The development of leaders and managers within Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be recognised tonight, Tuesday 4 March, at a ceremony on the Wagga Wagga Campus. CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter will present an award acknowledging the efforts of nine staff following their successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in University Leadership and Management in 2006 and 2007. The group represents the second intake by the CSU School of Business and Information Technology. The Graduate Certificate in University Leadership and Management is offered to CSU staff with the aim of equipping current and future leaders with the knowledge, skill and confidence needed to support the University in achieving its strategic objectives.  

The exciting challenge of starting university faces over 2 500 students during Orientation 2008, up to a week of academic and social activities at Charles Sturt University (CSU) from Monday 11 February. The program is designed by CSU to help the students adjust to their new University surroundings before the commencement of on-campus classes on Monday 18 February. Compulsory academic advisory and information sessions have been organised for the new students as well as a variety of social activities. Throughout the week, the new students and their parents will be able to tour the campus, seek information about living on or off campus, visit the library, meet their new lecturers and tutors or simply get their student identification cards.  Students can also seek the advice of Orientation coordinators and leaders. Dressed in distinctive blue t-shirts, they are group of selected and trained CSU students who have returned to CSU a week earlier to help the new recruits in the transition to university life. With the theme of ‘Orientation Games’ in honour of this year’s Olympic Games, Orientation 2008 programs are being conducted at the Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga campuses as well as in Canberra and Parramatta.

Following the death of the former Charles Sturt University (CSU) Chancellor, Dr David Asimus, AO, on Saturday 26 January 2008, the University has today opened an electronic condolences book. The University invites members of the community to express their condolences to Dr Asimus’ family. The condolences book will remain open until Friday 8 February 2008. The University will then collate the correspondence into a bound booklet to present to Dr Asimus’ widow, Jane and her family as a memorial to her late husband’s work with CSU and inland Australia. People wishing to extend a condolence are asked to please email their comments by Friday 8 February 2008.

The Dubbo Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a two day conference for about thirty CSU indigenous staff on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 October. Head of Dubbo Campus and Director of the University’s new Centre for Indigenous Studies, Mr Gary Shipp, said that this was the first time a CSU Indigenous staff conference has been held in Dubbo. “Indigenous staff from all CSU’s major campuses will attend and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Goulter, will address staff at the opening dinner on Tuesday evening, 9 October. This is an important meeting because it not only allows the Indigenous staff at CSU to establish contacts, but it will inform all staff of the recent developments at CSU with the establishment of the new Centre for Indigenous Studies and the development of an Indigenous education strategy. This will place CSU as a lead higher education provider in progressing Indigenous education nationally and in particular within inland Australia.“ A number of speakers will address the conference including Ms Lynette Riley-Mundine, Academic Coordinator at the Koori Centre at the University of Sydney, who was raised and attended school in Dubbo.

Applications have opened for students seeking financial assistance in 2008 through the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Equity Scholarships. The scheme offers students three types of scholarships; the Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarships, Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarships and CSU Equity Scholarships. The Commonwealth Scholarships are offered by the Federal Government for students from a low socio economic background, especially Indigenous students and students from rural and regional Australia. The CSU Equity Scholarships were introduced in 2006 when the University’s allocated $3.25 million from 2006 to 2008 to assists students from disadvantaged backgrounds. “The scholarships, which vary from $2 000 to over $4 000 each, are an integral part of the University’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to national and internationally recognised educational opportunities, “ said Mr Les Burr, acting Executive Director of Student Services at CSU. Students have until the end of November 2007 to complete their application forms. More information is available at the Equity Scholarships website here. 

Charles Sturt University will be represented in the new system to assess where Federal Government research dollars should be spent in 2008. Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) at CSU, Professor Paul Burnett will chair one of the 13 assessment panels for the Research Quality Framework. The panels will assess the research applications submitted by higher education providers and will award a rating for quality and impact. As Head of the University's Centre for Research and Graduate Training and being responsible for the administration of research and research training at CSU, Professor Burnett will head the Psychology, Psychiatry, Neurological, Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences panel. With five degrees, Professor Burnett is a counsellor, counselling psychologist and educational and developmental psychologist.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) 2006 television production graduates Luke Heywood and Tim Pass are ecstatic with the news that their production Chance Your Hand will be screened at the 2007 New York Television Festival Independent Pilot Competition. Chance Your Hand, a situation comedy showing the behind the scenes drama of a television game show, was a major project during the students’ third year studies. Produced at the CSU School of Visual and Performing Arts studios at the Wagga Wagga Campus in inland NSW, Chance Your Hand is one of only three productions selected from outside the United States. CSU Associate Lecturer Patrick Sproule says, “this is a major accolade for the both the course and the students, showcasing just how capable, creative and talented our television, acting and theatre design graduates are”. Luke and Tim will travel to New York to attend the festival from 5 – 9 September and hope to meet network executives to further their television careers.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is reaching out to students in distant and remote locations through the growing education resource of podcasting, the broadcast of audio files across the internet. CSU School of Computing and Mathematics lecturer Anthony Chan says: “Podcasting is now happening in CSU biomedical sciences, accounting, information technology, food and wine sciences and commercial radio and management courses. Podcasts are provided to students before and after classes and include interviews with experts from around the world”. An international collaborative project between CSU and USA’s Bentley College allows students in a first year computing subject to learn from each other and another lecturer half way round the world. The School of Computing and Mathematics also uses podcasting with a local Wagga Wagga high school, with their work in Japanese learning and teaching featured on Japanese television. Studies within CSU have shown that podcasting reduces the effects of isolation and promotes inclusiveness. Surveys with CSU undergraduate students also show podcasting reduces their stress levels, especially students who are coming into a higher education environment for the first time.

An informal arrangement which has existed for over 15 years between library services at Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Goulburn Police College was today made official at a signing ceremony in Bathurst. CSU Executive Director Library Services Shirley Oakley said this is a significant step forward in what has already proved to be a successful and productive relationship, "The relationship we have is a really good one, but we wanted to make sure it didn’t just rely on goodwill from the personalities, that it was a robust relationship. This new Service Level Agreement is more collaborative and future looking, so as the requirements of the students change we can evolve our services to meet their needs." Tony Stephenson, Manager at the Goulburn Police College Library agrees, "the formal partnerships between the NSW Police and CSU for police education do impact on our libraries, so this agreement will officially cover all library arrangements". Shirley Oakley said the time was right to also look at expanding the relationship. "The agreement also establishes a partnership between the library staff, so that we will exchange skills and keep each other up-to-date on what’s happening in each other’s libraries, which is important for staff development," she said.