He began his working life as a junior clerk with the Wagga Agricultural College and ends it as finance chief of Charles Sturt University (CSU), overseeing a budget of $380 million. Mr Jim Hackett will retire as Executive Director of the University’s Division of Finance on Friday 18 February after 44 years with CSU and its predecessor institutions. Reflecting on his lengthy career with the organisation, Mr Hackett said, “The capital development of Charles Sturt University during the last five years has been staggering. Between 2007 and 2010, capital expenditure was $250 million; up 50 per cent from an asset base of $500 million.” Looking to the future, Mr Hackett said, “The capital plan for the next five years of $200 million is fully funded. We are now a major player, a genuine university with national and international recognition.” Mr Hackett says he is looking forward to having more ‘time’ during his retirement in Wagga Wagga. This includes time for travel and his three grandchildren. Mr Paul Dowler has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Division of Finance.

While Orientation Week at Charles Sturt University (CSU) gives new students a chance to familiarise themselves with their campus and each other, it will also raise funds for a worthy cause. Youngcare is a fundraising program assisting young Australians with full-time care needs. One such person is Mr Jock Watson who studied at CSU before a car accident left him with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Mr Watson’s family was left with no option but to put him in a nursing home. Through Market Day raffles and gold coin donations at social events, the CSU students will raise money for Youngcare in the hope of helping people like Mr Watson gain more independence. CSU Orientation Week leader Ms Emily Heckendorf believes the cause is close to the students’ hearts. “This kind of injury could happen to any one of us and hopefully with Charles Sturt University’s support, we can be part of a solution.”

Weeds occupy a lot of the time of scientist Dr Rex Stanton, a postdoctoral fellow with the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation – an alliance of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Industry & Investment NSW. Dr Stanton has been honoured with the Medal for Excellence in Weed Management 2010 from the Weed Society of NSW for his work on glyphosate (active ingredient in herbicide Roundup) resistance in annual ryegrass, management of silverleaf nightshade, and his contribution to general weed management and administration in the state. Dr Stanton has been involved in weed research at CSU in Wagga Wagga for many years and is also the President of the Weed Society of NSW. His current research focuses on new ways to manage silverleaf nightshade and prairie ground cherry, two perennial deep-rooted weeds active in summer. His work examines improving the efficiency of herbicides; competitive pasture options; and assessing allelopathic compounds. Another member of the Weed Society of NSW, Mr Jim Swain, was a co-recipient of the Society’s Medal for Excellence in Weed Management 2010.

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) are being urged to do their bit for Clean Up Australia Day. CSU Green is calling for volunteers on its five major campuses - Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga - to participate in the national event on Friday 4 March, the day designated for schools. Volunteers are encouraged to register their interest in the clean up on their local campus through the Clean Up Australia Day site here. “We hope to see staff and students and their family and friends turn out between 8am and 11am to pick up rubbish and conserve the local environment,” CSU Green’s Ms Nicole Hyde said. “The event will be a positive start to the commencement of on campus classes during the week. Volunteers are asked to bring along some gloves to wear and of course a hat and sunscreen.”

The new Head of the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga, Professor Nick Sangster, is keen to make research a priority. Professor Sangster joined CSU in 2006 and specialises in Veterinary Parasitology, the study of the relationship between parasites and animal hosts. He has a passion for research and has earned an international reputation for his work into drench resistance of sheep internal parasites. In his new role, Professor Sangster wants to ensure his School continues to turn out high quality graduates while further developing research opportunities and infrastructure. “At Charles Sturt University, we have a close connection with farmers in the region,” Professor Sangster said. “Our diagnostic services and student workplace learning in the rural sector means we are in a unique position to identify problems, find solutions and pass those on to producers.” The new appointment comes as the first group of veterinary science students prepare to graduate from CSU in Wagga Wagga on Friday 1 April. In 2006, Professor Sangster was awarded the Fellowship of the Australian Society for Parasitology.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will host its first MyDay event for 2011 for Riverina high school students. MyDay Teaching and Education on Tuesday 8 March aims to offer secondary students an opportunity to experience a day in the life of a university student while focussing on courses and careers in teaching and education. Students attending MyDay will also learn about the opportunities available to them during their tertiary studies at CSU, such as gaining international experience through CSU Global, and financial assistance with a Charles Sturt University Foundation scholarship. The courses that will be profiled include primary teaching, technology and applied studies, education, secondary English, mathematics and science. A full list of MyDay events available at CSU in 2011 can be found here.

Indigenous poet Ms Ali Cobby Eckermann is the first Writer-In-Residence for 2011 at the Booranga Writers’ Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. A Nunga writer, Ms Cobby Eckermann lives in the South Australia town of Koolunga. Her first poetry collection, published by Picaro Press in 2009, little bit longtime, charts her journey to reconnect with her Yankunytjatjara family. In 2007, Ms Cobby Eckermann was granted two poetry mentorships through the Northern Territory Writers’ Centre and Varuna, The Writers’ House. The poet will be joined in Wagga Wagga by fellow writer Mr Lionel Fogarty, a Murri man from Queensland. His internationally acclaimed work includes ten books of poetry and a children’s book. Mr Fogarty is well known for his activism for the rights of Indigenous Australians since he was a teenager. While a Writer-In-Residence until Friday 11 March, Ms Cobby Eckermann will be accompanied by her partner on visits to the Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre in Wagga Wagga, where they will be working on writing with detainees.

The US Consul General in Australia, Mr Niels Marquardt, will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 16 March to learn about the work of the University and to deliver a lecture to staff and students. The Head of Campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Adrian Lindner, said, “I look forward to welcoming Mr Marquardt to the University and showing him some of the excellent facilities here. We will tour the campus, and visit the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, and the International Centre of Water for Food Security. We will also discuss the work of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation. Mr Marquardt will then present a lecture for staff and students about his experience in the US Peace Corp.” Mr Marquardt’s lecture, The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love: Volunteering in the Developing World, will explore his experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda from1977-79. The Peace Corps is an independent US government agency established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to encourage young Americans to serve their country in the cause of peace by volunteering to live and work in developing countries that request assistance. Mr Lindner hopes meeting and listening to Mr Marquardt’s experiences will inspire current CSU students to get involved and make a positive contribution in developing countries.

The move to university is being made easier for new students with the introduction of a mentor program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst and Wagga Wagga. The Student Mentor Program offers new on-campus and distance education students extra support during their first year at CSU. The student mentors are trained by the University’s Division of Student Services and then matched with new students in a similar course. The support offered by the new program includes information from the student mentor on where to go for academic assistance or information about CSU. The contact between mentor and the new student can be direct or via the telephone or by email. The volunteer scheme has so far attracted 35 mentors.  . “I found my first year at university rather daunting and confusing, so I feel the Student Mentor Program is one way these feelings can be alleviated in new students,” Bachelor of Arts (Psychology, Animation and Visual Effects) student Ms Georgina McMahon explains. “My role is to oversee the program, making sure mentors are offering new students the correct support. It is hoped this program will discourage any struggling new students from giving up and dropping out of university.”