Teamwork comes first at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Contact Centre which is why the staff were awarded the Vice-Chancellor's 2006 Team Award For Performance Excellence. Managed by Ms Kerry Browning, the Contact Centre is located at the Bathurst Campus. In their nomination, Heads of School from the Faculty of Arts Associate Professor Tracey Green and Associate Professor Rosemary Woolston said the staff “exemplify quality and professionalism”, singling out the Contact Centre’s contribution to the School of Policing Studies career day. Ms Browning said the staff  “like to work with the people we are here to support, and unless we are flexible, we can’t meet the needs of the customer. They are a great team and they are really focused on providing excellent customer service. They enjoy the interaction with other parts of CSU and always keeping University information up-to-date”.

Barriers to education and employment for Indigenous people will be among topics discussed at a workshop at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus tomorrow, Wednesday 6 December. The workshop is the first in a series to be held across CSU as part of its Indigenous Employment Strategy promoting the employment of Indigenous Australians. Workshop presenters will include guests from the Wiradjuri Elders Group and other community members who will discuss topics such as workplace issues, cross cultural communication and protocols for community consultation. The University’s Indigenous Employment Coordinator Karen Kime said the University is a great place to work and Indigenous people contribute to an interesting and dynamic workforce, which reflects the cultural makeup of the region it serves. The workshop will be held between 9.30am and 3pm at the Human Resources Training Room, Phillips Building.

One of Australia’s largest banks Westpac will announce an agreement with Charles Sturt University (CSU) to produce regular agribusinesses reports for all Australia’s regions. CSU’s Western Research Institute will produce quarterly reports for Westpac on the health of farming and related businesses in all Australia’s States and territories, starting in 2007. This will be the first such report on each and all regions of the nation.The official announcement will be made during a Business and Community Reception to be hosted by CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter. The reception will start at 5pm on Thursday 7 December on the University’s Albury-Wodonga Campus at Thurgoona.

A $5 million sporting complex including an international-level synthetic running track would make Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies an international player, according to the Head of School, Associate Professor Frank Marino. CSU has applied for funding for the complex through the VSU Transition Fund with backing from Bathurst Regional Council. Vice-Chancellor Ian Goulter says “This important project will be a fantastic facility for inland Australia”. The Federal Member for Macquarie, Kerry Bartlett late last week inspected the proposed site. “I’m meeting with the Minister for Education Julie Bishop this week to push the case. This suite of sporting facilities has the potential to make CSU and Bathurst a centre of sporting excellence and I think that’s tremendously worthwhile.”

Veronica Madigan, senior lecturer and pre-hospital care course coordinator at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus has been recognised as a leader and expert in her field. Ms Madigan will now be entered into the International Index of Experts and Leaders – Emergency Services. The index recognises experts and leaders in emergency services such as Police,  Law Enforcement, Security, Ambulance, Emergency Medical Services, Paramedic Services, First Responders, First Aid, Fire, Emergency Management and Rescue on a global scale. Ms Madigan said, “This University pioneered pre-hospital care education in Australia. When I started in 1999 we had 35 students the first year, we now have 150. It’s one of the strongest growing disciplines at CSU. The double degree, nursing and paramedic, is the most popular double degree CSU offers.”

Last month Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Bathurst Regional Council (BRC) signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Vice-Chancellor of CSU Professor Ian Goulter said the MoU would see CSU and BRC “develop strategies to attract new business and industry, and this includes opportunities for research, internships and work for CSU students”. In the spirit of this greater collaboration CSU, Bathurst TAFE and BRC will sign a Cultural Cooperation Agreement today, Tuesday 12 December. Acting Head of the School of Communication, Bill Blaikie said the signing will “encourage and foster cultural development in Bathurst. Culture is created by people meeting and talking and then making. This is a significant agreement that indicates the ongoing commitment that the University has to cultural and community development in the city.”

After almost 32 years at Charles Sturt University (CSU), courses manager and accounting lecturer Doug Rolfe is retiring to a “hopefully less hectic life.” Retired life for Doug still sounds very busy - he will continue part time work at CSU Bathurst Campus and continue hobbies of bush walking, abseiling, canyoning and going to the gym. As an afterthought he added, “I’ll be the house husband I suppose for a bit.” He said the high points came late in his career at CSU, when he took on teaching the internship about six years ago. “It does give that interaction between University and employers and I think that is an important way to build relationships with industry, so I really valued that. I have also enjoyed my last three and a half years as course manager which gave me the opportunity to have input into Faculty student policies. I enjoyed the teaching too.”

To a typical university student, 70 or 80 years of age seems positively ancient, while on the other hand, many 90 year olds dream of being an octogenarian again. With Dr Jack Cannon’s help, some of Bathurst’s frail elderly will regain some strength, balance and mobility, therefore “turning back the clock”. Dr Cannon is a lecturer with Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies. His research showed that resistance exercise can improve the quality of life in older women. For the past two years, he has been working with Bathurst residents over the age of 60 with remarkable results. Now it is the turn of Ilumba Gardens Retirement Village residents. “Generally we find the more frail people become, the more responsive they are. With a proper training routine you can turn some of that around in three weeks.” Dr Cannon is hoping the pilot program will expand in 2007.

Ms Deb Clarke, a lecturer in the School of Human Movement Studies on Charles Sturt University’s Bathurst Campus, has won the Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award for 2006. Ms Clarke’s ability to engage her students and develop them into critical thinkers and life-long learners was central to her success. “I’m also the chair of the School’s Learning and Teaching Committee. The members have formal meetings where we work through issues, but also informal chats in the corridor about ‘how can I do this better? Or how can I teach that?’ If something’s not working well in my tutorials or my lectures, I will do informal evaluations with the students or ask them to write down a few things confidentially, and then try and modify as much as possible to suit their needs. I just love teaching,” said Ms Clarke.