There was a genuine display of delight and surprise by first-year Charles Sturt University (CSU) student, Ms Courtney Turner, when the 18 year old learnt of her $20 000 win in the ‘You + CSU’ competition. While at work for Australia Post in Wagga Wagga this week, Ms Turner was told she had won the competition. After attending Kooringal High School in 2012, Ms Turner received an early offer to study a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at CSU in Albury-Wodonga this year. In its second year, the ‘You + CSU’ competition required entrants to upload a video describing what their ultimate CSU experience would be like. In addition to winning $20 000 towards the cost of her first year education expenses, Ms Turner is the University’s Digital Ambassador for 2013. Ms Turner has credited one of the ideas in her video to her father. “My careers advisor at school let me know about the competition in the middle of last year,” Ms Turner said. “During a subsequent family brainstorming session, my father came up with the idea of world domination and I thought to use a white board and the Ten Commandments. Winning this competition will not only benefit me but help ease the financial pressure on my family at home.” Ms Turner plans to live on campus at Thurgoona during her first year at CSU. You can watch Ms Turner’s reaction to her win and view her winning 'Me + CSU = World Domination!' video here. Further information about how to apply to study at CSU is available here.

Growing up in Indonesia and New Zealand, Ms Jessica Sampson did not see much of an Australian farm. But she is now looking to carve a career in agriculture through a new partnership between Charles Sturt University (CSU), Goulburn Ovens TAFE (GOTAFE) and the National Centre for Dairy Education Australia (NCDEA) that provides pathways to university study. Having worked her way through administrative positions with the Landmark agribusiness company in Wangaratta, Ms Sampson is now looking to complete a part-time agriculture degree with CSU via distance education, while she works full-time and raises two children. “I first moved to Wangaratta when I had my first son eight years ago and opened a chocolate shop in Milawa with my sister, which I ran for five years. I started working in agriculture in early 2011 and have loved every minute of it, completing my Diploma of Agriculture with GOTAFE in 2012,” Ms Sampson said. “I want to be an agronomist and am lucky to have some great mentors in the Landmark network, which allows me to continuously learn, get out in the field and put my knowledge to the test.”

Regional Victorians are now able to pursue opportunities to further their careers in agriculture through a new partnership between Charles Sturt University (CSU), Goulburn Ovens TAFE (GOTAFE) and the National Centre for Dairy Education Australia (NCDEA) that provides pathways to University for TAFE graduates. Mr Jake Frecklington, now living in Gippsland, grew up on a 300 acre dairy and beef cattle farm his family purchased near Shepparton in 1992. “I didn’t have an ENTER score that would allow me to go to university, but I got a ‘summer’ job packing cherries at a local shed, which turned into a full-time job for two years. I then decided to complete an Advanced Diploma of Agriculture with GOTAFE, and graduated in 2010,” Mr Frecklington said. After working for two years for a stockfeed company in Gippsland during which time he advanced to the position of territory manager, Mr Frecklington moved into an advisory role with Rural Skills Australia. He then made a decision to further his education, and was pleased to find that the new collaboration between GOTAFE and CSU would enable him to undertake his university studies in regional Victoria, with credit granted for his previous agriculture qualifications. “I am undertaking a Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management with Charles Sturt University to increase my opportunities for a career in the agricultural service sector. Studying via distance education allows me to continue work while upgrading my skills, and Wangaratta is much closer to Gippsland than Wagga Wagga!” he said.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will close for the Christmas-New Year break from 12.30pm on Friday 21 December and will re-open on Wednesday 2 January 2013. Best wishes to all our readers from the CSU Media team.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the NSW Department of Education and Communities have joined forces to gather the best and brightest Year 9 students from across the Riverina region to compete for the Riverina Debating Challenge Cup. The University will host the 2012 Riverina Debating Festival on Wednesday 12 December at CSU in Albury-Wodonga with 45 students accompanied by staff from high schools in Albury, Corowa, Finley and Wagga Wagga. Students will also take part in expert workshops with senior adjudicators to discuss the finer points of preparing for and delivering a speech as part of a debating team. “This is an exciting opportunity for talented students to be challenged by their peers in a high-quality debating contest,” said event coordinator and lecturer with CSU’s School of Education, Mr Paul Grover.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff will visit Year 9 students at Yarrawonga College in northeast Victoria on Thursday 13 December to raise awareness of and interest in university study. The visit, which is part of the CSU’s ‘Future Moves’ program, aims to increase participation in tertiary education in regional Australia, including northeast Victoria. “It will give the students an idea of what careers are on offer. We will be exploring a variety of work and career options that might interest them,” said Ms Ilena Young from the CSU Study Centre in Wangaratta. The ‘Future Moves’ program started in northeast Victoria in 2012 and will develop partnerships with 10 schools across the region, working with school students from Years 9 to 12.  

The celebration of graduation ceremonies will return to central Albury next week as Charles Sturt University (CSU) holds its annual ceremonies for students who have completed their studies in 2012.  Four ceremonies will be held over two days in the Albury Entertainment Centre, Swift Street, starting at 3pm on Thursday 13 December, with a further three ceremonies to be held  at 9.30am, 11am and 3pm on Friday 14 December. Awards for academic excellence to be conferred include two University Medals and  eight students will receive their Doctor of Philosophy and one Doctor of Business Administration. Head of Campus at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Professor Julia Coyle, said, “The annual graduation ceremonies at Charles Sturt University are always an exciting time, and we look forward to welcoming our graduates and their families and friends on this important occasion. We are expecting nearly 600 graduates to attend, together with nearly 1 700 guests.”

Future health professionals will practise their skills using life-like dummies, monitored using computer technology, in simulation laboratories being set up in  Albury and Wodonga public hospitals. The project, which was possible due to funding made available by Health Workforce Australia, will help prepare doctors, nurses and allied health professionals for their chosen professions in rural and remote Australia by exposing them to ‘real life’ simulations monitored by some of the nation’s leading health educators, whether they be in regional or metropolitan areas. The local project is due to be completed by the middle of 2013. CSU’s cting Associate Dean in the Faculty of Science and project leader, Associate Professor Megan Smith, said simulations that replicate real scenarios have been found to provide valuable training while also increasing opportunities for clinical training. “Large simulation centres have been set up in metropolitan hospitals for many years, and we now have these educational opportunities available in regional Australia with these facilities,” she said.

The Equine Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will host the inaugural Supreme Performance Horse Sale from 1.30pm on Saturday 24 November. The sale, which is the first of its kind at CSU, will see 60 Australian working stock and quarter horses go under the hammer, with more than $300 000 expected to change hands. CSU Equine Centre Manager, Mr John Smart, said the auction by Landmark is expected to attract plenty of interest. “It’s the first time that buyers in the south of NSW will have an opportunity to attend an auction in their own backyard,” he said. “Most horse auctions take place in the state’s north, so this is quite a coup for vendors and the industry as a whole.” Sixty horses will make-up the inaugural sale with vendors coming from across NSW as well as Victoria. Local horse breeder and Supreme Performance Horse Sale Committee member, Mr Steve Condell, said the sale will offer some of the best bloodlines in the country. “This is the first time we’ve had the facilities available to offer top performance quality horses,” he said.