Students on the NSW North Coast can look forward to increased options and opportunities in higher education when TAFE NSW North Coast Institute and Charles Sturt University (CSU) sign a formal Memorandum of Understanding in Port Macquarie on Friday 23 July. CSU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers said the arrangement focuses on academic collaboration, including integrated programs that combine TAFE and university qualifications. “The agreement will increase the number and range of formal study pathways and articulation arrangements between the two institutions, which will allow students to complete a university degree without moving away from home,” he said. Institute Director for TAFE NSW North Coast Institute, Ms Elizabeth McGregor said that the MOU would support Commonwealth Government initiatives aimed at developing a more highly qualified population in regional Australia. “The local Education and Skills Forum is developing a collaborative approach to expand tertiary education on the North Coast, and TAFE NSW North Coast Institute and other forum members welcome Charles Sturt University’s decision to join us in these efforts,” she said.

Students in NSW and the ACT will have the opportunity to win cash prizes and donate money their favourite charity when entries open for Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) 2010 Making a Difference competition. CSU’s Making a Difference (MaD) Social Justice Innovation Award is open to all students in NSW and ACT in Year 10, 11 or 12 at high school or a student aged 15 to 21 years at TAFE. “The competition gives young people the opportunity to have an input into the challenging issues such as homelessness, teen suicide, drugs, poverty and crime,” said competition coordinator Mr Bill Anscombe, a senior lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU. “This competition offers young people the platform to tell their story.” Students were asked to write a story, poem or script that addresses any issue of social justice for the chance to win $250 cash and to select a charity of their choice which CSU would then make a $250 donation to on their behalf.

The nursing and paramedic courses at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be the focus for approximately 45 senior high school students from the Blue Mountains to Forbes when they attend the next MyDay information sessions at the University in Bathurst on Tuesday 18 May. Ms Fran Dwyer, a Prospective Student Adviser at CSU, said, “There are high levels of interest from prospective students keen to study nursing and paramedic courses and the nursing/paramedic double degree through the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. These professions are vital for society, and increasingly young people are keen to undertake study that they see as practical, useful and satisfying, especially as these are recognised as among the most trusted professions.” Students will meet CSU teaching staff and current students to explore the nursing and paramedic teaching laboratories, and learn about the challenges and rewards of these professions.

Preparing students for life in the workplace, with suitable knowledge and skills, work readiness and understanding of occupational culture, has long been recognised as vital by higher education providers. A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has raised the issue of what knowledge and skills university educators need to take workplace education forward in the current global era. Professor Joy Higgs AM has received one of nine Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Teaching Fellowships to examine what makes good workplace education and to encourage the widespread use of good practice in universities nationally. “The aim is to better prepare students for the complex workplaces of today,” said Professor Higgs, Director of CSU’s Education for Practice Institute. “Known as practice-based education, it’s a vital part of the education of university students, but there is much of this teaching and learning that is invisible, such as how teachers make decisions about teaching in classrooms. A key goal of this fellowship is to identify and disseminate good practices.”

Interest in the 7th annual Australian International Animation Festival has reached unprecedented levels with more than 2 200 submissions received from 40 countries for the event in regional NSW. Hosted by the Animation and Visual Effects program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga, the Festival will be held from Friday 14 May to Sunday 16 May at the Forum 6 Cinema in Wagga Wagga. The program includes international films, digital animation, stop motion and Australian made films. Young children are catered for in the Festival line-up as well as a ‘Late Night Bizarre’ show. There will also be free talks and workshops from local and international filmmakers. The full program can be found here.

The challenge in managing an organisation’s development alongside its environmental footprint is demonstrated in Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) 2009 Environmental Scorecard. The document is prepared by CSU Green to critically assess the University’s progress in meeting its sustainability targets for 2011 and 2015. “There was a large amount of development and construction at Charles Sturt University, with a 16 per cent increase in gross floor space since 2006, the baseline year,” said CSU Green Manager Mr William Adlong. “Despite this construction, greenhouse gas emissions from energy use increased by only 1.3 per cent between 2006 and 2009. This reflects the greater energy efficiency of new buildings, improvements in the plant and equipment in existing buildings and staff efforts to reduce energy use in their work areas,” Mr Adlong said. The 2009 Environmental Scorecard also shows mains water consumption across the University fell by more than 32 per cent since 2006, electricity consumption rose by 5.2 per cent from 2006, and emissions from travel increased 4.5 per cent from 2008. Read the full 2009 Environmental Scorecard here.

Strength athletes in the immediate Bathurst area needed for sports nutrition research at Charles Sturt University (CSU) can find out more at an information session at the University at 6pm on Wednesday 12 May. Chief investigator Dr Stephen Bird and co-investigator Dr Jack Cannon, both from the CSU School of Human Movement Studies in Bathurst, say, “Our previous research has shown that repeated bouts of resistance exercise accompanied by nutritional supplementation can promote increased muscle growth and strength. We need participants for our current research into Nutrient timing strategies and the strength athlete: mechanisms and adaptations, which will examine the science behind ‘nutrient timing’. The research volunteers will receive 10 weeks of supervised strength training, with nutritional supplements, so we can assess changes in hormone response, muscle growth, and strength and body composition, as well as indicators of muscle damage and recovery.”

Bathurst residents will have the opportunity to hear from, and view some of the work of, Mr Mervyn Bishop, the celebrated photographer and Indigenous photojournalist, when he speaks at the Ponton Theatre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 6 May. Dr Jane Mills, Associate Professor of Communication in the School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst, said, “Mervyn Bishop is an outstanding photographer who has chronicled the life and times of the nation since he joined the Sydney Morning Herald as its first Indigenous cadet photographer in 1962. He also worked for the then-Department of Aboriginal Affairs from 1974-80 and took the famous photo of then-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring soil into the hands of traditional owner Vincent Lingiari in 1975, which symbolically marked the start of Indigenous land rights in Australia. His photos have been featured in numerous exhibitions. We are extremely fortunate to have Mervyn come to Bathurst to speak to Charles Sturt University students and graduates this week.”

A regional TV news presenter and journalist well-known to many in the Central West will discuss career options with senior high school students from across the region and beyond as guest speaker at the MyDay communication studies information sessions at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 6 May. Ms Fran Dwyer, a Prospective Student Adviser at CSU, said she expects about 40 students from the Hunter, Sydney, Cowra, Bathurst, Katoomba, Lithgow, Oberon, Orange and Parkes to attend the School of Communication and Creative Industries MyDay sessions. “These students will hear from special guest Mr Hugh Whitfeld, a 2008 graduate of the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries who is now a journalist and news presenter with Prime TV News in Orange,” Ms Dwyer said. The students will be involved in interactive activities with CSU academics and current students who will showcase CSU facilities such as the Media Centre, National Radio News, Kajulu Advertising Agency, and W9, the theatre/media workshop and rehearsal facility.