Seeking to assist people with restricted movement has led to a significant renovation at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga.A specially designed lift has been fitted in the five-storey Gordon Beavan Building at the Thurgoona site to improve access throughout the building for people of all abilities.Built in the 1980s, the building’s previous lift could only stop at the first, third and fifth floors.“The new lift now services all floors, and allows people with restricted movement, including wheelchair access, to all parts of the building,” said Mr Stephen Butt, Executive Director of the CSU Division of Facilities Management.“Providing compliant and appropriate access for staff and students to all buildings is a priority for Charles Sturt University. This project is part of our ongoing improvement program across the University.”The new lift and other modifications including an exercise room will be officially launched by Dr Jennifer Munday, Head of Campus at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, starting at 10am on Friday 23 March in the Gordon Beavan Building, CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Ellis Street, Thurgoona.The formal launch will be followed by a morning tea.

Are you aged 60 years or over and looking to maintain or improve your brain power or physical strength?Academics from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga are looking for participants in their ‘Ageing Well’ program which aims to enhance older people’s physical and cognitive abilities.Participants will have access to allied health professionals such as occupational therapists, podiatrists and physiotherapists, who will support and supervise CSU students to deliver the weekly program.Project coordinator and occupational therapist Dr Melissa Nott said, “Healthy ageing is more than increasing the number of life-years without disability. It’s about creating an opportunity for older people to actively participate in the everyday functional tasks that give their life meaning and value.“We know that keeping active later in life brings incredible benefits for older people, in mental and physical wellbeing.”Dr Nott, from the CSU School of Community Health, believes that working in community groups also enhances social connection and reduces feeling of isolation for older people.“This project provides an opportunity for Charles Sturt University students to work in partnership with older people to assist them while gaining skills for their future careers as health professionals in regional areas.“We are also keen for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged over 50 years to take part in the program.”Participants will sign up for a one-hour session each Thursday for 10 weeks. The sessions will involve individual and group activities from Thursday 19 April 2018.The program will be held in the Community Engagement and Wellness (CEW) Centre, Ellis Street, at CSU’s Thurgoona site.For more information and to sign up for the program, contact Dr Nott on (02) 6051 9246 or send an email to ageingwell@csu.edu.au

The drums of harmony will beat at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga next Tuesday 20 March to celebrate national Harmony Day.Pupils from Wodonga Primary School will demonstrate their Japanese Taiko drumming skills as part of the celebrations, which will be held between 11.30am and 1pm.Taiko is a very active and dramatic form of drumming developed in Japan from the 6th century.Other activities for CSU students to help celebrate Harmony Day include games, crafts and a competition with flags from around the world.“We want to spread the Harmony Day message that ‘everyone belongs’,” said CSU event coordinator and student liaison officer, Mr Lee Elliott.“With almost half of Australians born overseas or having a parent who was, we want to show our students that diversity is what brings us together as a community, including here in Albury-Wodonga.”Harmony Day activities will be held in and around the Gums Café at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

A leading education researcher at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will launch a new book this week that recognises that young writers need support from a very early age.Associate Professor Noella Mackenzie in the CSU School of Education located in Albury-Wodonga is the lead editor of the book and either wrote or co-authored 6 or the 13 book chapters in Understanding and supporting Young Writers from Birth to 8. The book explores what it means to be a young child learning to write in the 21st Century.“Writing has possibly eclipsed reading as the critical literacy skill for children to learn,” Professor Mackenzie said.“The book fills a gap in literacy education, and provides practitioners such as early childhood and primary school teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively support young children as they learn to write.”The book will be launched by one of the NSW Directors of School Education in Albury, Dr Brad Russell, and CSU’s Head of the School of Education, Associate Professor David Smith.Teachers, educators and interested members of the community from both sides of the border have been invited to the afternoon event. The launch will be hosted by the Albury Library Museum and sponsored by the local chapter of the Australian Literacy Educator’s Association.In addition, the launch event will be attended by other co-authors of the book, who are all based at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, as well as some of the children who took part in research and provided pictures for the book.Event detailsWhere: Albury Library Museum, Kiewa St, AlburyWhen: starting 4.30pm on Thursday 8 MarchRead and hear further details here on the book Understanding and supporting Young Writers from Birth to 8.

