Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) long-standing association with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has received a boost at a contract signing in Canberra on Tuesday 31 January. Under the new agreement, CSU will maintain and expand current training initiatives especially developed for the ADF. The University provides postgraduate training in a three stage program, with many officers then enrolling in CSU’s Master of Arts (Communication – Organisational Communication). “Through its strong training focus, ADF is always trying to do things better, and we can work with them to develop that, and to continue to grow our relationship,” said coordinator of CSU’s postgraduate program for Defence, Zoe Hibbert. “I found the CSU academic staff always supportive and was grateful that they readily recognised the demands placed on students who had to juggle employment and a high study load,” said ADF Strategic Communication Adviser and CSU graduate, John Anderson. “Another benefit to me as a student was that most of my lecturers had been previously employed in the corporate or public sectors, so they were able to demonstrate their professional and practical experiences within an academic context,” he added.

 A Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer with a passion for providing support and guidance to first year students studying via distance education has been named the winner of the Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award for 2005. Dr Mir Rabiul Islam, from the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies on the University's Bathurst Campus, is course coordinator of the largest undergraduate psychology course, Bachelor of Social Science – Psychology. Including Education/Psychology double degrees, he is coordinating courses for over 450 students. In his online teaching, he strives passionately to use “online strategies” that empower students to be self-sufficient and adaptive to the ever changing needs of life. Student evaluations of his teaching of research methods are extraordinarily high, no mean feat in the area of Advanced Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology unit, a course often regarded as difficult and complex. He considers learning from students as a unique opportunity to assess and re-assess his own professional integrity. Each year the University recognises and encourages excellence in teaching through the presentation of this award. The award will be presented to Dr Islam in May at the Faculty of Arts graduation ceremony.

Scholarships totalling $35 000 will see seven Charles Sturt University (CSU) students expand their academic and cultural horizons when they travel to China this month as part of their business degrees at CSU. Funded through the Federal Government’s Cheung Kong Scholarship program as well as the University’s Faculty of Commerce, the students from the Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga campuses will leave Australia for China in two groups on Monday 20 February and Monday 27 February. The students will spend one semester studying either at the Yunnan University of Finance and Economics in Kunming, Tianjin University of Finance and Economics in Tianjin or the Yangzhou University in Yangzhou. They will study basic elements of the Mandarin language as well as learn an appreciation and understanding of Chinese society and culture.

New research is being conducted at Charles Sturt University (CSU) to identify what support schools offer a child who has a parent with a mental illness. The study by CSU education lecturer Dr Andrea Reupert comes after research conducted at the University in 2005 found about 20 per cent of all Australian children live in families in which one parent has a mental illness. “Given the amount of time young people spend in the classroom, I want to hear how Riverina teachers, school administrators, school counsellors, canteen staff or anyone connected to a school, might have supported these children in both the public and Catholic education systems,” said Dr Reupert. Families who want to be involved in the research can contact CSU’s Dr Andrea Reupert on telephone (02) 6933 4376 or send an email.

In recognition of the financial concerns facing first year university students, Charles Sturt University (CSU) has introduced equity scholarships for new students in need of additional financial help. The scholarship scheme, valued at a total of $800 000 in 2006, will be available to first year, undergraduate students studying on campus. There will also be CSU Equity Scholarships available for continuing students. The scheme is in addition to the Federal Government’s Commonwealth Learning Scholarships and financial assistance available through the CSU Foundation Scholarships. “Access to higher education is an important issue for CSU and this new scholarship scheme aims to help students get a university education,” said Deputy Director of the University’s Division of Student Services, Les Burr. Further details about the CSU Equity Scholarship scheme are available here.

Extending her annual trip to work with traditional midwives in Kenya, Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Dr Elaine Dietsch has returned from the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo. In an attempt to raise awareness of the plight of Congolese women and girls, Dr Dietsch has brought back stories of strength, courage and mere survival. An estimated three million plus people have died during a five-year regional conflict centred on the resource rich African nation. “The women I met in the South Kivu province requested their stories of war, sexual assault, torture, illness and malnutrition be shared with Australians,” said Dr Dietsch, who is a senior midwifery and nursing lecturer at CSU’s School of Clinical Sciences in Wagga Wagga. She is willing to share this international humanitarian issue with adults in the Riverina community through interviews and speaking engagements with groups, clubs, churches, community and professional organisations.  

The quality of the Charles Sturt University Theatre Ensemble (UTE) productions in 2005 has been recognised with eight nominations in the annual Canberra Area Theatre Awards. A Street Car Named Desire, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Crucible have been nominated for various awards, which are due to be announced in Canberra on Saturday 11 February 2006. Based in Wagga Wagga, the UTE's productions involve final year acting and theatre design students. The Ensemble's The Crucible has been nominated for best play and its director and CSU lecturer Ray Goodlass, for best director of a play. Graduating acting students have also been nominated for best lead actor in a play and best supporting actress in a play. Students responsible for set and costume design have also been named amongst the potential winners. The Canberra Theatre Awards aim to recognise the contribution made by non-professional groups to the artistic life of Australia, particularly in the Canberra region. "These eight nominations validate our work and the high standards we achieve through our regular UTE productions put on for the Riverina community," said lecturer with the CSU School of Visual and Performing Arts, Ray Goodlass.  

Swapping a US winter for the Australian heat in January is in store for 23 university students when they visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga to learn about local animal production and rural leadership. The students from the University of Delaware will travel to the Riverina from this Friday 6 to Monday 16 January 2006. The trip will include visits to the Livestock Marketing Centre in Wagga Wagga, the CSU Winery as well as local farms. “This is the second time CSU has hosted the University of Delaware students and the aim is to give the students an understanding of animal production in Australia, through practical experiences,” said Emeritus Professor Ted Wolfe from CSU's School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences.  Accompanying the students will be Associate Professors Patricia Barber and Bill Saylor from the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The Corporate Communication and Media team at Charles Sturt University wish all the media a very safe and happy Christmas and New Year and thank you all for your support and work with CSU over the past year. The University will be closed from 12.30pm Friday 23 December 2005 until Tuesday 3 January 2006.