More than 240 family members and friends will celebrate the graduation of approximately 78 students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Friday 9 December.Graduates from the Faculty of Arts and Education, Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences, and Faculty of Science will receive their awards at the 11am ceremony at the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre, 155 Darling Street, Dubbo.Newly-appointed Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo, Ms Cathy Maginnis (pictured), said, "All of us at Charles Sturt University in Dubbo can't wait to celebrate the achievements of all our 2016 graduates. We also look forward to welcoming our graduates' friends and families and the community to celebrate this special event. All our graduates can take great pride in their achievements, and we wish them well as they enter a new chapter of the lives."Graduating students of distinction include nursing graduate Ms Sophie Board who was born and bred in Dubbo but now lives in Gilgandra. She will be the fourth member of her family to graduate from CSU in Dubbo, and the third to graduate with a Bachelor of Nursing from the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health at CSU in Dubbo. In 2007 her mother Corrina graduated from nursing and her sister Lucy graduated in 2011. Her other sister Keera graduated from CSU in Dubbo with a Bachelor of Education in 2011. Ms Board has been accepted for a new graduate nursing position at Dubbo Base Hospital starting in February 2017.Dubbo local and nursing graduate Ms Jocelyn McKay served as Student Representative for the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health; on the Dubbo Student Committee; and on the Dubbo Campus Environment Committee. She has a new graduate position starting in 2017 in the NSW Health Remote Rotation Program where she will transition through up to four remote health facilities which will give her a great perspective on the health challenges facing remote communities.The Occasional Address at the graduation ceremony will be delivered by Professor Jeannie Herbert, AM, Pro Vice Chancellor Indigenous Education and Foundation Chair of Indigenous Studies at CSU.The CSU graduation ceremony will start at 11am Friday 9 December at the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre, 155 Darling Street, Dubbo NSW.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has announced a new Head of Campus for CSU in Dubbo.Ms Catherine Maginnis (pictured) is the new Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo until the end of November 2017.Announcing the appointment Director of the CSU Office of Government and Community Relations, Mr Peter Fraser, said, "I congratulate Ms Maginnis on her appointment and look forward to working with her to advance the University's community engagement program.""Ms Maginnis is currently a lecturer and academic advisor in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health in Dubbo, and has extensive ties to the community of Dubbo and a long history of engagement and work in the community health sector. Her commitment to the Dubbo region is evident in her teaching at the University, her engagement with various sectors of the health community, and her ongoing research collaborations."Ms Maginnis moved to Dubbo for her high school years and left to pursue her nursing education. She worked in different nursing roles focussing on child, family and midwifery, and continued her education while working and having a family. She returned to Dubbo in 2001 to commence work as a nursing lecturer at CSU in 2002."I am passionate and committed to providing higher education to the Dubbo and surrounding communities, and I have been very engaged with the health and education sectors for many years," Ms Maginnis said."I am proud to work at Charles Sturt University and offer opportunities for our community to gain qualifications and education. The re-development of the University in Dubbo will offer modern, student-friendly environments to learn and network for students, staff and the community. I look forward to representing the University in the Dubbo and regional communities, and encouraging others to study at and use the wonderful facilities at Charles Sturt University in Dubbo."Mr Fraser also said, "I would like to thank former Head of Campus Professor Jeannie Herbert for her dedication to the leadership of the Dubbo campus, and for providing valuable input and insight into the University's community engagement with the Dubbo region."