A free public lecture celebrating the universal right to be able to communicate and the 20th year of speech pathology at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be hosted by CSU in Albury-Wodonga next Wednesday evening, 7 March.Award winning educator and CSU Professor of Speech and Language Acquisition Sharynne McLeod will present the lecture titled Communication as a Human Right, which will also celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Professor Sharynne McLeod has a long association with the CSU speech pathology program which commenced 20 years ago as part of the CSU School of Community Health in Albury. Professor McLeod is now with the School of Teacher Education in Bathurst.Professor McLeod has also dedicated her life to upholding Article 19 of the UN Human Rights convention, which states:“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression: this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.As part of the lecture, Professor McLeod will present her own work in this area.The free lecture will be held on Wednesday 7 March, starting at 6pm. It will be held in the CD Blake Lecture Theatre (Building 751 Room 104), CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.Refreshments will be provided after the lecture.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga will celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) by co-hosting an event in conjunction with the Sydney Opera House.Head of Campus at CSU in Albury-Wodonga Dr Jenni Munday (pictured) said CSU in Albury-Wodonga will host a live-streaming satellite event from 12.30pm on Sunday 4 March.“The annual All About Women (AAW) event on Sunday 4 March is one of Sydney Opera House’s flagship festivals and is a prelude to International Women’s Day on Thursday 8 March,” Dr Munday said.“This year the Sydney Opera House will be streaming three headline sessions and an exclusive backstage Q&A with a key speaker.“It is a full afternoon of talks and discussions about ideas that matter to women, and provides an important platform for women’s voices.”CSU Albury-Wodonga will stream the whole program, so attendees can choose to stay for one session or the entire afternoon.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will celebrate the launch on Tuesday 27 February of six books written and edited by members of the CSU Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS).With topics ranging from healthy ageing, freshwater ecosystems in protected areas, and Pacific politics to empowering social workers, the books are encompassed by the ILWS mission to ‘undertake internationally recognised integrated environmental, social and economic research for rural and regional areas’.ILWS director Professor Max Finlayson (pictured) said, “These books from a range of disciplines highlight the variety and depth of work undertaken by Institute members.“Many books contain chapters written by other ILWS members, demonstrating the breadth of expertise available in ILWS for regional Australia.”One author, Associate Professor Rik Thwaites, said his book on the current state and future of community forestry in the Himalayan nation of Nepal was the culmination of years of work by himself and four former students who have graduated with PhDs from CSU in recent years.“Nepal is seen as a model and a laboratory for how community forest can be achieved, managed and implemented. But it is not without its problems, especially as the nation and its people change in the modern world, as we discuss in our book,” Professor Thwaites said.The books to be launched are:* Bernoth, M., & Winkler, D. (2017) (eds.) Healthy ageing and aged care. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.* Finlayson, C.M., Arthington, A.H., Pittock, J. (eds.) (2017) Freshwater Ecosystems in Protected Areas, Conservation and Management. Routledge.* Midgley, J. & Pawar, M. (eds.) (2017) Future Directions in Social Development, New York. Palgrave Macmillan.* O’Sullivan, D. (2017) Indigeneity: A politics of potential – Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. PolicyPress, University of Bristol.* Pawar, M., Hugman, R., Alexandra, A., Anscombe, A.W.B. (eds.) (2017) Empowering Social workers. Virtuous practitioners. Springer.* Thwaites, R., Fisher, R. & Poudel, M. (eds.) (2018) Community Forestry in Nepal: Adapting to a Changing World. Earthscan from Routledge.The event will commence at 10.30am on Tuesday 27 February in the Gums Café, CSU in Albury-Wodonga.Many of the authors and editors will attend the event, which will be followed by a morning tea and conversations with them.

It’s time for ceremony, wide eyes and nervous feet as over 450 on-campus students are welcomed to their new educational adventure at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga during Orientation Week (O Week), commencing Monday 19 February.CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann said, “The start of the new academic year at the University is always an exciting time, particularly with the arrival of new students on campus for Orientation Week activities, followed by the return of continuing students.“I welcome all new students, whether they are studying on campus or online.“Charles Sturt University is committed to providing the best possible student experience, and sharing the University’s values so students become graduates who are insightful, inclusive, inspiring and who make a positive impact in their communities and professional disciplines.”Orientation Week activities at CSU in Albury-Wodonga include:- Commencement Ceremony: a formal academic procession commences the welcome to new students and their parents to CSU. Commencing at 10am on 19 February in CD Blake Auditorium, off Elizabeth Mitchell drive, Thurgoona (park in car park 2);- Market Day: a ‘show’ day for local businesses and services for new students at CSU. To be held between 10.30am and 1 pm on 19 February (best time 11am to 1pm) in the main courtyard and nearby Gums Café, off Elizabeth Mitchell drive, Thurgoona (park in car park 2);- Activity Day: on Tuesday 20 February to welcome new students studying with the School of Environmental Sciences, to be held from 10.30am to 3pm (best time 11am to 12.30pm) on Lake Hume at the Albury Wodonga Yacht Club, off Old Weir Road, Bonegilla.- Activity Day: on Tuesday 20 February to welcome new students studying with the School of Community Health, to be held from 10am to 12pm in SoCH practice rooms at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Ellis St, Thurgoona.- Enrolment and course information days: on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 February to engage new students in the ‘business’ part of Orientation Week, starting 9am at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell drive, Thurgoona (park in  car park 2).Across the University, 2 785 new students in 2018 will study on campus. They join the more than 40 000 students who study at CSU, of which 21 per cent are international students from 120 countries studying on campus in Australia and overseas through partners or online.Session One classes for students studying on campus commence on Monday 26 February.

Older workers in Australia are facing a ‘Catch-22’ situation.“Workforce trends and government policy tell us we will need to work longer before achieving a well-earned retirement,” says Head of Campus at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga, Dr Jennifer Munday.“At the same time, many older workers report experiencing discrimination in their search for jobs.”The federal Age Discrimination Commissioner, The Honorable Dr Kay Patterson, AO, will address this dilemma and present some solutions in a free public lecture titled ‘Older Workers - Rights, Innovation and Inclusion’.This free event will be held as part of the University’s Exploration Series at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Tuesday 13 February.“We invite the people of Albury-Wodonga and surrounding areas to meet Dr Patterson and hear about how we might resolve this dilemma,” Dr Munday said.Dr Patterson will also discuss innovative opportunities for promoting the rights of older workers and creating an inclusive and productive workforce for Australia.Event details:When: 6pm - 7pm, Tuesday 13 February (followed by light refreshments)Where: CD Blake Auditorium (Building 751, Room 104), CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, ThurgoonaParking: Car Park 2About the Exploration SeriesThe Explorations Series brings speakers from diverse disciplines to CSU campuses to share the latest ideas, thinking and opinions on contemporary social, scientific and cultural issues.