Social researcher, author and commentator Dr Hugh Mackay will deliver a free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Wednesday 25 June. Dr Mackay, who is also a psychologist and novelist, will examine the topic 'The good life; what makes a life worth living?'.Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, said, "Dr Mackay is a former resident of Bathurst and I look forward to welcoming him back to Charles Sturt University. He has spent his working life asking Australians about their values, motivations, ambitions, hopes and fears, and the public lecture will explore humanity's pursuit of pleasure, our attempts to perfect ourselves and our children, and our conviction that we can have our lives under control. Mr Mackay will argue that the good life is not the sum of our security, wealth, and levels of happiness, but is defined by our capacity for selflessness, the quality of our relationships, and our willingness to connect with others in a useful way." This free public lecture is at 6pm Wednesday 25 June in room 223, building 1292, at CSU in Bathurst, and is part of the CSU 2014 Explorations public lecture series.  

A new partnership between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Mitchell Conservatorium in Bathurst will be celebrated with a music performance and a free public lecture on Monday 23 June. Professor Tara Brabazon, Head of the CSU School of Teacher Education and Chair of the Mitchell Conservatorium in Bathurst, said, "I look forward to welcoming Mr Graham Sattler, the new Executive Director of the Mitchell Conservatorium, to deliver the public lecture at the University.The development of our region is part of the University's goals. There is a strong collaboration and working relationship between the School of Teacher Education and the Mitchell Conservatorium that aligns with our commitment to early childhood education, school-based music programmes, and lifelong learning in the arts. This event is the foundation for many future partnerships and collaborations, and I invite everyone to enjoy the musical contribution from members of our regional community." Mr Sattler said, "Regional Conservatoriums have a long and proud history of providing broad-ranging community music resources in non-metropolitan NSW. Partnerships with education leaders such as Charles Sturt University are critical in developing a unified approach to the enhancement of quality of life in regional areas."  

The annual Charles Sturt Winery 'Bathurst Winter Feast' will now be held on Friday 1 August. The new date has been chosen following advice from the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Division of Facilities Management and building contractors regarding major renovations to the on-campus dining facilities, including Rafters. Charles Sturt Wines marketing manager, Mr Justin Byrne, said, "After speaking with the chefs and event organisers we agreed that it was best to delay the event until all the kitchen works were completed. It was a great event last year and we didn't want to compromise the standard that has been set. We hope all those with tickets will be able to join us but, if not, full refunds will be available with our apologies." Ticket holders will be contacted directly. The CSU chefs have devised a degustation menu matched to a range of Charles Sturt Wines, including the excellent 2009 Reserve Sparkling and the 2007 Shiraz, which won a Gold Medal and was in the taste-off for the Jimmy Watson Trophy in Melbourne in 2008.

The annual regional RoboCup Junior Challenge for school students will be staged at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst on Friday 13 June. As a sign of the growing interest in robotics and enthusiasm for this event, CSU organisers expect double the participants from last year, with approximately 165 students from 10 schools in the central west and Blue Mountains to compete in two team challenge categories - dance, and rescue. Mr Allen Benter, associate lecturer in the CSU School of Computing and Mathematics in Bathurst said, "The RoboCup Junior Challenge aims to develop teamwork and technical skills in an environment of participation, fun and excitement. The competition is the culmination of plenty of hard work by students who have built and programmed their robots following workshops we held for students and their teachers earlier this year, and is an opportunity for students to show their ingenuity and creativity to solve complex problems. Robotics is a developing career area and perhaps some of these students will design and build the domestic, industrial and manufacturing robots of the future."

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host the annual 2014 Secondary School Principals' Conference in Bathurst from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 June. Professor Toni Downes, the Executive Dean of the CSU Faculty of Education, said, "Charles Sturt University is very pleased to host this annual conference for NSW secondary school principals. I look forward to welcoming the principals, and the NSW Minister for Education, The Hon. Mr Adrian Piccoli, who will deliver an address to the conference on Wednesday 11 June. The conference is especially important at this time when significant government policies that will have profound impacts on the future of education in Australia are being debated. In particular, we need to ensure that all education – from early childhood through to Vocational Education and Training (VET) and higher education - are seen as an investment that has a significant return for the productivity and social inclusion of society," Professor Downes said. Between 280 to 300 high school principals are expected to attend the conference.

Fifty-five senior students from 21 regional high schools will attend a MyDay event at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 5 June to learn about courses and careers in teaching and education. CSU prospective student adviser, Ms Melinda Negus, said, "MyDay events give senior high school students an opportunity to receive detailed and personalised information about a range of courses and career options. This MyDay will enable students to make well-informed choices about which courses will suit their needs and career aspirations. Lecturers and advisers will provide information sessions in the Interactive Learning Centre (building 1432) which is a state-of-the-art high-tech 'classroom of the future'."

Two PhD students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have been recognised at the recent 2014 Speech Pathology Australia National Conference in Melbourne. Ms Sarah Verdon from the School of Teacher Education at CSU in Bathurst was awarded Best Student Paper Prize. Ms Sarah Masso, also from the School of Teacher Education, was awarded one of four Best Poster Prizes at the conference held from Sunday 18 to Wednesday 21 May. Both students are PhD scholars at the University's Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education (RIPPLE). They are supervised by Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Professor Sharynne McLeod. In June, Professor McLeod and three of her PhD students – Ms Verdon, Ms Masso, and Ms Suzanne Hopf - will present papers at the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association in Sweden and will host a meeting of the International Expert Panel of Multilingual Children's Speech. Professor McLeod will also visit the Icelandic National Hearing and Speech Institute in late June. Her trip will focus on multilingual children's speech acquisition. : Read more about Professor McLeod's work in her "Speaking my language" blog here.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) journalism alumnus and '60 Minutes' TV current affairs reporter, Ms Allison Langdon, will address communication students in Bathurst today, Tuesday 3 June. Journalism lecturer at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst, Ms Kay Nankervis, said, "It is always very rewarding for our students when former graduates return to speak to them about their experiences of the industry the students are studying to enter. Allison Langdon completed her Charles Sturt University journalism degree at the end of 2000, and went on to a career in television news before joining the '60 Minutes' reporting team in 2011. Allison is keen to share insights with students about gaining employment into the media industry after completing University, and will be open to questions from students." Ms Allison Langdon will address students this afternoon from 3pm to 4pm Tuesday 3 June in lecture room 347 in the Mansfield Building (building 1411).

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students will present their marketing communication recommendations to several Central West organisations at CSU in Bathurst on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 June. Twenty-four teams each with four to six second and third-year students from the CSU School of Management and Marketing and the School of Communication and Creative Industries have researched briefs provided by four organisations to develop marketing communication recommendations. The student groups will have up to 12 minutes to highlight their research and make recommendations to representatives of the organisations and CSU academics. Marketing lecturer Mr Andrew Mashman said, "These students will benefit from these client-based research projects in a number of ways. Firstly, they learn to investigate and leverage the academic theory they have learned. They experience the excitement and tensions of having to deliver their findings to a real client who is likely busy, time-poor and expectant, in a corporate-style environment. Each student receives valuable team-work experience where they have to be self-reliant and manage various stakeholders for success. Finally, students have a major differentiator in their portfolio or resume which starts a whole different conversation during job interviews, because these experiences make CSU students more employable."