Two senior livestock officers from Laos in South East Asia are visiting the Albury-Wodonga region this week to compare small scale livestock production systems with farms in their country. Deputy Director of the Lao National Agriculture and Forestry Extension Service, Dr Tienne Vannasouk, and Director of the Lao Livestock and Fisheries Extension Centre, Mr Noungthong Sihanath, are being hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) during their week-long visit. The trip includes presentations to Victorian Government agricultural extension officers at Tatura and visits to local enterprises. Both officials work closely with CSU academic Dr Jo Millar, who is leading an Australian Government funded project to investigate how farmers learn from each other to improve livestock production in Laos. The Lao researchers will visit the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society on CSU’s Thurgoona site on Friday 10 March.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) computer network has gone wireless. CSU students and staff are now able to use their laptop computers via wireless links to receive and send emails and interact in online learning environments without having to plug in to a data line. The wireless links have been developed in areas where high numbers of users gather such as libraries, computer centres, selected lecture and tutorial rooms and outside areas. The wireless technology has gone live on the Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Orange and Wagga Wagga campuses with plans to further expand the network.

The University Theatre Ensemble’s (UTE) production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in 2005 has been recognised in the annual Canberra Area Theatre Awards. Charles Sturt University (CSU) student Naomi Clegg was named the winner of the Best Costume Design (Play) in the Canberra regional awards held in February 2006. Miss Clegg is due to graduate from CSU in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts (Design for Theatre and Television). UTE is the stage production arm of the acting and theatre and television design degree courses within the University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts in Wagga Wagga.  The productions involve final year acting students and are designed by final year theatre design students. “As our licence to produce The Crucible stipulated that the play be produced in period, Naomi had to undertake an enormous amount of research to design costumes that were true to colonial Massachusetts in 1692 and she more than lived up to all this research,” said director of The Crucible and senior CSU lecturer Ray Goodlass. “Ms Clegg’s achievement in the Canberra Area Theatre Awards demonstrates not only the quality of our students but also the significant contribution the University makes to the artistic diversity of the regions we serve,” said Dean of CSU Arts Faculty Professor Lyn Gorman.

A new student accommodation scheme to strengthen the links between Charles Sturt University (CSU), Riverina businesses and local governments has been formally proposed by the Head of the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus Professor David Green. The aim of the scheme is to construct additional on-campus residential cottages and provide scholarships for regional students from the rental income. Riverina businesses and local governments are being offered the opportunity to fund the construction of cottage a and a percentage of the rental income is then used to fund a scholarship through the Charles Sturt Foundation. Each room purchased by a benefactor would also be named after that donor. “The advantages of this scheme include CSU engaging with its regions and retaining regional students, the majority of whom pursue their professions in regional Australia,” said Professor Green. It is hoped that new student accommodation will be available under this scheme by 2007.

An informal arrangement which has existed for over 15 years between library services at Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Goulburn Police College was today made official at a signing ceremony in Bathurst. CSU Executive Director Library Services Shirley Oakley said this is a significant step forward in what has already proved to be a successful and productive relationship, "The relationship we have is a really good one, but we wanted to make sure it didn’t just rely on goodwill from the personalities, that it was a robust relationship. This new Service Level Agreement is more collaborative and future looking, so as the requirements of the students change we can evolve our services to meet their needs." Tony Stephenson, Manager at the Goulburn Police College Library agrees, "the formal partnerships between the NSW Police and CSU for police education do impact on our libraries, so this agreement will officially cover all library arrangements". Shirley Oakley said the time was right to also look at expanding the relationship. "The agreement also establishes a partnership between the library staff, so that we will exchange skills and keep each other up-to-date on what’s happening in each other’s libraries, which is important for staff development," she said.