A member of the Charles Sturt University staff in Bathurst has been named the winner of the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Performance Excellence, for General Staff 2005. Gail Wotton, Food Services Officer at Café Mitchell on CSU’s Bathurst Campus, has been honoured by Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter for her dedication to her position and the University. Ms Wotton said she couldn’t believe it and offered her thanks to all staff who had supported her. “Everyone in our team is excellent and I’m honoured to be rewarded in this way; it’s the best Christmas present,” added the CSU employee. The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Performance Excellence, for General Staff recognises outstanding contributions by individuals or teams for sustained high level performance. “CSU staff continue to excel in areas such as client service, support for teaching and learning and regional engagement and this award has been established to acknowledge this dedication and commitment of general staff,” said Professor Goulter.

Through one of its leading research centres, Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) has formed an alliance with four leading international theological institutions.  CSU”s Public and Contextual Theology Strategic Research Centre or PACT has played a key role in the formation of the Global Network for Public Theology. “The group will encourage research collaboration and connections with key international civil society networks, whilst CSU will take the lead in developing student exchanges and cooperation within the network,” said Director of PACT, Reverend Professor James Haire.  The principal members of the Network include Charles Sturt University; Beyers Naude Centre for Public Theology at South Africa’s University of Stellenbosch; Centre of Theological Inquiry, Princeton University, USA; Centre for Theology and Public Issues at University of Edinburgh and Manchester Centre for Public Theology at the University of Manchester, UK. PACT is an innovative CSU strategic research centre with a focus on issues in contemporary Australian society.

The respect and affection which staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) hold for retiring Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Bob Meyenn is apparent in their unique choice of retirement gift, a cow and calf. Retiring after 19 years of distinguished service as Dean, a farewell function will be held on Friday, 9 December from 4pm in the James Hardie Dining Room, Centre for Professional Development, CSU, Bathurst. Professor Meyenn will receive a second creative gift from the University at the farewell function. The cow and calf, a gift from Professor Meyenn’s Faculty of Education colleagues, will be delivered to his property in the NSW central west to enjoy during his retirement.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor Shahbaz Khan, Director of the International Centre for Water, Senior Principal Scientist and Research Leader with CSIRO Land and Water and Regional Coordinator of the Asia Pacific office of UNESCO IHP-HELP, continues to attract accolades for his world leading water research. Professor Khan has been awarded the Modelling Society of Australia and New Zealand (MSSANZ) Biennial Medal for Natural Systems, after also recently winning a prestigious Eureka Award. Based at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus, Professor Khan says, “The recognition is great news for CSU and CSIRO research”. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Vice-President (Research) Professor Paul C Burnett says, “It is fantastic to see that Professor Khan’s work and contribution to new knowledge in this area is being so widely recognised. He and his team should be proud of what they have achieved.” The Biennial Medal will be presented in December at the MSSANZ 2007 conference in New Zealand.

Frogs will be in the spotlight at a ‘talk and walk’ along the banks of Kings Billabong, near the Murray River at Mildura led by Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher Ms Sascha Healy. The talk to be held on Thursday 16 October will focus on the types of frogs living in the area, where they are found, and how to identify them by sight and sound. Ms Healy is currently undertaking surveys of frogs in the Wentworth and Mildura region as part of a project led by CSU researcher Dr Skye Wassens and funded by the Murray Wetlands Working Group looking at the breeding responses of frogs in wetlands along the Murray River.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) have extended condolences to the Drayton family over the tragic death of Mr Trevor Drayton who was killed in an explosion at the Drayton Family Winery at Pokolbin in the NSW Hunter Valley on Thursday 17 January 2008. Professor Thomas Henick-Kling, Director, National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, says Mr Drayton was a highly respected leader of the Australian wine industry who will be sadly missed by all who knew and worked with him. His knowledge and experience was a wonderful resource for the national wine industry. Mr Drayton contributed to the research activities of the NWGIC and his input will be missed but not forgotten. CSU and the NWGIC also expresses condolences to the family of a second man, Mr Edgar Orgo, also killed in the tragic incident, and hopes for a full and speedy recovery of Mr William Rikard-Bell, a graduate of CSU in 2006 with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine Science), who was injured in the conflagration.

Members of the Riverina equine community at a Charles Sturt University (CSU) Equine Influenza (EI) forum have been urged to work together so that NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) quarantine restrictions, imposed in response to Australia’s first EI outbreak, are upheld by everyone in the community. Participants emphasised that the disease poses a threat to all horses, ponies and donkeys. Around 130 people attended the forum which was organised in Wagga Wagga by the CSU School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. A panel of CSU equine health experts, led by Director of Veterinary Science Professor Kym Abbott, outlined the status of the EI outbreak, how the highly contagious virus is transmitted and ways to prevent its spread through the nation’s equine population. CSU veterinary science lecturer Dr Sharanne Raidal stressed the importance of community vigilance and compliance to halt the advance of equine flu, which can be transmitted by humans, vehicles and equipment.

A senior Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has used an international forum to argue for the expansion of community development in the Asia Pacific region to tackle major socio-economic problems such as extreme poverty, lack of education, and environmental unsustainability. Professor Manohar Pawar of the CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences was a main speaker at the International Association for Community Development conference. “Many countries policies suggest that those people and institutions with most influence, referred to as ‘top down’, are poised to develop communities at all levels. The capacity of ordinary communities need to be developed to match the ‘top downs’ readiness,” said Professor Pawar. “It is a challenging but not impossible task. If we sincerely search, I believe we will find answers to these challenges within the diversity of the region.”

More than 500 mourners have attended a memorial service at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus on Monday 4 February to honour former Chancellor, Dr David Asimus, AO, who died on Australia Day 2008. Moving tributes to Dr Asimus were delivered in eulogies from Ian Macintosh, Ian Sully and son-in-law James Sutherland. The congregation included the Hon. Kay Hull, federal Member for Riverina; The Hon. Daryl McGuire, NSW Member for Wagga; John Fairfax, Chairman, Fairfax Media, the Hon. Tim Fischer, Former Deputy Prime Minister; The Rev. Archbishop Francis Carroll, Catholic Bishop of Canberra; Mr Lawrie Willet AO, Chancellor CSU and Mr James Sutherland, CEO Cricket Australia. Dr Asimus was elected the foundation Chancellor of CSU in 1989 and served in this post until 2002. As Chancellor, he oversaw the integration of the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education and Mitchell College of Advanced Education to form the new Charles Sturt University.