School leavers whose Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) was not as high as they had hoped have been told they don’t have to give up their university aspirations, with Charles Sturt University (CSU) continuing its Pathway Program in 2013. The program, a partnership between CSU and TAFE, runs for one year full-time and provides entry options for students who applied to CSU but were unsuccessful, or who need further preparation. Pathway coordinator Ms Sandra Fisher said the program offered multiple benefits. “Upon completion, students receive a Diploma of General Studies from Charles Sturt University and the Certificate IV in Further Education, or Tertiary Preparation Certificate from TAFE,” she said. “They are also guaranteed entry into a range of CSU degrees and may receive credit for some subjects.” The program is offered face-to-face at CSU in Bathurst, Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga, and this year will be offered at CSU in Dubbo as a blended distance education option.

Health and education courses are a popular choice for commencing Charles Sturt University (CSU) students in 2006, according to the latest figures from the NSW Universities Admissions Centre.  “CSU continues to take large numbers of students into education courses. Intakes into health courses are up about a hundred up on last year – graduates in both areas provide direct benefit to rural and regional NSW ,” said Director of CSU’s Office of Planning and Audit, Col Sharp. Primary teaching and nursing were the most popular courses at Dubbo Campus, while pharmacy and nursing proved popular at Orange.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is welcoming new students for the start of the 2006 academic year. For many, it will be their first move away from home. Students from around Australia and overseas are arriving at CSU campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga in central and southern NSW. Orientation week (O Week) starts on Monday 13 or Tuesday 14 February for most of the new arrivals, and will include intensive sessions on enrolments, study skills and using the CSU Library and computer facilities, as well as getting to know the University, its people and the towns in which they will live. Click here to see O Week programs for each campus.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will launch a new comprehensive leadership development program for women staff this Monday 6 February. Australian universities record low numbers of women in senior management positions, with national figures showing just 11 per cent of women hold professorial positions. The CSU Leadership Development for Women Program will run throughout 2006 and commences with a week of activities being held from Monday 6 February to Friday 10 February. Guest speakers who will give presentations on their experience of moving into leadership positions include:  Dr Jeane McConachie, Director Division of Teaching and Learning Services, Central Queensland University; Ms Sarah Davies, Vice-President Student Affairs, Swinburne University; and Professor Margaret Sheil, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at University of Wollongong. Associate Professor Marian Tulloch, Director CSU's Centre for Enhancing, Learning and Teaching or CELT will officially launch the program at 2 pm Monday 6 February in the Foundation Rooms, Centre for Professional Development on CSU’s Bathurst Campus.

Early childhood education graduates from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo are enjoying very high employment rates, with more than 90 per cent securing employment. The new Head of the School of Teacher Education in Bathurst and Dubbo, Professor Tara Brabazon, attributes the success of these Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) students, who graduated at the end of 2012, to a carefully targeted curriculum. “Employability and achievement do not come out of the air,” she said. “They are the result of an excellent curriculum that is carefully integrated into its context. “I am so proud of and thrilled for our Dubbo Bachelor of Education graduates. To have the overwhelming majority in full-time work is a remarkable accomplishment. “Dubbo can be proud of these graduates.  The School of Teacher Education is proud of these graduates.  The future of regional education is in safe hands.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will hold Wellness and Wellbeing Expos at its five main campuses, starting in Bathurst on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 February, to promote happier, healthier, more satisfied and more productive employees who are also resilient in an ever-changing workplace. Mr David Tallentire, CSU manager of occupational health and safety, said, “Charles Sturt University recognises and values the importance of staff wellness and wellbeing, and aims to adopt a holistic approach to the treatment of workplace health and safety. The University appreciates that personal problems can adversely affect employees’ work performance, work satisfaction, health, and feelings of wellbeing. We’re running Wellness and Wellbeing Expos to provide information to staff on the many health and wellbeing services available to them at Charles Sturt University and in our local communities, and to participate in workshops.” The Wellness and Wellbeing Expos will be held at CSU in Bathurst on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 February; at CSU in Orange on Thursday 7 February; at CSU in Dubbo on Friday 8 February; at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 February; and at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Thursday 14 February.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo will welcome approximately 155 new students when Orientation Week begins on Tuesday 26 February before the start of the 2013 academic year the following Monday. Dr Bev Moriarty, the Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo, said, “On behalf of students and staff I extend a very warm welcome to all our new students. We are very excited to be part of this next very important part of their lives and I hope they find the campus to be very friendly. There are also many organisations and individuals in the community who wish them well and look forward to them completing their studies successfully. I trust they will enjoy being part of the University community and find their own special way of contributing to it as they take their journey with friends and colleagues.” There will be an official welcome at 11am Tuesday 26 in the campus courtyard, followed by a barbeque, with a general meet and greet for students at 6pm. Information sessions for students in the faculties of Arts, Business, Education and Science will continue daily for the rest of the week, and there will be social events in the evenings.

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) scientists will be guest presenters at the ABC’s ‘Science at the Club’ informal forum at Dubbo RSL Club on Thursday 14 March where participants can ask questions and express their views on a range of scientific topics. Professor Heather Cavanagh, Acting Executive Dean of the CSU Faculty of Science, and Dr Nigel Urwin, senior lecturer in genetics and gene technologies in the CSU School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, will address the topic, ‘What are your fears and hopes about new directions in biotechnology and nanotechnology?’. Professor Cavanagh has a background in microbiology and medical science including biotech and virology, and Dr Urwin has expertise in plant molecular biology, plant/animal biotechnology, and plant breeding. “Science underpins modern society and is changing our world at an incredible rate,” Professor Cavanagh said. “The very near future will be filled with leaps in technology that will change every aspect of our everyday lives, making a world that, to us, will be like a science fiction movie. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to discuss the relevance and impact of science more broadly, as well as how science at Charles Sturt University contributes to our regional communities, the nation and the world.”

High school students in the NSW Mid-North Coast, central and southern NSW and regional Victoria can learn vital life skills while running a simulated business in an online game to be hosted by Charles Sturt University’s Faculty of Business. The GameOn! organisers at CSU are now calling for teams of Years 10 and 11 students from high schools around regional NSW and Victoria to participate in the game in 2013. The game was first staged in 2012. “The student teams will make vital business decisions about marketing, human resources, operations and finance for an online, simulated business. Apart from developing problem-solving skills in their businesses, GameOn allows students to develop important life skills such as leadership, group work, critical thinking, negotiation and time management,” said GameOn coordinator Dr Abbey Dwivedi.  Teams will need to be nominated by the extended deadline of Friday 5 April, with eight rounds of ‘decisions’ to be made during the year and winning teams due to be announced in September 2013.