A passion for education, the pursuit of excellence and a commitment to children were attributes recognised in three students at Charles Sturt University in Ontario, Canada, who were awarded the Kate Graham Learning Communities Awards in December 2008. The winners, Mr Roland McDougall, Ms Melanie Childs and Mr Farran Glynn, were presented their awards by Ms Kate Graham and her husband Paul during ‘Careers Week.’ The $400 in prize money for the award was raised by CSU Ontario’s 2007 and 2008 graduating students after Ms Graham was involved in a serious car accident which interrupted her Bachelor of Primary Education Studies. The three students to receive the Kate Graham Learning Communities Awards in 2008 were recognised as representing Ms Graham’s dedication to learning. Read more about the CSU Ontario School of Education here.

The Mid-Western Regional Council has committed $30 000 to the Charles Sturt Foundation at Charles Sturt University (CSU) to create an annual scholarship to support local students.

 

The scholarship will be available to students in any course on any of CSU’s five main campuses at Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange or Wagga Wagga.  The scholarship will be valued at $2 500 per year and will be available to students who reside in the Mid-Western Regional Council area, or who have completed the majority of their high school education there.

 

The Mid-Western Region covers an area of 9 000 square kilometres, includes the towns of Gulgong, Kandos, Mudgee and Rylstone as well as many rural villages, and features agricultural diversity ranging from producing quality wines to fine wools.

 

“Council is delighted with this opportunity to help young people from our region to obtain a higher education,” said Mid-Western Region Mayor, Cr Percy Thompson.

“Students and their families can face numerous financial challenges in fulfilling their dreams of university study. Many students may not take up the opportunity of tertiary study because of the costs involved.  These costs can include travel, accommodation, textbooks, fees and other living expenses.

“More than 100 students from this Region are enrolled each year at one of the five campuses of Charles Sturt University. By funding the Mid-Western Regional Council Scholarship, Council looks forward to helping ease the financial burden of a higher education for someone each year,” said Cr Thompson.

 

“The generosity of donors who support the Charles Sturt Foundation, such as the Mid-Western Regional Council, is assisting the University to recognise and reward our best and brightest students,” said Ms Jan Hudson, Manager, University Relations for the Charles Sturt Foundation. “Scholarships provide students with an excellent start and on-going support during their studies, as well as providing students with vital industry links.

 

“The establishment of these scholarships is a demonstration of Mid-Western Regional Council’s support for Charles Sturt University and its students, and an example of a local council providing financial support for its students.”

 

Businesses interested in supporting the Charles Sturt Foundation should contact the Foundation Office on (02) 6338 4832. Information on CSU scholarships can be found here.

The Christmas lights displayed on some houses in the lead up to Christmas made it easy to see that some families are more enthusiastic about this seasonal flourish than others. This prompted Charles Sturt University graduates to create a documentary called Christmas Lights about such families. The director, Ms Lizzie Fisher, a CSU Theatre/Media graduate, takes us on a journey meeting three families and discovering the motivation behind weeks of work and thousands of dollars invested in Christmas lights. She was assisted by Director of Photography and CSU Media Production graduate Mr James Foggo who helped bring these fascinating stories to life. The documentary aired on ABC television before Christmas, and was also screened during Qantas flights over the Christmas period.

Professor Allan Curtis has been appointed as the new Head of Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Albury-Wodonga. Professor Curtis, who took up the position on Tuesday 23 December, replaces Professor Gail Whiteford. He will hold this appointment concurrently with his position as Strategic Professor at the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society. Professor Curtis joined CSU in 2004 as the inaugural Professor of Integrated Environmental Management. He previously worked at CSU from 1991 to 2002 before leading the Social Sciences Program at the federal Bureau of Rural Sciences in Canberra. Professor Curtis’ current research focuses on the social dimensions of regional natural resource management, including the social and economic impacts of water and its regulation in the Murray-Darling Basin.

An executive with over 25 years experience in the Australian advertising industry says she understands why Charles Sturt University (CSU) advertising and advertising/marketing graduates are so highly sought by the industry. Ms Anne Llewellynn has joined the CSU School of Communication at Bathurst as lecturer in advertising after a career as a senior account director for major agencies including McCann-Erickson, MDO (Mojo) and DDB, where her expertise contributed to the success of a range of national and international products and services in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, consumer goods, banking and finance sectors. “Last year I worked with final year students in the School’s advertising agency Kajulu Communications to prepare complete communications recommendations for real clients,” Ms Llewellynn said. “The presentations and the calibre of the work produced by some of these students were industry standard. The students graduating from this School enter the industry with the highest academic qualifications and hands-on industry experience.”