After more than 40 years in mathematics education, Mr Bob Dengate will retire from the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Teacher Education at Bathurst on Sunday 1 March. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Lyn Gorman, praised Mr Dengate as a wonderful colleague who has made an exceptional contribution to the NSW HSC Online project since its inception 11 years ago. “Bob was a pioneer in developing online learning materials for mathematics education in the mid-1990s, when the NSW HSC Online website was one of the earliest quality-assured educational websites in Australia. He has contributed immeasurably over the years to fostering good relationships with the NSW Department of Education and Training and the NSW Board of Studies, which has been fundamental to NSW HSC Online becoming a major educational resource for upper secondary students and teachers. He has also made an inimitable contribution to Bathurst community radio 2MCE and to journalism education.”

Governments across Australia have spent billions of dollars on programs to encourage rural landholders to implement sustainable farming and biodiversity conservation practices, but has this money been well spent? Drawing on his research in south eastern Australia, Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Professor Allan Curtis will address this question when he speaks at the Fenner Conference on the Environment in Canberra on Wednesday 11 March. Professor Curtis will highlight the reality that most conservation work undertaken by private landholders is not funded by governments and that government investment in conservation programs, particularly those that invest in building and engaging human and social capital in rural communities, makes a difference. “The ‘business as usual’ approaches to engaging rural landholders are unlikely to work in the future given the remarkable change occurring as a large proportion of longer-term owners leave the land,” he said.

The prospect of gaining fresh employment leads was so inviting to a Charles Sturt University (CSU) distance education student that he travelled from Adelaide to attend the University’s Careers Fair at Bathurst on Monday 9 March. Mr Paul Cooper has studied a Bachelor of Business (Agricultural Commerce) with the School of Management and Marketing by distance education and will graduate at CSU at Orange later in March. “This is a great way to kick off career employment opportunities,” Mr Cooper said. “It’s an excellent meeting place for employers and graduates, and has confirmed for me that networking is the way find a great job. It has definitely been worth coming over from Adelaide to attend this event.” Ms Vicki Anderson, Student Services Career Counsellor and event organiser, said that the 36 employer organisations who participated all gave her positive feedback, as did the many CSU students who attended.

While 2009 provides Charles Sturt University (CSU) with an opportunity to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the year is also a time to honour the 114-year tradition of excellence and innovation in teaching, learning and research. The University was established when the Charles Sturt University Act was passed by the NSW Parliament in July 1989, however the institution’s history can be traced back to the Bathurst Experimental Farm, established in 1895.The official opening ceremony for the University’s 20th anniversary will be held from 11am, Thursday 12 March, in Joyes Hall at CSU at Wagga Wagga. Read more here.

Recent graduates from the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Biomedical Sciences at Bathurst, will return to the University on Tuesday 24 March to speak to nursing and paramedic students about career prospects and the value of their CSU studies. Senior lecturer and course coordinator, Ms Veronica Madigan, said, “This is the first time recent graduates from the School will speak to current third year students. These graduates have told me how they now realise the value of their CSU education and want to let third year students know of the job opportunities available in the health sector. They will talk about life after CSU, how they have found working full-time, and how the course has assisted their career progression and current occupations. They are very passionate about CSU and recognise that it is a great University.”

By staging its first myDay at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Tuesday 24 March, the School of Communication at Bathurst  is wasting no time in attracting future students to its courses. Head of School, Associate Professor Rod McCulloch, said myDay is designed to give students from the region a taste of university life and the School of Communication by making CSU ‘their University for a day’. “We expect about 60 students from high schools in the Bathurst region will tour the University,” Professor McCulloch said. “Rather than just observe, they will engage in lectures, tutorials, workshops and other student activities. We aim to show potential students why the CSU School of Communication has such a strong reputation for consistently producing highly employable, work-ready graduates for a range of industry sectors, and why Charles Sturt University should be their first choice when applying to study.”

The Western Research Institute (WRI) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst is celebrating 10 years of research that has charted and informed developments in rural and regional Australia. CSU Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, complimented the organisation on this milestone, saying “WRI is celebrating its 10th birthday in the same year that Charles Sturt University is celebrating its 20th. WRI and CSU have worked together on many projects that have helped shape and paint a picture of inland Australia. On behalf of CSU, I congratulate WRI on this significant achievement and look forward to working with the organisation over the next 10 years.” WRI Director, Mr Tom Murphy, said that when the WRI was established in 1999 the aim was to provide timely and factual data about trends and developments in regional Australia and the organisation has exceeded that aim. See more CSU 20th anniversary events here.

Lecturers at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies have been contracted to provide strength and fitness coaching for elite Indonesian athletes. Dr Stephen Bird and Mr Ben Barrington-Higgs have received a new contract from the Indonesian government’s State Ministry of Youth and Sport Affairs, with Dr Bird leading the Indonesian National Top-Tier Athlete Program for 2009. “We are very excited by this development because this is the first time that the Indonesian government has run the Top-Tier Program,” Dr Bird said. “This program supports the top 300 athletes in 45 sports across the broad categories of combat, target, field and water. We have two physical preparation coaches in Indonesia who we oversee, and in April we will travel to Indonesia as part of preparations for the South-East Asian Games in December 2009.” Mr Barrington-Higgs is in charge of the coach and athlete education program.

Director of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney and the former Director of the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, Dr Dawn Casey, PSM, FAHA has been appointed to the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Council. Dr Casey is the newest member of the University’s governing body following her appointment by the NSW Minister for Education and Training, the Hon. Verity Firth, MP, on recommendation from the CSU Council. Dr Casey, who is nationally and internationally recognised for her leadership of the Powerhouse Museum, the National Museum and the Western Australian Museum, has been appointed until June 2011. Dr Casey has made a major contribution to Indigenous policies and programs in Australia as well as to Australia’s cultural heritage, including. the establishment of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. She also initiated the joint Commonwealth-State response to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody as a senior executive in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Dr Casey’s appointment comes as the University celebrates the 20th anniversary of its establishment through the Charles Sturt University Act 1989. Read more here.