Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie will welcome approximately 200 new students to its 2013 orientation events on Thursday 28 February and Friday 1 March before the start of the new academic year next Monday. Dr Muyesser Durur, the Campus Director at CSU in Port Macquarie, said, “It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie was established, and I am delighted to welcome new and returning students. The University now offers eight courses by Schools in three Faculties (Arts, Business, Science) as we progress our aim to enrol 5 000 students here by 2030. Charles Sturt University staff from other locations will attend the orientation in Port Macquarie to provide a wider University perspective, expertise and experience to enrich the orientation experience.” The schedule of orientation events includes a formal welcome at 2pm Thursday 28, followed by an afternoon tea for parents and supporters hosted by the Head of Campus, Professor Ross Chambers. Tours of the campus, and library and student support information sessions will run between 3pm to 5.15pm. This will be followed by an academic advisory session about Schools and courses from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. Local businesses and community groups will also showcase their wares to the students at a market stall alongside the information sessions. General assistance for students continues to be available from 9am to 5pm on Friday 1 March. A student function has been scheduled for Thursday 7 March to kick-start the student social calendar for 2013 – an important component of the CSU experience.

The Federal government has allocated $5.9 million towards a $8 million Food, Soil and Water Research Centre to be built by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in partnership with Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann was onhand for the announcement which will see a new facility built on CSU’s proposed greenfield campus site on Major Innes Road, Port Macquarie. “The centre will make a significant contribution to research into soil and water management and sustainable development on the NSW Mid-North Coast and Australia, and will be integrated with the development of our new campus in Port Macquarie”, Professor Vann said. Federal Member for Lynne, Mr Rob Oakeshott, said the centre will help Australia address problems and economic opportunities in providing enough food and water for an ever-increasing global population. The facility will replace and expand an existing laboratory run by Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.

The second cohort of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students from Port Macquarie will celebrate their graduation during ceremonies at The Glasshouse on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 December.Highlights of the ceremonies include:3pm Monday 19 December 201680 students from the Faculty of Arts and Education and the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Studies will be awarded a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.Ms Anna Wilson and Ms Danae Weaver will both be awarded Bachelors of Social Work and will receive the Lila Kirilik Social Action Memorial Prize, awarded to students from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences for demonstrated merit in a professional field and achieving a social action outcome that benefits disadvantaged individuals and communities.Mr Richard Rogers will be awarded a Bachelor of Social Science (Criminal Justice) and in 2017 will begin be studying the Associate Degree in Policing Practice at the NSW Police Academy in Goulburn as a stepping stone to joining the NSW Police Force.The occasional address will be delivered by Ms Kate Wood-Foye, Mid North Coast local, Area Director of Sales and Marketing for Rydges Group and regular columnist for Focus Magazine. Ms Wood-Foye is also the Co-Founder and Chair and Events Manager of the national youth leadership event 'Luminosity Youth Summit' which is held in Port Macquarie and provides young people the opportunity to be inspired and excel in their chosen careers through 'dangerous ideas' for success.9:30am Tuesday 20 December 201680 students from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Studies will be awarded a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.Lecturer at CSU's School of Biomedical Sciences, Dr Jennifer Cox will be awarded her PhD, Australian Nursing Students' Infection Control Knowledge and Perceptions: Exploring the Role of Microbiology Education and Clinical Placement Experiences. Infections acquired while in hospital are a major cause of patient death across the globe and Dr Cox's research has provided new insight into the role of microbiology education and the influence of clinical placement experience on nursing students' infection control practice. Read more about her research here.Ms Hannah Stack will be awarded a Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic). Earlier this year Ms Stack was awarded the John Overton Award from peak professional body, the Australian and New Zealand College of Paramedicine (ANZCP). Read more on CSU News here.Ms Erika Williamson and Mr Nathan Ross will also be awarded Bachelors of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) and in 2017 will both be travelling to London to take up positions with the London Ambulance Service.Mrs Amanda Hammond will be awarded a Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Medical Imaging). She has recently accepted a permanent position as a radiographer at Port Macquarie X-Ray.The occasional address will be delivered by Mr Stewart Dowrick, Chief Executive Officer of Mid North Coast Local Health District and Board Committee Member of Regional Development Australia – Mid North Coast.

