Education lectures form a small part of a full program of events for supporters of rural and metropolitan pharmacy on the weekend of Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 October in Orange NSW. The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Pharmacy Foundation has organised a packed itinerary for its 70 guests to Orange, with attendees coming from Sydney and regional NSW. The weekend program includes golf, cricket and the annual CSU Pharmacy Foundation Dinner. Lecture topics focus on health and sport, including podiatry, ergogenic aids in sport, medicines in sport, and the penalties of over indulgence. To continue the theme, former Wallaby rugby union player and celebrated Bathurst physiotherapist Mr Marty Roebuck will speak at the Pharmacy Dinner on Saturday night. “We encourage anyone interested in regional pharmacy to join us,” said CSU Pharmacy Foundation chairman Mr Dick Marris. For more information contact Ms Belinda Boshier on 6338 4680.

As the start of the Charles Sturt University (CSU) dental and oral health courses approach in February 2009, the University has added the international experience of Professor David Wilson to its teaching staff. Professor Wilson is a professor in dentistry and health science (oral and maxillofacial pathology). He has joined CSU at Orange from the International Medical University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Professor Wilson has also worked in Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and has about 30 years undergraduate and postgraduate teaching experience in oral pathology. He maintains ongoing clinical practice and research into specialist diagnostic oral histopathology. His research interests include oral cancer, oral diseases and forensic odontology.  The new courses offered through the CSU School of Dentistry and Health Sciences  in 2009 include the Bachelor of Dental Science and a Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Therapy/Dental Hygiene.

A national award promoting religious harmony and acceptance within Australian society has been bestowed on Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer in theology, Associate Professor Clive Pearson. The principal of the United Theological College (UTC) in Sydney, within the CSU School of Theology, received an Australian Affinity Award in September. The award recognised Professor Pearson’s significant contributions in the study of religion, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and the ‘facilitating' by CSU in this dialogue. Associate Professor Pearson was particularly recognised for his work on the public theology of issues of diversity in Sydney, including analysis of the riots in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla in December 2005. “The United Theological College has been working with Affinity and Sydney’s Islamic community firstly out of concern for the neighbour, for the stranger in our midst and a concern for social cohesion,” said Associate Professor Pearson. “We have attended and presented at each other's conferences because we believe that it is important for a Christian theology to be done these days in the presence of the religious other as well as the secular.”

A new information technology (IT) course to be offered by Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst will be launched on Friday 7 November by the Hon. Phillip Costa, MP, NSW Minister for Water, Rural Affairs and Regional Development. The Bachelor of Information Technology (Business Services) degree has been developed by CSU and international computer firm IBM to keep pace with rapidly evolving industry needs and will provide skilled IT professionals for a range of industries. Head of the CSU School of Accounting and Computer Science, Associate Professor Ross Wilson, said, “The degree, which offers a mix of technical and business aspects that reflects what industry is looking for, will be offered from the start of 2009 and will incorporate flexible delivery to facilitate concurrent work experience. All 22 students accepted into the new course will be fully supported by scholarships funded by industry partners IBM, Country Energy and the NSW Department of Lands.”

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) 2007 Shiraz has been nominated for the prestigious Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy at the 2008 Royal Melbourne Wine Show, Australia largest wine show. Fifteen wines were selected in October by a panel of international and national judges. The award for the best red wine of the 2007 vintage is one of the most sought after trophies of the 21 awards available at the show. The CSU 2007 Shiraz is produced with grapes from the University’s vineyard in Orange and is the only NSW wine to be nominated for this year’s Trophy. The wine has already been awarded bronze medals at the Orange Wine Show in October and the Riverina Wine Show in September. CSU Shiraz 2007 will be released at the University’s Cellar Door at Wagga Wagga in mid-November. The winner of the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy will be announced at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show presentation dinner on Thursday 13 November at the Hilton on the Park in Melbourne.

He hasn’t yet completed his degree, but local Orange resident and Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Farm Management student Mr Chris Blore has secured a position with Smithfield Feedlot in Queensland. Mr Blore was recently interviewed by Orange Agricultural Institute’s chief researchscientist in sheep, Dr Sue Hatcher, as part of the CSU annual graduate capability interviews. “Dr Hatcher was amember of the panel that asked Chris about his career aspirations, his suitability to the chosenposition, and the relevance of his degree studies in preparing for the workplace,” CSU lecturer in management, Ms Zelma Bone said after the interview. The interviews see graduating students andindustry representatives meet in a mock job interview setting to prepare students for the workforce. “The compulsory subject has been a great success in helping students like Chris to secure graduate job placements,” Ms Bone said.

Five groups of final year marketing students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will deliver marketing plans to representatives of the Royal Australian Mint at a presentation at the Bathurst Campus on Thursday 6 November. Lecturer in marketing at the School of Marketing and Management, Mr Andrew Mashman, explained that following an invitation from Dr Felicity Mullens, Marketing Manager of the Royal Australian Mint, his class of strategic marketing management students travelled to Canberra to inspect the Mint and be briefed about Australia’s diminishing use of coin-based currency, the Mint’s core business. After returning, the students worked in groups for eight weeks to explore marketing strategies and research opportunities the Mint could consider. “Each group will deliver a 20-minute presentation to communicate how they would ensure the longevity of Australia’s premium minting facility,” Mr Mashman said. “The students feel the pressure to perform because of the client’s involvement, and as graduating students they know this will be an important step in their transition into the workforce in 2009.”

Entries in a short film competition sponsored by the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Marketing and Management will be screened on Wednesday evening, 12 November, at the CSU at Bathurst. The CSU Flix - M&M Short Film Awards focus on the topic ‘Life as a business student with the CSU School of Marketing and Management’. There are three prizes valued at $2 000 for the winners, chosen from three categories which focus on the experience of students enrolled in distance education, on campus or postgraduate studies. The short film entries will be used on CSU websites for prospective students wanting an insight into student life. Admission on the night is by donation to Headspace, a charity for young people with mental health problems in Bathurst.

The tapping sound of typing is replacing the rustle of paper and scratching of pens across lecture theatres in regional Australia as students purchase laptop computers though Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) rebate scheme. CSU is offering a $300 rebate to on campus undergraduate students who purchase a laptop for their studies. Lecturers welcome the rebate scheme. Head of CSU at Dubbo, Mr Gary Shipp, said “The scheme is designed to encourage and assist students make the most of accessing university online systems when visiting and studying on campus. Distance students can take advantage of the scheme when required to attend compulsory residential schools on campus. I hope it will make note taking and assessment writing easier for our students."