The cultural diversity of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will be celebrated with food, music and traditional dance on Friday 21 March. CSU staff and students will come together from 11am to 2pm for the annual Harmony Day event. This year Indigenous culture will be highlighted, with hip hop and traditional dance by students from Mount Austin High School in Wagga Wagga. "Harmony Day is about community participation, inclusiveness and respect," said International Student Support Officer Ms Jacqueline Blomfield. "Through international cuisine we'll celebrate the fact that we have such a wide range of young people from all walks of life and can learn from each other." The local event is organised by the Division of Student Services, Health Promotions Service and Indigenous Student Services. The International Student Club is encouraging people to share their thoughts about Australia on a poster which will be presented to Wagga Wagga City Council and the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga.

The role of one's personal sense of direction in contributing to psychological wellbeing will be examined in a presentation by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic. Dr James Schuurmans-Stekhoven, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at CSU in Bathurst, will examine what is meant by 'having purpose'. "My talk aims to make a contribution to the ongoing debate about the degree to which wellbeing is predetermined by factors such as hereditary, and how that predisposes us to be 'temperamentally' happy and to what degree circumstances and our actions can influence wellbeing," Dr Schuurmans-Stekhoven said. "While a little more technical, the research presented in the talk shows that past claims that fixed temperaments, like personality, are important drivers of wellbeing, may have been overstated. Most past wellbeing research has overlooked the role of purpose (a non-temperamental state or mindset). When you simultaneously examine the relative contribution of personality and purpose to wellbeing, purpose seems to be the more important factor." Dr Schuurmans-Stekhoven's free public lecture will be held from 4pm to 5pm on Wednesday 19 March in building 1399 (old C7) CSU in Bathurst. The University's School of Psychology offers undergraduate and post-graduate studies in psychology, and may be studied on campus or by distance education. Read more here.

Recognising the importance of healthy students and staff, and wellness for a healthy workplace, Charles Sturt University (CSU), is holding a series of expos to highlight healthy activities and services that are available around Wagga Wagga. CSU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Vann, said, "Our aim is to have student and staff health and wellbeing understood, valued and actively supported at all levels of our organisation." CSU's 2014 SGE Credit Union Wellness and Wellbeing Conference and Expos include workshops such as those on mental health issues, physical activity, financial stability and security, stress management and prevention, caring for the elderly, alcohol and drug awareness, time management and lifestyle balance, nutrition, and men's and women's health. The Expo will be held from 9.30am to 4.20pm Wednesday 19 March and from 10.30am to 3.20pm Thursday 20 March in the Convention Centre, building 230, near car park 17 off Valder Way, CSU in Wagga Wagga.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will host almost 50 high school students on Thursday 13 March as they get a taste of university life. The MyDay event will showcase courses in the Faculty of Business, pathways to CSU and international study opportunities. "It's an opportunity for students to experience living and learning at Charles Sturt University and to find out about the support available to make their goals achievable," said prospective student advisor Mr Andrew Connell. Students from 14 high schools across the Riverina will attend the event from 10am to 2pm.

A photographic exhibition, Traumascapes, has opened at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. The exhibition features new works by local photographers Mr Chris Orchard and Ms Shona Pratt. The works argue that at the centre of the denial of climate change is a fundamental ecological illiteracy that visual literacy might help fix. Mr Orchard said, "As an artist and photographer, I believe there's an increasing need to open up the language of climate change, particularly the language surrounding psychology, and indeed psychoanalysis, where it specifically speaks to contemporary image culture. The exhibition is the way two artists with different backgrounds perceived the same spaces and the 'emotional' or 'spiritual' content of those spaces and tried to capture an essence of the landscape itself, or subvert that spirit to generate ironic landscapes." The exhibition in the University's HR Gallop Gallery (building 21, near car park 2) runs until Friday 4 April. Mr Orchard is an associate photography lecturer in the School of Communication and Creative Industries. Ms Pratt graduated from CSU in December 2013 with a degree in photography. The HR Gallop Gallery is open to the public from 9 am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will host almost 50 high school students on Thursday 13 March as they get a taste of university life. The MyDay event will showcase courses in the Faculty of Business, pathways to CSU and international study opportunities. "It's an opportunity for students to experience living and learning at Charles Sturt University and to find out about the support available to make their goals achievable," said prospective student advisor Mr Andrew Connell. Students from 14 high schools across the Riverina will attend the event from 10am to 2pm.

As Australian urban areas rapidly become overcrowded, marketing campaigns use images of relaxed lifestyles and bucolic pastures to sell dreams of country bliss to fatigued urbanites. But is rural living as idyllic as it seems? A group of Charles Sturt University (CSU) experts, led by Dr Angela Ragusa from CSU's School of Humanities and Social Sciences, have investigated the 'rural realities' of country life in Australia in a book titled Rural Lifestyles, Community Well-being and Social Change: Lessons from Country Australia for Global Citizens. "Rural Lifestyles presents readers with evidence of the key issues facing rural communities and individuals, and insights into rural amenities, geography, identity, culture, health and governance which impact wellbeing and lifestyle satisfaction," Dr Ragusa said. The book investigates the realities and opportunities offered in regional Australia, particularly regarding ageing, disability, service delivery and social isolation. See more here. CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann will officially launch the book titled Rural Lifestyles at 10.30am on Friday 7 March, at the Common Crust in the Learning Commons, CSU in Wagga Wagga.

A passion for improving learning through the use of technology is what motivates Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic, Associate Professor of Education Barney Dalgarno, who's been recognised with a national award. Professor Dalgarno is Associate Dean of Curriculum, Learning and Teaching with CSU's Faculty of Education in Wagga Wagga, and has been made a Fellow of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ascilite). The prestigious award recognises his contribution over the past 17 years in research, practice and leadership in technology and learning in higher education, and puts him in the company of some of the world leaders in technology and learning. "There's often a tendency for people to jump on the band-wagon when it comes to new technology," said Professor Dalgarno. "But it's important think about the way people learn and to consider if this new technology will allow them to do that in a different way." Professor Dalgarno was awarded Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) in 2007 and 2011. Read more on CSU News here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will welcome new students when O Week 2014 kicks off on Monday 24 February with the theme of 'Rode-O Week'. Orientation began with a commencement ceremony from 10am to 11am on Monday 24 February in the University's Joyes Hall where the new students and their families will be welcomed by the Head of Campus, Ms Miriam Dayhew. This will be followed by Market Day where a range of stallholders will have information available for the new students. The number of new undergraduate students due to start studying on campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga is projected to be 750 with popular programs including agricultural, animal and veterinary sciences, medical radiation science, and nursing. During the week there will be academic information sessions, and campus tours by some of the 40 O Week Leaders. The social program includes a back-to-school dress up trivia night from 7.30pm on Monday 24 February, a Wild, Wild West theme night complete with a mechanical bull from 7.30pm on Tuesday 25 February, and a school carnival themed pool party from 5pm on Thursday 27 February. Money raised during O Week will be donated by the CSU students to Cystic Fibrosis NSW. A full O Week program at CSU can be found here.