The challenge in managing an organisation’s development alongside its environmental footprint is demonstrated in Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) 2009 Environmental Scorecard. The document is prepared by CSU Green to critically assess the University’s progress in meeting its sustainability targets for 2011 and 2015. “There was a large amount of development and construction at Charles Sturt University, with a 16 per cent increase in gross floor space since 2006, the baseline year,” said CSU Green Manager Mr William Adlong. “Despite this construction, greenhouse gas emissions from energy use increased by only 1.3 per cent between 2006 and 2009. This reflects the greater energy efficiency of new buildings, improvements in the plant and equipment in existing buildings and staff efforts to reduce energy use in their work areas,” Mr Adlong said. The 2009 Environmental Scorecard also shows mains water consumption across the University fell by more than 32 per cent since 2006, electricity consumption rose by 5.2 per cent from 2006, and emissions from travel increased 4.5 per cent from 2008. Read the full 2009 Environmental Scorecard here.

Interest in the 7th annual Australian International Animation Festival has reached unprecedented levels with more than 2 200 submissions received from 40 countries for the event in regional NSW. Hosted by the Animation and Visual Effects program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga, the Festival will be held from Friday 14 May to Sunday 16 May at the Forum 6 Cinema in Wagga Wagga. The program includes international films, digital animation, stop motion and Australian made films. Young children are catered for in the Festival line-up as well as a ‘Late Night Bizarre’ show. There will also be free talks and workshops from local and international filmmakers. The full program can be found here.

Preparing students for life in the workplace, with suitable knowledge and skills, work readiness and understanding of occupational culture, has long been recognised as vital by higher education providers. A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has raised the issue of what knowledge and skills university educators need to take workplace education forward in the current global era. Professor Joy Higgs AM has received one of nine Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Teaching Fellowships to examine what makes good workplace education and to encourage the widespread use of good practice in universities nationally. “The aim is to better prepare students for the complex workplaces of today,” said Professor Higgs, Director of CSU’s Education for Practice Institute. “Known as practice-based education, it’s a vital part of the education of university students, but there is much of this teaching and learning that is invisible, such as how teachers make decisions about teaching in classrooms. A key goal of this fellowship is to identify and disseminate good practices.”

The way teachers are ‘made’ in 2010 is the subject of a free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst at 6pm Wednesday 12 May. The Head of the CSU School of Teacher Education in Bathurst, Associate Professor Ninetta Santoro, will take a historical perspective to understand the present in her lecture examining The Making of Teachers: Teacher Education for the Twenty-First Century. “I will consider what it means to be a student teacher in 2010 compared to past generations, and what effective teacher education might look like in the future,” Professor Santoro said. “The nature of teachers’ work and knowledge has undergone enormous change in recent years due to a wide range of factors including increasingly complex student demographics, developments in information technology, and the ways in which knowledge is produced and transmitted. Australian classrooms are more culturally diverse than ever before, students are more technologically savvy, and school curricula are increasingly complex and expansive.”

International graffiti artist Moose will leave a lasting legacy in Wagga Wagga after a visit to the city hosted by the School of Communication and Creative Industries at Charles Sturt University (CSU) this week. The artist, also known as Paul Curtis, makes his ‘legal graffiti’ by wiping away dirt and pollution from public spaces to form large type and shapes. With the approval of Wagga Wagga City Council, and the support of local businesses Advision and Knights Meats, Moose will create what is known as ‘reverse graffiti’ on a wall in Fitzmaurice Street in Wagga Wagga on Friday 14 May. Earlier, the artist will share his experiences and ideas at a public lecture at CSU in Wagga Wagga from 1pm on Thursday 13 May. He will then meet with CSU’s final year Bachelor of Arts (Graphic Design) students to workshop ideas for the ‘reverse graffiti’ piece near Knights Meats on Friday 14 May. “This is a rare opportunity to see and hear the work of Moose whose ‘reverse graffiti’ is internationally acclaimed,” said Graphic Design course coordinator at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Michael Agzarian.

Orientation Week is the traditional start of the university year for new students at Charles Sturt University (CSU), and runs until Friday 26 February. Around 600 students, including part-time students, will enrol in courses as varied as physiotherapy, teaching, nursing, speech therapy, adventure ecotourism, accountancy, and information technology. Head of CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Professor Allan Curtis said Orientation Week activities were vital to introduce new students to study and life at CSU. “Orientation Week provides space for students to become familiar with their surroundings, staff and other students. CSU staff are ready to respond to queries about courses and subjects, help students find accommodation, and help them make the most of the cultural and sporting activities available in Albury-Wodonga,” Professor Curtis said. Major events during the remainder of the week include: Wednesday 24 February – Big BBQ for all new students at lunchtime. Students officially enrol in courses this day; Thursday 25 February – Visit to oz.e.wildlife at Ettamogah by new international students, commencing at 3pm; and, Friday 26 February – Race Around Thurgoona for new students to help get to know their local area and campus.

While managers put much energy into improving business performance by investing in innovation, increasing product and service quality or through expansion, little effort is given to improving the culture which is the backbone of every organisation’s operation. A Swiss graduate from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Doctor of Business Administration program says carefully managing organisational culture can positively influence the company’s bottom line. Dr Patric Maerki is the first graduate to complete his studies through a partnership with CSU and the University of Applied Science in Bern, Switzerland. He devised a way to help manage the aspects of corporate culture influencing business performance. “My research into companies in five different industries showed that corporate culture values such as freedom, risk taking, open and shared communication, and respecting employees can be used to enhance operational performance in innovation, organisational alignment and customer orientation, and to increase profits,” said Dr Maerki. CSU’s distance education program attracted Dr Maerki as he could balance his business commitments with the demands of completing a doctorate while receiving support from a Swiss supervisor.

International professional experience is invaluable for developing job-ready allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech pathologists, says Dr Michael Curtin from Charles Sturt University (CSU). On Wednesday 28 October, Dr Curtin, the coordinator of the CSU occupational therapy degree offered through the School of Community Health will discuss the benefits and challenges of undertaking overseas clinical placements to third-year students as part of the final year in their degrees in 2010. He will be joined by current final-year students who this year completed five to six week placements in Trung Tâm Bảo Trợ Trẻ Tàn Tật Mồ Côi Thị Nghè (Thị Nghè Orphanage) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. “There is no doubt that working at the orphanage challenges the students, and the skills they learn are useful in their professional and personal lives,” said Dr Curtin.

A major exhibition showing the early stories of migrants to Australia in the last century has been developed by Ms Bridget Guthrie at Albury LibraryMuseum, with research assistance from Associate Professor Bruce Pennay from Charles Sturt University (CSU). For over 25 years, objects owned by former residents of the Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre have been collected – photographs, toys, books, clothing and appliances. These have been gathered into a series of displays, including a large cabinet made from old suitcases, to go on show. The exhibition, titled The Bonegilla Story, is a permanent display to be opened by the Mayor of Albury City, Cr Alice Glachan, at 6pm on Thursday 19 November at the Albury LibraryMuseum, Kiewa Street, Albury. Professor Pennay will also give a guided tour of the exhibition with Ms Guthrie, starting at 11am on Saturday 21 November.