With high demand for rental properties in metropolitan and regional cities and as fuel prices continue to rise, Dubbo school leavers and mature-age students are relieved Charles Sturt University (CSU) is on their doorstep allowing them to stay home and study. To assist students with questions about university study, CSU has organised a number of advisory sessions at Centro Dubbo to help with local enquiries. “CSU staff and current students will be present at these advisory sessions to answer questions and discuss courses and career options,” said Mr Gary Shipp, Head of Dubbo Campus.

Five groups of final year marketing students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will deliver marketing plans to representatives of the Royal Australian Mint at a presentation at the Bathurst Campus on Thursday 6 November. Lecturer in marketing at the School of Marketing and Management, Mr Andrew Mashman, explained that following an invitation from Dr Felicity Mullens, Marketing Manager of the Royal Australian Mint, his class of strategic marketing management students travelled to Canberra to inspect the Mint and be briefed about Australia’s diminishing use of coin-based currency, the Mint’s core business. After returning, the students worked in groups for eight weeks to explore marketing strategies and research opportunities the Mint could consider. “Each group will deliver a 20-minute presentation to communicate how they would ensure the longevity of Australia’s premium minting facility,” Mr Mashman said. “The students feel the pressure to perform because of the client’s involvement, and as graduating students they know this will be an important step in their transition into the workforce in 2009.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer in management communication Mrs Zelma Bone joined representatives from online career advisory website Career Central Australia on a tour of the NSW Central West last week. “We did a three-day road trip with Career Central visiting schools in Condobolin, Parkes, Forbes, Red Bend, Dubbo, Molong, Canowindra, Cowra and Blayney,” Mrs Bone said. CSU became a sponsor of Career Central Australia last year enabling 2 500 students at thirteen schools in western and central western NSW to become members for a greatly subsidised fee. “By visiting these schools and others, we can promote the benefits of the website which gives young regional people a greater scope of information about possible careers.” See the Careeer Central website here.

A new information technology (IT) course to be offered by Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst will be launched on Friday 7 November by the Hon. Phillip Costa, MP, NSW Minister for Water, Rural Affairs and Regional Development. The Bachelor of Information Technology (Business Services) degree has been developed by CSU and international computer firm IBM to keep pace with rapidly evolving industry needs and will provide skilled IT professionals for a range of industries. Head of the CSU School of Accounting and Computer Science, Associate Professor Ross Wilson, said, “The degree, which offers a mix of technical and business aspects that reflects what industry is looking for, will be offered from the start of 2009 and will incorporate flexible delivery to facilitate concurrent work experience. All 22 students accepted into the new course will be fully supported by scholarships funded by industry partners IBM, Country Energy and the NSW Department of Lands.”

Dubbo native Ms Bethany Simons is coming home to perform her award-winning show, Reception: The Musical¸ at the Dubbo Regional Theatre Convention Centre on Friday night, 24 October. The performance is part of the 2014 Macquarie Credit Union DREAM Festival. Ms Simons, a Charles Sturt University Bachelor of Arts (Acting for the Screen and Stage) graduate, is based in Melbourne but was born and raised in Dubbo. She studied at CSU in Wagga, and her latest show – a cabaret-style comedy collaboration with pianist Peter de Jager – was awarded Best Cabaret at the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards.  Reception is a celebration of all things administration, telling the story of a receptionist who finds joy in the manic world of customer service. After the show, the audience is invited to join the cast for an 'office party' in the foyer to celebrate International Year of the Secretary and Administrative Assistant. Reception: The Musical is supported by Essential Energy.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a barbeque at the Dubbo Campus on Monday 3 November to farewell 18 nursing students who have completed a three-year nursing degree with the School of Nursing and Midwifery. The nursing students have just returned after four weeks focussing on their transitions to becoming registered nurses as they are now eligible to register with the NSW Nurses and Midwives Board. Subject coordinator at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Dubbo campus, Ms Lyn Croxon, said “The nursing students received great support from the staff in the hospitals in which they undertook the clinical placement. The University thanks these health settings for the support of our programs as the clinical element is an integral component of the course.” The students originate from Dubbo and the surrounding region, and the majority have accepted positions at Dubbo Base Hospital, Lourdes Hospital, Dubbo Mental Health Unit, and regional hospitals such as Narromine, Gilgandra, Nyngan, Wellington, Warren, and Bathurst. Several students will practice in Newcastle and Tamworth.

As the start of the Charles Sturt University (CSU) dental and oral health courses approach in February 2009, the University has added the international experience of Professor David Wilson to its teaching staff. Professor Wilson is a professor in dentistry and health science (oral and maxillofacial pathology). He has joined CSU at Orange from the International Medical University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Professor Wilson has also worked in Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and has about 30 years undergraduate and postgraduate teaching experience in oral pathology. He maintains ongoing clinical practice and research into specialist diagnostic oral histopathology. His research interests include oral cancer, oral diseases and forensic odontology.  The new courses offered through the CSU School of Dentistry and Health Sciences  in 2009 include the Bachelor of Dental Science and a Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Therapy/Dental Hygiene.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will next year celebrate 20 years of strategic higher education and applied research that is making a difference nationally and internationally. Celebrations involving students, staff, academics, graduates and the University’s research partners and institutions will be held at all campuses. CSU is extending a warm invitation to all communities in its footprint to become involved in the celebrations that will highlight its rapid growth and achievements during the past two decades. The first meeting of the 20th Anniversary Committee, chaired by CSU Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, was held on Wednesday 25 June, to commence planning for what is a significant year in the history of the University of inland Australia. Proclaimed in July 1989, CSU has evolved as one of Australia's largest universities, operating across inland New South Wales and delivering education and degree qualifications in many countries around the world.

An innovative Charles Sturt University (CSU) program to educate and train Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to work as mental health and drug and alcohol practitioners in their communities will be on show later this week. Nine final year students in the Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health) will attend an Indigenous mental health conference on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus on Thursday 25 September. The students from across Australia will address mental health topics involving colonisation, carers, Aboriginal women, drugs and sexual assault. Known as the Djirruwang Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health program, the course aims to build workforce capacity and improve health care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by equipping the graduates to work in mainstream and cultural organisations and communities. The conference is being held during the students’ final residential school at CSU. Professor Elaine Duffy, Head of the CSU School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mr Ray Eldridge, the Manager of CSU Indigenous Support Unit, and Mr Wayne Rigby, the Director of the Djirruwang program, will also address the conference.