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) staff and current students will welcome about 200 students commencing their studies at CSU in Orange in 2013. They join more than 500 students already completing their courses in Orange. O Week coordinator and student support team leader, Mr Nik Granger, said the first week on campus was a chance for students to get a feel for university life. “O Week allows students to become familiar with their surroundings, staff and other students,” he said. “Charles Sturt University staff are ready to respond to queries about courses, subjects and services available in Orange, and student O Week leaders who have already spent a year or two on campus are on hand to help the new students make the transition”. New students living in the on campus residences will arrive on Sunday 24 February, with the first formal events commencing on Monday 25 February, including an official welcome, with academic procession.

Parkes residents have been invited to learn more about Charles Sturt University (CSU) at an information event on Wednesday 27 February. The event will feature talks by staff from CSU’s Future Moves in Schools program, which aims to inform students from primary and secondary schools, and their parents, about the benefits of further education. The team will hold interactive workshops for Parkes High School on Wednesday 27 February and Thursday 28 February, as well as speak to Parkes residents at the community information session on Wednesday evening. Staff from the University’s Regional and Remote Learning Support team will also be in Parkes to host an orientation session at the Parkes University Study Centre for students studying early childhood education by distance. The team will then attend the community information session to explain how CSU can assist and support all distance education students to achieve their education goals.

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.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host two MyDay information events on Monday 15 April for senior high school students interested to study communication subjects in Bathurst and dentistry and allied health subjects in Orange. The MyDay in Bathurst will help students explore careers in advertising, commercial radio, journalism, sports journalism, public relations, and theatre/media through the School of Communication and Creative Industries. In Orange, the MyDay will profile dentistry at the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, pharmacy and clinical science at the School of Biomedical Sciences and physiotherapy through the School of Community Health. CSU prospective student adviser, Ms Fran Dwyer, said, “MyDay offers Year 11-12 students the opportunity to find out about the courses available and to experience a day in the life of a university student ‘living and learning’ on campus. The day will involve hands on activities, tours of facilities, and up-to-date information about courses, international study options, and the application process. Students will also get the opportunity to talk to current students and academic staff.” Both MyDay events will be from 10am to 2pm on Monday 15 April, with concurrent information session for parents. Students need to register their interest online at www.csu.edu.au/myday or phone 6338 6010.

More than 100 dental health professionals from across the state will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange as the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences hosts its first professional development day. Associate Head of School, Dr Sabrina Manickam, said the event was an important step in the maturation of CSU’s dentistry program. “This is an important year for the school as our first graduates will complete their studies and go out into the community as working dentists,” she said. “And as our undergraduate program nears completion, it allows us to increase our involvement in research, postgraduate education and continuing professional development.” The event will be co-hosted by the Australian Dental Association NSW Western Division (ADA NSW) and the Australian Dental Prosthestists Association (ADPA), and is sponsored by Henry Schein Halas. Head of the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, Professor David Wilson, and senior lecturer, Dr Ram Prabhu, will deliver a session on oral pathology and signs of oral cancer, and other sessions will be delivered by ADPA, ADA NSW and Henry Shein Halas delegates.  

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students will be looking to continue the University's unbeaten record against Sydney University when they host the 2013 Roland Bryant Cup competition on Saturday 18 May. The cup is named in honour of Professor Roland Bryant, who teaches at both institutions, and pits the dental schools of each university against the other in four sports. Students compete in mixed touch football, women’s and men’s soccer, men’s basketball and women’s netball. CSU’s School of Dentistry and Health Sciences in Orange has won the cup in each year since the competition began in 2010. The competition is designed to forge collaborative links and friendships between CSU and Sydney University and has been contested in excellent spirit on each occasion. The day will include a variety of social events, along with the sporting contests.

Psychologist, social researcher and novelist Mr Hugh Mackay will tackle the question of 'What makes a life worth living?' when he delivers the first Charles Sturt University (CSU) Explorations public lecture in Orange on Wednesday 22 May. Mr Mackay has spent his working life asking Australians about their values, motivations, ambitions, hopes and fears. “The good life is not the sum of our security, wealth, and levels of happiness,” he said. “It is one defined by our capacity for selflessness, the quality of our relationships and our willingness to connect with others in a useful way.” In the public lecture Mr Mackay will explore our pursuit of pleasure, our attempts to perfect ourselves and our children, and our conviction that we can have our lives under control.

Students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will visit Canoblas High School on Friday 24 May to help year 11 chemistry students conduct a practical laboratory session. The visit is the first part of a pilot program aimed at encouraging Orange high school students to take up further education, and careers, in chemistry and science. CSU pre-entry program coordinator Ms Tonya Graham said the high school students and their parents would make a return visit to the University on 4 June, where they would participate in another chemistry lesson. “The Canoblas students will also have the opportunity to sit in on more chemistry lectures through the year,” she said. “We want to show them the sorts of university courses that involve chemistry, and the sorts of careers they could go on to have by studying it. We’ve started this concept with Canoblas because it is one of the schools we run our Future Moves program in, but we would like to soon be able to include students from other schools in Orange.”