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo is undergoing a $2.5 million refurbishment and upgrade of facilities to improve student learning facilities and amenities.CSU campus development manager Mr Bart Sykes said, "These works form the second stage of the review to revitalise student spaces at the heart of the campus."The approximate cost of the work is $2.5 million and local building contractors and trades have been engaged on the job."The refurbishment of the Learning Commons is to be done over the summer break to minimise any possible inconvenience to students, and the work will be completed by the end of February 2017 in time for the start of the new academic year."The upgrade program at CSU in Dubbo includes:1. Providing 24/7 access to the whole of the Learning Commons area (includes Cardax and CCTV upgrades);2. Improving the Learning Commons to enhance student amenity and provide quiet study spaces; this includes an additional quiet study room, a new parent and multi-faith room, and a staff kitchen, as well as two new flat-floor flexible teaching spaces fronting onto the courtyard;3. Relocating learning spaces away from the entry to the Learning Commons and providing an open plan Student Central and Library Services 'welcome' point at the entrance to the campus;4. Providing a café in the main space adjacent to the Learning Commons, which incorporates a kitchenette for students to use 24/7;5. Relocating the existing computer lab to become a shared space with the Learning Commons (i.e. accessible 24/7);6. Improving the courtyard for casual seating and learning environments.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) engineering students will develop their humanitarian engineering skills by working with Australia's least developed neighbours, Cambodia, thanks to a partnership between the federal government and international charity Engineers Without Borders.With financial support announced earlier this year through the  New Colombo Plan initiative, over $120,000 will be available over three years to support CSU engineering students to travel to and work in Cambodian communities. "This support will enable our students to apply skills and knowledge from their engineering studies to real-world situations in humanitarian engineering contexts," said coordinator of CSU's engineering course, Ms Andrea Goncher."It also reinforces important attributes we want our students to display: to be able to engage with people and communities, and to display social entrepreneurship."In addition, Engineers Without Borders will facilitate the program using their experience in managing volunteers and in-country partnerships in the Indo-Pacific regions."The initiative will be launched during an evening event hosted by CSU Global Manager, Dr Shevahn Telfser, on Wednesday 28 September at CSU in Bathurst.The support is part of $380,000 CSU is due to receive under the New Colombo Plan, which will be administered by CSU Global.In previous years, students from CSU courses such as dental science and oral health, agricultural science, physiotherapy, business studies, occupational therapy, speech pathology, environmental sciences, psychology and creative arts have taken part in overseas studies through CSU Global.

A final year nursing student has spoken of the personalised learning environment she is experiencing while studying at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo.Bachelor of Nursing student Ms Jill Carnell said, "Our class sizes at Charles Sturt University in Dubbo are small. There's between eight and 12 students in lectures and tutorials, and we all get along well together."It gives us the advantage of having a personalised learning environment, and we have a lot more time to go through the subject matter and study it closely.Her comments come as a nursing information session for prospective students will be held at CSU in Dubbo from 6pm on Tuesday 13 September.Ms Carnell said, "We form good relationships with our lecturers, making the study environment much more enjoyable and relaxed."The lecturers have time to spend on us, they help us brush up on some of the things we might be hazy on and make sure we understand."Basically, we're really able to put a foot forward on our learning because there's more time for us to go through the content."Ms Carnell from Dubbo says she is motivated to pursue a career in nursing by a desire to care for people at some of the most vulnerable points in their lives."Whatever the reason someone is in hospital, I want to make the process easier for them and their family, and I want to be there for them the best way I can."I also love the science in nursing, including learning about medication and different medical procedures and treatments and how they work on the body."It's fascinating to be a part of something that is constantly evolving and changing with the sole purpose of making life better for people."The CSU student says a highlight of the nursing degree has been the range of hospitals offered to students for their workplace learning."I've had the privilege of doing some clinical placements in major tertiary hospitals, and it's made me really appreciate both sides of nursing: the nursing that comes with hospitals with 1 000 beds and specialist services, and the nursing that comes with a 30 bed hospital and the on-call doctor."It's helped me see the different demands that the different environments place on nurses.Her advice to prospective nursing students includes a need to understand what they're undertaking."Nursing is learning for life because the field is forever changing. ""You need to be passionate and determined, and you need to know how to de-stress."Ms Carnell has applied for a new graduate position at Dubbo Base Hospital, and she'd eventually like to work in trauma and critical care for the Rural Flying Doctor Service or the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service. The CSU nursing information session will hear from current nursing students and graduates, health administrators, and lecturer from the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health at CSU in Dubbo Ms Cathy Maginnis.

Reading glasses and sunglasses donated to Charles Sturt University (CSU) have found new homes in remote villages in northern Thailand.They were hand delivered by nine Bachelor of Nursing students and their CSU lecturer Ms Cathy Maginnis while they were on an international work placement for their course focused on primary healthcare, health education and health assessments.The final year students from CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, and Wagga Wagga arrived in northern Thai city of Chiang Mai for a quick acclimatisation to the new culture including the hustle and bustle of the night markets and endless traffic stream of motor bikes, push bikes and tuk tuks.They went on a walking tour and visited local temples to learn about the Thai culture and customs.The CSU group then travelled for four hours by mini-vans from Chiang Mai into the mountainous region of Kallayaniwattana (Watchan) to the students' accommodation in the grounds of Watchan Hospital.Each day, the group travelled by 4WD with hospital staff to remote villages to set up mobile health clinics in local schools.Ms Maginnis, from the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health at CSU in Dubbo, said, "Being the rainy season we experienced torrential downpours daily and roads being damaged by the volume and force of the water. The 4WD vehicles were an essential part of accessing remote villages."This alone was an adventure and we were able to take in the most breath taking scenery along the routes."Once in the villages, we assisted hospital staff in assessing and providing health care and supplying pharmacy."The students also delivered health promotions to school students, including education about hand hygiene, teeth cleaning and the Healthy Eating Pyramid."We distributed and did basic visual acuity testing for more than 300 reading glasses and sunglasses donated by our local communities in Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Bathurst and Albury-Wodonga," Ms Maginnis said."These had an immediate and long lasting benefit for the villages. It was very emotional to watch the expressions of the villagers change as their vision improved."The nursing students also brought donated supplies of toothbrushes and toothpaste, loom band kits, stickers, slinky and toy cars as well as pens and book marks for the children.Ms Maginnis said, "These villages have limited access to health care and education and live simple lives while working extremely hard, for long hours, labouring in the fields, planting and harvesting a variety of crops such as rice, corn, strawberries, coffee beans and a variety of nuts and caring for their livestock."We also did home health visits and delivered health care while getting firsthand experience of village life and immersing ourselves in the Thai culture."It was both humbling and a privilege to be able to provide health care to the different villages and to be welcomed and immersed in the Thai culture.

