Rural health inequalities will be on the agenda of an international social work conference attended by leading rural social researcher Professor Margaret Alston from Charles Sturt University (CSU). Hosted by Coventry University in the UK from Monday 27 March, the three-day conference will examine building international social work collaboration on health inequalities research. As Professor of Social Work and Human Services at CSU, Margaret Alston will discuss the issue of “Globalisation, rural restructuring and the Australian rural health system: a failure of policy – where to for social work?”. “Unfortunately rural health inequalities are not limited to Australia, but we can do much better in addressing this disadvantage. This conference gives me the chance to share my ideas with others on how we might better respond,” said Professor Alston. The UK conference has attracted speakers from Australia, Canada, China, Estonia, India and the USA.  

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) television production students have started their careers on a high note after securing a 12-month traineeship with leading television network, Channel Nine in Sydney this year. The students, Anna Macdonell and David Page, will also each receive $3 000 scholarships from Channel Nine after a competitive selection process conducted by Channel Nine managers on the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus. The Nine Network also offers three-week internships to third and final year television production students as part of ties between CSU and the industry. “Due to the high standard of the students, it is always difficult to select participants in the internships and traineeships,” said Channel Nine Supervising Director, David Summons. “It’s vitally important for the students to secure real world experience and industry contacts,” said CSU television production lecturer Bruce Gater. “Channel Nine’s policy of providing internships and two major traineeships allows this to happen,” he said. Ms Macdonell and Mr Page are due to graduate from CSU in 2006.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) student Alicia Fuller has been named the western region's Miss Indigenous at a ceremony in Dubbo on Friday 17 February. Organiser Michelle Davison told the Dubbo Daily Liberal newspaper that Miss Fuller's "great personality and confidence" made her stand out among the 23 competitors. Miss Fuller said it was “a blast” meeting young women from Narromine, Gilgandra, Mudgee, Trangie, and Cobar. “Young Aboriginal girls aren’t that confident in themselves and it was trying to get them to come forward and speak out and let their beauty shine”. Next up is the State Finals in Sydney, but meanwhile Miss Fuller has started her second year of primary education at Charles Sturt University's Dubbo Campus. “I definitely would like to be a role model for young Indigenous girls out there,” said the CSU student.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Council has welcomed its newest member, Mr Chris Hancock, who brings more than twenty years’ experience in leadership and senior executive positions to the University and is a graduate of CSU. He is also Chief Executive Officer of Australia’s Academic and Research Network (AARNet). “I completed a Bachelor’s degree at CSU and I’m very fond of the University, but more importantly I’m excited about what the University is doing from a regional perspective," said Mr Hancock. “I’m delighted by the appointment of such a distinguished graduate to the CSU Council, the University's governing body. Mr Hancock’s background and skills will enable him to make an outstanding contribution to the University,” said acting Vice Chancellor Professor Ross Chambers. The University also welcomes the reappointments of Ms Susan Benedyka, Dr Geoffrey Wise and Ms Patricia Murphy. "The re-appointments are pleasing because their distinguished record for Council has been recognised,” added Professor Chambers.    

 Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) long-standing association with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has received a boost at a contract signing in Canberra on Tuesday 31 January. Under the new agreement, CSU will maintain and expand current training initiatives especially developed for the ADF. The University provides postgraduate training in a three stage program, with many officers then enrolling in CSU’s Master of Arts (Communication – Organisational Communication). “Through its strong training focus, ADF is always trying to do things better, and we can work with them to develop that, and to continue to grow our relationship,” said coordinator of CSU’s postgraduate program for Defence, Zoe Hibbert. “I found the CSU academic staff always supportive and was grateful that they readily recognised the demands placed on students who had to juggle employment and a high study load,” said ADF Strategic Communication Adviser and CSU graduate, John Anderson. “Another benefit to me as a student was that most of my lecturers had been previously employed in the corporate or public sectors, so they were able to demonstrate their professional and practical experiences within an academic context,” he added.

 A Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer with a passion for providing support and guidance to first year students studying via distance education has been named the winner of the Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award for 2005. Dr Mir Rabiul Islam, from the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies on the University's Bathurst Campus, is course coordinator of the largest undergraduate psychology course, Bachelor of Social Science – Psychology. Including Education/Psychology double degrees, he is coordinating courses for over 450 students. In his online teaching, he strives passionately to use “online strategies” that empower students to be self-sufficient and adaptive to the ever changing needs of life. Student evaluations of his teaching of research methods are extraordinarily high, no mean feat in the area of Advanced Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology unit, a course often regarded as difficult and complex. He considers learning from students as a unique opportunity to assess and re-assess his own professional integrity. Each year the University recognises and encourages excellence in teaching through the presentation of this award. The award will be presented to Dr Islam in May at the Faculty of Arts graduation ceremony.

Scholarships totalling $35 000 will see seven Charles Sturt University (CSU) students expand their academic and cultural horizons when they travel to China this month as part of their business degrees at CSU. Funded through the Federal Government’s Cheung Kong Scholarship program as well as the University’s Faculty of Commerce, the students from the Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga campuses will leave Australia for China in two groups on Monday 20 February and Monday 27 February. The students will spend one semester studying either at the Yunnan University of Finance and Economics in Kunming, Tianjin University of Finance and Economics in Tianjin or the Yangzhou University in Yangzhou. They will study basic elements of the Mandarin language as well as learn an appreciation and understanding of Chinese society and culture.

New research is being conducted at Charles Sturt University (CSU) to identify what support schools offer a child who has a parent with a mental illness. The study by CSU education lecturer Dr Andrea Reupert comes after research conducted at the University in 2005 found about 20 per cent of all Australian children live in families in which one parent has a mental illness. “Given the amount of time young people spend in the classroom, I want to hear how Riverina teachers, school administrators, school counsellors, canteen staff or anyone connected to a school, might have supported these children in both the public and Catholic education systems,” said Dr Reupert. Families who want to be involved in the research can contact CSU’s Dr Andrea Reupert on telephone (02) 6933 4376 or send an email.

In recognition of the financial concerns facing first year university students, Charles Sturt University (CSU) has introduced equity scholarships for new students in need of additional financial help. The scholarship scheme, valued at a total of $800 000 in 2006, will be available to first year, undergraduate students studying on campus. There will also be CSU Equity Scholarships available for continuing students. The scheme is in addition to the Federal Government’s Commonwealth Learning Scholarships and financial assistance available through the CSU Foundation Scholarships. “Access to higher education is an important issue for CSU and this new scholarship scheme aims to help students get a university education,” said Deputy Director of the University’s Division of Student Services, Les Burr. Further details about the CSU Equity Scholarship scheme are available here.