Mid North Coast residents can see what university study is all about at an information day for Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie on Thursday 29 August. The day aims to show prospective students and other visitors the courses, facilities and support CSU can offer. School Outreach Coordinator Ms Sandra Wallace said it was perfect for school leavers and TAFE students thinking of furthering their study, as well as those already working looking to improve their employment prospects or thinking of a career change. “Prospective students can meet with Charles Sturt University and North Coast TAFE academics to learn about courses on offer and entry pathways,” she said. “Prospective students will hear about the range of support services available and how the University can help them further their education and improve their career.” Representatives from the Universities Admissions Centre will also be on hand to help answer questions about the enrolment process. If you’re considering studying justice studies and policing, business, accounting, medical imaging, social work, health science, the creative industries, social science or psychology, or in becoming a paramedic, this day is for you.”

Two staff members at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie received awards from the University recently. The 2013 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence, and the 2013 Faculty and Division Awards, acknowledge the commitment, dedication and ongoing excellence demonstrated by academic and general staff across CSU. Ms Nicole Mitchell, academic support coordinator at CSU in Port Macquarie, was a member of two teams that were honoured: the TAFE to CSU Interact Site Project Team received a Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Innovation; and the Regional and Remote Learning Support Team received a Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Performance Excellence. Senior lecturer in paramedics, Mr Joe Acker, received an individual excellence award from the CSU Faculty of Science  for his teaching of the discipline and helping to establish the course at CSU in Port Macquarie. Dr Muyesser Durur, Director of CSU in Port Macquarie, said, “I congratulate Nicole and Joe, as these awards recognise that our staff in Port Macquarie are making significant contributions to the development of the University and to our students’ career prospects. As the campus grows, we look forward to welcoming more staff contributions to the wider community.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has invited interested stakeholders from the Port Macquarie community to attend a Student Accommodation workshop on Wednesday 9 October. The workshop will explore options for the development of student accommodation to service the new campus being built by CSU in Port Macquarie. Construction will begin in 2014, and the new campus is expected to be ready for occupation by late 2015. Campus Director Dr Muyesser Durur said the workshop was an opportunity for CSU to ensure the development of student accommodation met the needs of the community and the University. “The community has welcomed Charles Sturt University into the area and has been very supportive throughout the planning stages for the new campus,” she   said. “This workshop is continuing the discussion, and ensuring any student accommodation is developed to benefit the University and the community.”

The head of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, Associate Professor Nick O’Brien, will deliver a public lecture in Port Macquarie titled Terrorism and Australia: Risk and prevention, including the role of financing in terrorism. The lecture, at the Glasshouse on Wednesday 23 October, is the fourth in a series which has brought speakers from a range of disciplines to share the latest ideas, thinking and opinions on contemporary social, scientific and cultural issues with the Port Macquarie community. Professor O’Brien joined CSU after a distinguished career in policing, including roles as Commander of the international counterterrorism group in Special Branch at New Scotland Yard. CSU Port Macquarie Campus Director Dr Muyesser Durur said the community response to the lecture series had been very encouraging. “The community has really embraced this concept,” she said. “Part of Charles Sturt University’s role on the Mid North Coast is to bring the latest ideas from the University’s areas of research directly to the community and this lecture series has demonstrated that’s something our community is very interested in.” 

The Vice-Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Andrew Vann, will host the 2013 Alumni and Community Cocktail Reception at the University in Port Macquarie on Monday 25 November. Dr Muyesser Durur, campus director of CSU in Port Macquarie, said, “This is becoming a wonderful annual event for our new campus and the University’s many alumni who live in the region. There are nearly 700 former graduates from all faculties and campuses who live on the Mid North Coast, so it is a great opportunity for them to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and consolidate and extend their professional and social networks. The event is also an opportunity for the University to acknowledge and thank the many people from the business, education and local government sectors and the wider Mid North Coast community who have been so supportive of the University in its first two years of operation. It has been a very dynamic period. The community has really embraced Charles Sturt University, which I believe has been in no small part due to the passion of the staff here and the commitment by everyone involved to share in our journey to contribute to the growth and wellbeing of the region.” The guest speaker at the event will be CSU alumnus and psychologist Mr John Nolan who has a practice in Port Macquarie.