Three Bathurst justice experts have laid their experiences before at least 200 law students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) to help them learn about punishment and the state in the Australian legal system.On Wednesday 20 July, Bathurst magistrate Michael Allen (left), Bathurst defence lawyer Shane Cunningham (right) and the police crime commander for Chifley region Acting Sergeant Colin Crome (centre) faced probing questions as part of an interactive panel for CSU students who are aiming to become police officers, social workers, psychologists and lawyers.Over two hours, the panellists addressed the questions of 80 students in Bathurst on the goals and strategies of punishment, particularly from the viewpoint of regional Australia.Panel coordinator Dr Kath McFarlane, who is a senior lecturer with the newly established Centre for Law and Justice at CSU, said the students in this subject were investigating, "How we punish, why we punish and the consequences for society if we get it wrong."The panellists provided unique perspectives on the practice and administration of various aspects of the criminal justice system, and exposed students to practical views and experiences they would not otherwise encounter," Dr McFarlane said.In recognition of the 150 students enrolled in the subject across Australia via distance education, Dr McFarlane has also made the forum available as an audio file to students who were unable to attend in person.

Indigenous students from across the state are preparing to join the NSW Police Force with the help of a workforce essentials course at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo.Thirty six graduates of the awarding-winning Indigenous Police Recruitment Our Way Delivery (IPROWD) are now studying the University Certificate in Workforce Essentials through CSU.IPROWD aims to increase the number of Indigenous Australians in the NSW Police Force and these students will study on campus at CSU in Dubbo full time for five weeks to complete their University Certificates.Course Manager Dr Amanda Davies said, "Success in the University Certificate and pre-entrance exam enables students to progress in the recruitment process that leads toward attending the NSW Police Academy in Goulburn."Success in these studies prepares the prospective students for enrolling in CSU's Associate Degree in Policing Practice, completion of which is required to join the NSW Police Force as a Probationary Constable," Dr Davies said."This extensive process helps maintain the high academic and professional standards demanded of new recruits by the NSW Police Force, while helping prepare indigenous Australians for the academic rigour of university courses."The next intake for the NSW Police Academy is in August this year.

The engineering course at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a feast of all things engineering over three days next week on the Bathurst campus.Engineering firms, local high schools and the wider Central West community will see and hear how the engineering profession assists national and local economic development and learn about opportunities to study engineering at CSU.All visitors can view the first projects completed by the inaugural student group enrolled in engineering at CSU in Bathurst, which are part of the annual Engineers Without Borders challenge for university students. These projects aim to produce solutions that address engineering problems in developing countries. [See details here]Day one (Tuesday 7 June 2016) will provide an opportunity for local engineers and their employers to address issues affecting them, including water quality, regional development, and the impact of local government restructure on the provision of engineering services to the community.On day two, high school students will have their own work on show while teachers receive the latest information on engineering and technology for schools.In the afternoon, visitors can also enjoy a comic debate on whether engineers would survive a 'zombie apocalypse'. The debate will take place in the environmentally sustainable CSU Engineering building, which will also be open for inspection throughout the three-day event.During the debate, younger budding engineers will be entertained at the nearby 'creation station', with spaghetti bridges, gallery wall paintings, a magician and the magic of science.Day three is the final demonstration of the student projects before they formally 'pitch' and exhibit their ideas in the gallery of the Engineering building.EngFest 2016 runs from 10am on Tuesday 7 June to 2pm on Thursday 9 June.See the event program for details of activities.