A $7.7 million dollar development at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will see the campus with restructured roads and a brand new Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Science teaching facility constructed for the School of Community Health. With the Bachelor of Physiotherapy course established at the Orange Campus this year, CSU will continue its development of the campus with a new purpose-built facility including academic offices, and simulated health spaces such as a rehabilitation gym and practice clinic. Head of the School of Community Health, Associate Professor Julia Coyle says, “Both the students and academics are very excited about the construction beginning in September, and the introduction of the Bachelor of Health and Rehabilitation Science degree which starts in Orange in March 2011.  The new Health Rehabilitation students will learn in the new facility alongside the Physiotherapy students.”

A joint project between Charles Sturt University (CSU), TAFE NSW - Western Institute, TAFE NSW Riverina Institute, and the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education is set to make training easier for future early childhood educators who live in regional Australia. The Early Childhood Education Workforce Capacity Project (ECEWC) aims to build workforce capacity in early childhood education throughout inland and Indigenous areas in NSW and the Northern Territory. “The aim is to assist the aspirations and needs of regional communities, and individual practitioners in the Early Childhood Education field,” said project manager and CSU lecturer in the School of Teacher Education, Ms Alison Lord. “We can do this by providing an opportunity for students, both recent school leavers and mature age, a means to study at home supported by the provision of Mentors and Community Facilitators, without the need to relocate to another town or city, or leave employment in order to undertake university study,” Community Orientation Professional Development Days will be held over the next two weekends in Griffiths and Parkes giving the 42 students enrolled in the project the support they need to continue their studies.

The challenging issue of the sexualisation of girls will the subject of discussion at a public lecture in Griffith on Wednesday 23 June. Lecturer in Philosophy and Ethics at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dr Emma Rush will give an overview of what researchers and experts have to say about the risks associated with the sexualisation of girls and explain the government’s response. Dr Rush will also identify resources for parents and professionals who work with girls. “As a society we must strive for the development of healthy and happy girls,” Dr Rush said. “Yet we are now seeing miniature celebrity fashion magazines, lip gloss and padded bras being sold for everyday use by girls from the age of eight. The increasing pressure on girls to meet very narrow appearance ideals at younger and younger ages is of significant concern to experts in child health and welfare.” The free lecture will be held from 6pm in the Burley Griffin Room, Griffith Regional Theatre in Neville Place, Griffith on Wednesday 23 June. CSU wine and cheese will be served after the lecture.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga is this week playing host to Fijian students hoping to learn more about the discipline of pathology. Six students studying medical laboratory science at the University of South Pacific (UPS) in the Fijian capital of Suva will be in Albury and the Riverina from Monday 14 June until Friday 18 June. The visit is part of the CSU Global program,   the University’s initiative to promote international student experiences. “In 2009, I took a group of CSU Bachelor of Medical Science students to Fiji to tour the USP as well as pathology laboratories in Suva, Lautoka and Sigatoka,” Ms Helen Moriarty, lecturer with the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga said. “I hope this return visit to CSU by the Fijian students and one of their lecturers will lead to biannual student exchange. While in Albury-Wodonga, Cootamundra, Griffith, Temora and Wagga Wagga, the students will learn about our Bachelor of Medical Science program and our facilities as well as tour private pathology and hospital laboratories.”

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) Faculty of Arts graduates are finalists in the 2010 Australia China Alumni Awards. At a reception in the Australian pavilion at Shanghai Expo on Tuesday 25 May, Ms Kara Jenkinson, a disaster preparedness delegate for the Australian Red Cross, was announced as a finalist in the Australian Education International Young Australian Alumni of the Year for the second year in a row, while Ms Anthea Webb, director of the United Nations World Food Program in China, was announced asa finalist for the Women in Leadership award. Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Anthony Cahalan said, “The fact we have two graduates listed as finalists in these internationally recognised awards is testament to the high quality degrees we offer at Charles Sturt University.” The winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Shanghai on Saturday 10 July.

About 70 high schools students from the Wagga Wagga district are due to experience first hand the careers and courses open to them in agriculture and primary industries. The EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation – an alliance between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Industry & Investment NSW – is hosting the Agriculture Enrichment Day on Friday 11 June at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The students will be divided into small groups and rotated through a range of sessions covering topics such as animal anatomy, insects, weeds and soil salinity. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the high school students to get a real taste of the variety of studies and careers available through the agricultural sector,” EH Graham Centre acting director Associate Professor Gavin Ash said. “In addition to the practical sessions, the students will be able to speak with staff from Charles Sturt University and Industry & Investment NSW.” The Agriculture Enrichment Day will be held from 8.45am to 1.30pm on Friday 11 June in and around Joyes Hall, Pugsley Place off Pine Gully Road, CSU in Wagga Wagga.

The efforts of Charles Sturt University (CSU) to continually improve its environmental initiatives have been recognised in state-wide awards. Under the NSW Government’s Sustainability Advantage Recognition Scheme, CSU has been awarded a Bronze Partnership for its demonstrated commitment to business sustainability. In 2008, the University established CSU Green  to coordinate and monitor the organisation’s sustainability efforts. “Sustainability is a central theme of Charles Sturt University’s strategy and one of the four key themes of our Institutional Development Plan,” said CSU Green Manager Mr William Adlong. “This award gives us an indication we are on track with our environmental initiatives in biodiversity, energy, transport, waste and water.” Ahead of World Environment Day, Mr Adlong accepted the Bronze Partnership on Friday 4 June during a ceremony in Sydney. Read more about CSU Green here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Agricultural Science students demonstrated their grain industry knowledge by placing second in the team category of the Australian Universities Crop Competition. The three-day event, held in Temora from Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 September, saw students from six universities tested on everything from grain grading and yield potential through to weed identification, business skills and farm management software. Dr Sergio Moroni, lecturer in crop agronomy from CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, coached the team and said the students performed well. “It takes a great effort and independent training for this competition as students volunteered to represent the University and their preparation was done outside of their current study obligations,” he said. CSU was represented by Mr Cameron Prien, Mr Nathanael Liersch, Ms Georgia Branson, Mr Lachlan Vogan and Mr Jamie Thornberry. The annual competition is hosted by GrainGrowers.

The importance of engaging students in their first year of higher education is the focus of a forum at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga this week that has attracted staff from across the institution. The experience of first year undergraduate students has been identified as a priority for the University as part of the new Transition Project, which supports a Federal government priority to increase participation in tertiary education. “We want to increase the participation of students from various backgrounds including Indigenous students and those from rural and regional Australia,” Transition Project Director Ms Liz Smith said. “We must ensure that our students are successful and autonomous adult learners by the start of their second year of study.” The Student Engagement Forum started today, Monday 20 September and continues until 12.30pm on Tuesday 21 September at the Convention Centre at CSU in Wagga Wagga.