seoul, who are enrolled in the CSU Bachelor of Business”.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies is hosting a three-day symposium in the NSW Blue Mountains for national and international experts in exercise and exercise rehabilitation. Professor Frank Marino, Head of the CSU School of Human Movement Studies at Bathurst, said The Future of Fatigue in Exercise: An International Symposium on the Limits to Exercise Performance, which runs from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 July, is the first symposium of its kind in Australia. “The symposium provides an opportunity for leaders in the field from around Australia and the world to come together to discuss a range of issues related to exercise, rehabilitation, health and wellbeing. We expect it will advance our research and the way in which we work together to solve problems that affect many of us, particularly athletes, at some stage in our lives.” Presentations at the symposium include Anticipating fatigue during exercise by Professor Marino and Cancer-fatigue in exercise by CSU’s Dr Jack Canon.

A visiting scholar at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS) will present a public seminar on water management and agricultural extension in India on Wednesday 12 August. Associate Professor Chandrasekaran Karthikeyan, from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in India, will present an overview of the social context of land, water resource management and agriculture in India, with special reference to water management and agricultural extension, as part of the CSU School of Environmental Science seminar series. Professor Karthikeyan is with the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, based in Coimbatore City, India. He is working with Professor Allan Curtis from ILWS and is an Endeavour Executive fellow based in Albury from June to October 2009. The seminar will be held at CSU’s Thurgoona site.

The world is coming to students with Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Community Health  this week with the annual Allied Health Job Forum being held in Albury. Over 300 students enrolled in CSU degrees in physiotherapy, speech pathology, podiatry and occupational therapy are able to view job vacancies being offered by over 25 organisations. These organisations come from around Australia, including Tasmania, Queensland, ACT, Melbourne and regional Australia, as well as showcasing the newly merged Albury Wodonga Health. CSU representatives will provide information on jobs in general as well as international job opportunities. Forum coordinator Donna Duncan said the forum was a “fantastic opportunity for potential graduates to become aware of the diversity of employment opportunities available”. The forum will be held from 1.30 to 3pm on Thursday 30 July in St David’s Uniting Church Hall, Wilson St, Albury.

Kindergarten students and teachers in Albury are hoping to revitalise the old saying  ‘a picture can lead to a thousand words’ as part of a literacy research project being run by Charles Sturt University (CSU). Literacy researcher Dr Noella Mackenzie is working with ten teachers and 60 students to explore how children’s love of drawing can be used to support them as they learn to write. “Starting school provides many challenges for children, including learning to write. Writing is the most artificial and difficult of all language activities, because it demands skills from children which differ markedly from talking, reading and listening,” says Dr Mackenzie. “Teachers can make this process easier for children if they use a child’s existing strengths. Children’s drawings allow them to explore their ideas in drawing and talking before moving into the abstract process of writing.” Dr Mackenzie will explore these ideas with local teachers on Thursday 6 August, from 1.30 to 3pm at the Murray School of Education, CSU Thurgoona site. She recently presented early results of her research at a national literacy conference in Hobart, Tasmania.

Professor of Agriculture at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Jim Pratley, has been appointed to a key Australian Government advisory body on rural research and development. The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Hon. Tony Burke, MP, this year announced the establishment of the Rural Research & Development (R&D) Council. The Council is the government’s key advisory body on rural R&D and aims to provide high level advice and coordination to better target and improve the effectiveness of the government’s investment in rural R&D. Professor Pratley, who is also Secretary of the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture, is one of 10 members on the new Council. Professor Pratley is a staff member at the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation in Wagga Wagga, a collaborative alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. The Rural R & D Council is due to meet again in May.