It is said that music is universal and has the ability to heal, and Director of the Orange Regional Conservatorium, Mr Graham Sattler, believes this more than ever after his recent overseas study tour. Mr Sattler will present an international example of ensemble music programs, designed to encourage socio-cultural development, at a public lecture to be held at the Orange Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU), on Wednesday 6 August. Mr Sattler is beating a different drum after returning from a study tour to South America, including Bolivia, where ‘revolutionary’ music programs are encouraging social harmony, community integration and self-esteem. Mr Sattler will compare models and explore the potential and challenges of translating the principles behind these programs to Australia.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) biomedical sciences lecturer, Dr Deborah Burton, will encourage high school students to look at their options at the 2008 Central West Job Expo on Thursday 31 July. “With increasing living costs, petrol prices and city rent, local high school students seem keener than ever to investigate studying and working within the region,” Dr Burton said. Information on CSU courses in agriculture, nursing, pharmacy, clinical science and the new dentistry and oral health courses will be available. Dr Burton will join academics from across CSU to answer questions and discuss study and career options with students and their families. “It’s an important time in students’ lives and the Expo is a fantastic opportunity to gather information on all the options. Schools have indicated that there will be over 1 300 students attending the Expo,” she said.

A book on economic globalisation with local, national and international contributions edited by CSU academics will be officially launched by the Vice-Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Ian Goulter, on Wednesday 13 February. Engagement & Change - Exploring Management, Economic and Finance Implications of a Globalising Environment, examines the issue of globalisation from diverse perspectives. Co-editor Dr PK Basu, Associate Head of the School of Marketing & Management at CSU’s Bathurst Campus, said the book contains “23 papers by Australian and international researchers from different disciplines and addresses the effects of globalisation on areas such as management, economics, finance, accounting, marketing and human resources”. Contributors included 19 academics from CSU and from seven other Australian universities, as well as from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.

Climate change and international markets are influencing the demand and supply of conserved fodder in Australia, and this year’s Riverina Outlook Conference will focus on the strategies needed to manage these changes. Hosted by the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation at Charles Sturt University (CSU), the conference will be held in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 14 August. EH Graham Centre Director, Professor Deirdre Lemerle said, “The aim of the event will be to highlight key issues that make the difference between profit and loss from conserved fodder. The Conference continues the long-standing tradition of highlighting future challenges for agriculture while offering suggestions and solutions to deal with them. Managing risks and the challenges of maintaining livestock production levels in a variable climate make the theme for this conference highly relevant to producers, agricultural advisors, consultants, educators and agricultural industry representatives.”  

For the first time, more than 80 sheep and lamb producers will converge on the NSW town of Cowra for Charles Sturt University's (CSU) annual Asia Today forum on Thursday 14 August 2008. Director of the CSU Asian Agribusiness Research Centre, Dr Claus Deblitz, says the day will cover all aspects of marketing lamb, from trends in the Asian markets to hearing from a local marketing group on their ability to lift returns. Dr Deblitz said, “Cowra is an important town within CSU’s region, with many of its residents studying at one of its campuses, so this is why we decided to hold this major conference there. Two areas which will receive attention on the day are the threats from and opportunities offered by climate change and current developments and their consequences for grain markets.” said Dr Deblitz. “We are delighted to be able to bring such a major conference to the local area, and given the high standard of speakers we hope local lamb and sheep meat producers will take part in these discussions.“

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students are making the battle against obesity and eating disorders personal with a cooking competition to show healthy eating can be cheap as well as nutritious, quick, tasty and good looking. Three student groups – the Nutrition and Dietetics (or Nut) Club, the Social Workers Club and the Health Action Team – are gathering favourite student recipes for a recipe book, with the top 12 recipes entered into a cook-off competition to be held in October on the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus. A panel of local judges will name the winner of a $150 voucher for groceries. President of the Nut Club, Mr Kingsley Vance, hopes that initiatives like this will help the communities within CSU campuses – Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga – to improve their food choices. “University students are often at risk of not eating a nutritious diet, so our competition is all about raising awareness of good nutrition in all our communities,” he said.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will next year celebrate 20 years of strategic higher education and applied research that is making a difference nationally and internationally. Celebrations involving students, staff, academics, graduates and the University’s research partners and institutions will be held at all campuses. CSU is extending a warm invitation to all communities in its footprint to become involved in the celebrations that will highlight its rapid growth and achievements during the past two decades. The first meeting of the 20th Anniversary Committee, chaired by CSU Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, was held on Wednesday 25 June, to commence planning for what is a significant year in the history of the University of inland Australia. Proclaimed in July 1989, CSU has evolved as one of Australia's largest universities, operating across inland New South Wales and delivering education and degree qualifications in many countries around the world.

The Central West Regional Consultative Committee of Charles Sturt University (CSU) met at the Bathurst Campus on Thursday 28 August to provide advice to the University about its activities in the Central West and its relationships with local communities. Committee chair and Head of Bathurst Campus, Mr Col Sharp, said the meeting was informed about the building program on the Bathurst and Orange campuses, and research and other activities that impact on local communities such as Bathurst Aged and Community Care which aims to make Bathurst a more senior-friendly city. “The committee was updated on the many bodies with regional impact that are supported by CSU, like the Western Research Institute (WRI), Arts Out West, the University of the Third Age and the Western Region Institute of Sport. The meeting was also interested to learn of less known interactions that benefit the University and local communities such as CSU public relations projects where students work up briefs for local clients like Oberon Relay for Life, Bathurst Information Centre, and Bathurst Youth Centre,” Mr Sharp said.

Services for women with cervical cancer who live in rural Australia could be improved as a result of a study to be carried out by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) psychology student. Ms Melissa Elleray, a fourth year Honours student at the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies, hopes her study of rural women who have had cervical cancer will provide insight into their experiences so that services and funding can be better targeted. “There seems to be little support for or awareness about how rural women experience cervical cancer, and as I have experienced a risk of developing the disease myself, I want to help these women have their stories heard. My research will explore what it was like going through treatment while trying to maintain a normal life,” Ms Elleray said. The research requires confidential face-to-face interviews with up to 12 women in rural NSW and Victoria before the end of 2008. Women interested in participating in the research can contact Ms Elleray on 0409 808 598.