For the first time, Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will host a meeting of the peak body in Australasia for universities engaged in open, distance, flexible and e-learning education. The quarterly forum of the Australasian Council on Open, Distance and e-Learning (ACODE) will be held at CSU on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 November. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Ms Shirley Oakley, will welcome about 30 participants from Australia and New Zealand to the Sustaining e-Learning Innovations symposium. “We are delighted that Charles Sturt University is to host this event because e-learning is a central aspect of the delivery of our courses to students wherever they reside,” said Ms Oakley. “Charles Sturt University has one of the most balanced and extensive educational technology portfolios in the higher education sector.” The theme of the conference is ‘Sustaining eLearning Innovations: From conception to maturity’.

High school history teachers from across southern NSW will gather in Albury on Friday 11 November to discuss aspects of good history teaching, particularly in the early years of high school. Lecturer with the Murray School of Education at CSU in Albury-Wodonga Mr Paul Grover said events such as this one are vital for the professional development of teachers. “The history syllabus is changing with the introduction of the national Australian Curriculum, new history teaching technologies are being introduced and teachers change. In such a world, professional development days are vital to keep history teachers up to date with new resources and innovative teaching strategies,” he said. In the evening during a dinner for the Border History Teachers’ Network in Albury, historian and CSU Adjunct Associate Professor Bruce Pennay OAM will explore the role of the former Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre near the NSW-Victorian border in post-war immigration in Australia, and why these experiences might provide important lessons to modern immigration policies.

 

Indigenous staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will meet in Orange this week to engage in professional development, encourage interaction and strengthen networks at the annual Indigenous Staff Conference. Held on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 November, the conference will be titled Nguluway, a Wiradjuri word meaning ‘meeting with each other’. “Charles Sturt University has increased its Indigenous staff numbers in recent years and we currently have 56 in total, equating to 2.7 per cent of the staff population,” CSU Indigenous Employment Coordinator, Ms Catherine Maxwell said. “We recruit Indigenous staff to cover a broader range of areas within the organisation. We now have Indigenous staff not only represented within the Centre for Indigenous Studies at Charles Sturt University in Dubbo and the Indigenous Student Services’ centres across our campuses but also within our divisions, faculties and service areas.”

Final preparations are underway for the annual Vintage Dinner at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Friday 11 November. Hosted by the Head of Campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga Mr Adrian Lindner, the evening will celebrate the CSU Winery’s 2011 vintage as well as the slow food movement and environmental sustainability. New initiatives introduced into the Vintage Dinner this year include sourcing the majority of the food from within a 100 mile radius; cooking the meal in the slow food tradition; the use of cutlery made from bamboo, a renewable resource, and serviettes made from a bamboo and cotton blend; and the use of oil lanterns to reduce electricity use. More than 270 guests are due to attend the dinner in the Convention Centre, with entertainment by singer Mr Darren Coggan.  Special guest at the 2011 Vintage Dinner is Dr Glenn Withers, Chief Executive Officer of Universities Australia. He will be accompanied by CSU Chancellor Mr Lawrie Willett AO and Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Ian Goulter, who departs CSU at the end of 2011.

How to support girls to grow up with healthy attitudes towards body image and sexuality will be discussed at a public lecture in Orange on Friday 4 November. Lecturer in philosophy and ethics in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Dr Emma Rush will give an overview of what researchers and experts have to say about the risks associated with the sexualisation of girls and explain the government’s response. “A generation ago we didn’t see fashion and gossip magazines, padded bras and cosmetics pitched specifically at the primary school market,” she said. “While sex appeal has been used to sell products for a long time, in the last decade or so imagery directly inspired by pornography has also become much more prevalent in fashion and advertising. The increasing pressure on girls to meet very narrow appearance ideals at younger and younger ages is of significant concern to experts in child health and welfare.”  The free lecture, Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls, will also identify resources for parents and professionals who work with girls. 

Research into the impact of climate change on grape vines has been given a boost with new glasshouses and a bird proof micro-vineyard at the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. The $1 million dollar development was officially opened by the NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson at a ceremony on Wednesday 26 October. NWGIC Director, Professor Jim Hardie said researchers are able to get a better understanding of how different climate factors affect grape vines. “Under controlled environmental conditions we can vary factors such as air or soil temperature to gain an understanding of the growth response of the plant itself but also the impact on fruit quality,” he said. The NWGIC is an alliance between CSU, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the NSW Wine Industry Association.

 

The Head of Campus at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, will host a long-service awards ceremony for three staff members on Friday 4 November. The Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Ian Goulter, will present awards for 20 years service to Dr Robert Wood (lecturer, School of Computing and Mathematics) and for 30 years service to Ms Deborah Withington (Division of Learning and Teaching Services). Ms Cobi Hofman (Division of Student Services) will also be recognised for 20 years service. Mr Sharp said, “Charles Sturt University appreciates and respects the dedicated service that its staff members provide over many years, and it is important to acknowledge and celebrate these milestones when they occur”.