A man described as the ‘champion’ of an environmentally sustainable at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has been named as the recipient of the inaugural 2010 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Innovation and Sustainability. Mr William Pollack is one of the ground staff with the University’s Division of Facilities Management  in Wagga Wagga.  He won the new award for his leadership and co-ordination of projects including work to return native flora and fauna to CSU in Wagga Wagga; the introduction of Bokashi bins in the University’s kitchens and common rooms for composting green waste; the establishment of the green waste closed loop composting system; and a system to collect green waste from the equine centre and vineyard. “William’s leadership in making Charles Sturt University more responsible for its waste and promoting biodiversity goes a long way beyond what would normally be expected of any staff member,” Campus Services Manager Mr Terry O’Meara said.   “He has worked at the grassroots level to change the culture at Charles Sturt University and help the organisation reach its target of zero waste by 2011.”

Proving the world is a beautiful place worth exploring, CSU Global will launch its Where in the World exhibition at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Tuesday 20 July. CSU Global, CSU’s student exchange program, recently ran a Facebook competition to collect images from international student travels. A cash prize of $500 was awarded to the winning student in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga. CSU Global’s Mr Byron Preston said, “As a result of this competition, our CSU Global page on Facebook has had an increase in fans, from 356 in April to a staggering 3 293 in June. Over 129 entries have been submitted to the competition and there has been an increase in page visits from 259 in April to 19 113 in June.” The Where in the World exhibition will travel to each of the three campuses involved in the competition to promote CSU Global and its world travel opportunities.

In line with a vision for Healthy Inland Communities, the Centre for Inland Health (CIH) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will work with Narrandera Shire Council in the Riverina to combat overweight and obesity in the local community. Narrandera is one 12 local government areas in Australia to pilot the delivery of the Healthy Communities Initiative which aims to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obese Australians. It is part of the four-year Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health. “Through the Healthy Communities Initiative, the Centre for Inland Health will evaluate the number of people who engage in accredited physical activity and dietary education programs offered by Narrandera Shire Council,” Associate Professor Ann Bonner from CIH said. “The initiative will be rolled out and assessed over the next 15 months with particular attend paid to local residents not in the paid workforce or at a high risk of developing chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes.”  

Hundreds of Higher School Certificate (HSC) students will gather at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga this Friday 18 June to share their thoughts and take on board new ideas about English literature. Organised by the local branch of the English Teachers’ Association and staff in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga, the HSC English Study Day will be held from 9.30am until 2.30pm. “Catering to the needs of both Standard and Advanced English students, we hope about 800 students from as far away as Batlow, Cootamundra, Culcairn, Temora, Junee, Tumut and Young will attend,” Mr David Gilbey, Senior Lecturer with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences said. More than 200 students are due to attend a lecture by Mount Austin High School’s Ms Lydia Davic on Educating Rita while Mr Gilbey will give a lecturer on the poetry of Peter Skrzynecki. CSU graduate and Kooringal High School teacher Ms Shelley Little will present sessions on Banjo Paterson, Rainbow’s End, and The Castle. The annual HSC English Study Day will be held in the Wal Fife, Lecture Unit 1 and Swan theatres (buildings 14, 11 and 12) near car park 3, Keajura Walk, CSU in Wagga Wagga.  

The fundraising efforts of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students have paid off for the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA). Each year during Orientation at CSU, the students select a charity or community organisation for which they raise money during the week’s activities. During Orientation 2010 the new students and Orientation student leaders raised a total of $4 613.50 for the VRA. “The collection of over $4 500 by the students during the busy Orientation period is a wonderful effort and demonstrates the contributions they make to their local communities,” said Mr Chris Roche, Student Support Officer in the Division of Student Services at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The top fundraisers were the students in Wagga Wagga who collected $2 169.75 for the local VRA, followed by Bathurst with $1 526.40, Albury-Wodonga with $579.05, Dubbo with $195.70 and Orange raised $142.60.

The value of a National Curriculum will be explored in a public arena in the first Edversations Professional Forum to be hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Wagga Wagga City Council in 2010. In March, the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) released for public comment a draft National Curriculum for students from Kindergarten to Year 10 in English, maths, science and history. “This public forum is a great opportunity for members of the local community to draw on a diverse range of expertise on the National Curriculum and how it could shape the future of education in Australia,” said Head of the School of Education at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Associate Professor Roslin Brennan Kemmis. Read earlier National Curriculum comments from Professor Brennan Kemmis here.

International collaboration in research and teaching is the aim of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed by Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUT) tomorrow, Tuesday 11 May in Wagga Wagga. The MoU will be signed from 11am by CSU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers, and Professor Misty Baloiloi, Vice-Chancellor of PNGUT, which is based in Lae, New Guinea. CSU’s Professor of Agricultural Innovation and director of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Deirdre Lemerle, said the MoU aims to develop strong links between the two institutions, with CSU helping UniTech expand its research and development allowing it to play a leadership role in South East Asia. “The agreement will also encourage staff and students from Charles Sturt University and PNGUT to integrate overseas experience in their research, teaching and study. We will work together on research into sustainable food production, environmental protection and increasing people skills in agriculture,” Professor Lemerle said.

International Water Week 2010 will bring together more than 70 high school students from throughout the region at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. A Riverina High Schools Student Science Day will be held on Friday 23 April from 9.30am to 3pm. Organised by the University’s International Centre of Water for Food Security (IC Water), the event will cover topics ranging from weather stations and unmanned aerial vehicles to wastewater recycling and re-use. The students attending the event will also have a rare chance to question an academic panel involving Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sue Thomas, IC Water Director Associate Professor Mohsin Hafeez and visiting academics from China and Pakistan. International Water Week 2010, which is being run in conjunction with the United Nations World Water Day, began at CSU with the official opening on Monday 19 April of new facilities for IC Water. Read more here.

The generosity of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students to those in need within the local community is demonstrated in the latest fundraising event at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The students will hand over 451 cans of food to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society on Monday 29 March. The cans were collected during the weekly student bar night. Organised by the Residential Student Advisors (RAs), the students were asked to donate a tin of food or a gold coin on entry into the University’s Crow Bar on Wednesday 24 March. “We also raised $902 from the gold coin donations and this will be donated to the Red Frogs university support network,” said Head Resident at South Campus and final year Bachelor of Education (Primary) student, Mr Jason Stuart. The RAs are part of the University’s Residential Support Scheme for students living on-campus. “The Residential Advisors regularly conduct fundraising activities throughout the year at student events such as Wednesday’s ‘Traffic Light Night’. Despite their own financial needs while studying, the students are very willing to donate to help other people in the community,” Mr Stuart said. Mr Stuart and other members of the RA Event’s Committee will hand over the donated food to a representative of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society from 1.30pm, Monday 29 March at the Division of Student Services, building 20 (near the Uni Co-Op bookshop) at CSU in Wagga Wagga. Manager of Residential Operations at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Peter Bell will also be in attendance.