The biennial 'Admin Focus' conference for Charles Sturt University (CSU) administration staff is being held at CSU in Bathurst on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 February. The conference is open to CSU administration staff and approximately 130 staff from all campuses will attend. Ms Karen Lenihan, Director, Organisational and People Capability in the CSU Division of Human Resources, said, "The conference is a fantastic professional development and networking event which primarily aims to recognise the contributions of the University's administration staff, foster networking, and increase awareness of professional development for these staff. "There are a variety of session topics to enhance performance and assist staff to navigate the evolving administrative landscape of this dynamic organisation. Relevant topics include high impact business writing; developing career goals; using the internet to manage workload; and learning the fundamentals of the FAST reporting system. There will be an opportunity for delegates to engage in 'Q&A'-style discussions with the University's Senior Executive Committee. There will also be an interactive group session designed to build an understanding of the important role administrative staff play in contributing to the outcomes of the organisation and 'unleashing your inner marketer'." More information can be found here.

Heather Bell has been appointed the Acting Head of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dubbo Campus. Mrs Bell has just returned from a six month placement at CSU Ontario where she worked as Campus Operations Manager, which was her role for the past five years at the Dubbo Campus. In announcing the appointment, Vice-Chancellor Ian Goulter congratulated Mrs Bell, saying “she will play an active role in strengthening the University’s links with the region and the delivery of service to the community.”  Mrs Bell says these are exciting times for the Dubbo Campus. “The Admin Focus conference saw over 100 CSU staff travel to Dubbo to see first hand the development that has taken place and that the construction is completed at Dubbo, we can cement our place in the CSU community as well as the Dubbo regional community.” She says she was delighted by the appointment. “Absolutely, I think I will now be well placed to encourage prospective students to visit the Campus and consider higher education, particularly those who may have left school a few years ago or those looking for state-of-the-art student accommodation.” Mrs Bell take over the role as Head of Campus from Professor David Battrersby who was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Ballarat University.

A Federal Government inquiry into school students’ knowledge of Australia’s history has led to a new Charles Sturt University (CSU) history course for teachers being launched for 2007. Course coordinator and history and politics lecturer Dr Troy Whitford said there is a real gap in the knowledge students and teachers have about Australia’s democratic process and its history. “This course aims to address many teachers’ poor understanding of Australian history and help teachers to address the need to teach about Australia’s democratic processes and citizenship in their classes. The Graduate Certificate in History (Civics and Citizenship) relates to relevant sections in other teaching subjects for social science, geography and modern history giving graduates a big picture understanding, particularly in relation to the organisation and operation of the Australian democratic system,” Dr Whitford said. Enrolments for the postgraduate course, to start in 2007, will run until November 2006. The Federal Government will hold a summit on teaching Australian history in August this year.

After eight years at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Executive Director of CSU’s Division of Marketing and Community Education, Ken Ball is leaving CSU to further his photography career. He cites the integration of the marketing website, the development of the CSU Contact Centre and the establishment of the CSU Outback Art School in Broken Hill as highlights of his time at CSU. Despite his burgeoning photography career, which includes three books and numerous exhibitions, he says he will always fondly remember his years at CSU. “It’s been great working here. CSU is quite entrepreneurial, the thinking here is different to a lot of universities which are set in a traditional mould and set in their ways. CSU is very responsive, and that makes the University what it is.”

The peak body for Australian agricultural scientists and technologists has honoured the life-time professional work of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Emeritus Professor Ted Wolfe. The Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (AIAST), representing professionals working in agricultural science and natural resource management, has made Professor Wolfe a Fellow of the Institute. He has a lengthy involvement with agricultural education at the University which in recent years has seen him lead international student exchanges between CSU and the University of Delaware, USA. Professor Wolfe has also been recognised for his work in building the agricultural capacity of countries like North Korea and Eritrea, visiting and building ties with both countries. He believes strongly in the benefit of these visits to scientific agriculture and to farmers, not only in the host country but also in Australia. “Following the recent run of poor seasons, the Australian agricultural sector deserves on-going community support for the valuable role it plays in food security, land care and earning export income,” said Professor Wolfe. Outgoing Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Science Professor Jim Pratley said this was a fitting and richly deserved reward for Professor Wolfe for his tireless commitment to agriculture and AIAST.

The Ponton Theatre might not need its heaters on “high” even though Hair – the Tribal Love Rock Musical opens next week in the middle of a Bathurst winter. Show producer and director, Charles Sturt University (CSU) second year theatre media student Adam Ross, describes the plot as “about a bunch of hippies who protest against war, take a lot of drugs and get nude and sing about sexual freedom.” He says the topics raised by the musical are pertinent at present. “With the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and with the issues of gay marriage and sexual freedom, it really hits home.” He also says the show will be a “trip down memory lane” for older people. “While putting up posters around campus, many lecturers are going, ‘Hair, I haven’t seen that since I was 15!’ I know it will bring back a lot of memories.” Hair opens on Wednesday 2 August, and continues on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 August. Bookings can be made by calling: Mobile 0428 611 916. This production will follow the dark play Kafka’s Metamorphosis, to be performed by CSU theatre media students this Thursday 27, Friday 28 and Saturday 29 July at the Ponton Theatre in Bathurst, starting at 8pm. For bookings, call: Mobile 0405 449 653.

Virginia Falk is driven. While queuing at Centrelink and wondering how she was going to support four children alone, she decided education was the answer. “I did six degrees in five-and-a-half years. I think it’s a record,” she says with some understatement. Starting with three undergraduate courses, including a Bachelor of Vocational Education and Training from Charles Sturt University (CSU), she is currently a Chief Executive Officer with the NSW Department of Natural Resources. Her role there is to establish, administer and implement the Aboriginal Water Trust, a project to increase the level of Aboriginal participation in industries such as nurseries, recycling and “fertigation”. Meanwhile, her studies continue. “My doctoral thesis will be a breakthrough as far as understanding what water means to Aboriginal people, and how competition for water impacts on Aboriginal communities. I think that is going to be a really important area for people to understand.”

Every year for the past 15 years, Ohkuma in Japan sends a group of school students to be hosted in Bathurst homes in Central West New South Wales, as part of the sister city relationship that has grown between the two cities. And for several years now those students take part in intense English language courses at Charles Sturt University (CSU). CSU education lecturer Dr Pauline Jones describes it as a “community collaboration. Because of the long-standing relationships we are now seeing younger brothers and sisters of the original students, so we catch up on all their news.” Dr Jones says the lecturers like to trial and evaluate their TESOL programs during the intensive English classes, and the Japanese students English language development is dramatic because as well as the lessons at CSU, they are also speaking English with their Bathurst host families.

Videoconferencing will be a significant component of teaching in the future according to Charles Sturt University (CSU) mathematics lecturer Michael Kemp who spoke at a public seminar today about the challenges facing lecturers who are not always teaching in the same room as their students. “As the world evolves into a smaller place with email and videoconferencing becoming an everyday occurrence, Australia’s largest regional university CSU has trained their academics to use the latest technology and present lectures to students throughout NSW and across the country.” Having taught mathematics via videoconferences and forums during the past semester at CSU, Mr Kemp looked at his practices through a survey with students to present a public seminar on lessons learnt titled Lessons Learned About Remote Teaching.