“I feel very confident in promoting the University as a great place to work.” Karen Kime is Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) new Indigenous Employment Coordinator. Although she only started in the position in June, already she has held cross cultural training workshops and Indigenous staff forums. “The workshops were about the different communication styles that many of our people have. Things such as eye contact, and women and men’s 'business', are sensitive issues. Silences are often used to show respect. Body language is very different. The forums meanwhile are a fantastic way for our people to be able to get together, to network, learn University processes, and to get some training which is specifically targeted for their needs.” Next up will be the introduction of pathways between TAFE, schools and CSU and the development of a mentoring scheme “to encourage people to see CSU as a potential and relevant employer - where one could have a career. In addition, our people contribute to an interesting and dynamic workforce; one that reflects the cultural makeup of the region it serves.”

This year’s National Drama Australia Conference had more drama than usual for Associate Professor Dr John Carroll, who was named the recipient of the 2006 Drama Australia Award for Excellence in Drama Education. The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Associate Professor in Communication Research also launched a new book at the Turning The Tides conference which addressed such issues as online drama, digital performance and drama learning. Professor Carroll says Real Players? coauthored with David Cameron of CSU and Michael Anderson of the University of Sydney is “aimed at drama educators, secondary teachers and the university community, as well as a broader group of people who are interested in what’s happening in new technology and performance. It covers the shift that is going on in how young people are relating to new media, and how they are creatively using alternative channels of information.”

Jane Caldwell, a Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD candidate enrolled through the School of Clinical Sciences, has been awarded a Certificate of Merit at the 4th Annual Victorian Government State Nursing Excellence Awards. Her supervisors, Dr Elaine Dietsch and Dr Sandi Mackey, are full of praise for Jane’s work. “It is a very, very prestigious award. Jane’s PhD thesis is looking at parenting strengths in vulnerable families, so she is doing it from a positive perspective. In regard to the two thousand dollars she won, she said ‘that will buy heaps of things for the families I visit’. She is highly esteemed by colleagues as well as the families she works with,” said Dr Dietsch. Jane Caldwell describes those families as “great people. They are fabulous families. They don’t have a lot, they don’t have material things but they are rich people in what they give back.”

Veterinary issues concerning the Australian cattle industry including trade risks and maintaining export markets in light of animal disease and public health threats will be the focus of a speech by Australian Cattle Council Executive Director Mr David Inall. Mr Inall will join former Chief Veterinary Officer of Australia Dr Gardner Murray in addressing industry representatives and regional practitioners at the inaugural Charles Sturt Veterinary Foundation Dinner on Saturday 28 October in Wagga Wagga.  The Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinary program’s multi-million dollar capital works projects will be a feature discussion topic at the dinner, with plans currently underway for a Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to support livestock producers and veterinarians in the region, as well as facilitate training for veterinary undergraduate and postgraduate students in diagnostic procedures. “The dinner provides an opportunity to discuss the course, its particular characteristics and its educational and research directions with the veterinary community and build the networks crucial to ensuring the success of the program and our graduates,” says CSU’s Director of Veterinary Science Professor Kym Abbott. The dinner will be held in 6pm Boorooma Auditorium, CSU Wagga Wagga Campus.

Winemaker Vikki Fischer is already taking out awards after graduating from Charles Sturt University (CSU) last year. Vicki’s Kardinia 2006 Riesling won the ACT Chief Minister’s award for the best Riesling for the Canberra district at the recent 2006 Hyatt International Riesling Challenge. Director of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) and CSU Professor of Oenology Geoff Scollary said the University played a significant role in the Challenge, with wine science and viticulture students and the CSU Winery assistant winemaker acting as stewards for the tasting program, while NWGIC experimental winemaker, Emily Rouse, was Associate Chief Steward. Professor Scollary also convened the event’s Winemakers’ Seminar, which he said is an important part of the University’s outreach to the wine industry and assists with the ongoing training of winemakers.

Leaders of the Australian cattle industry led by David Inall, Executive Director of the Cattle Council of Australia and Dr Gardner Murray Chief Veterinary Officer of Australia will join NSW veterinarians and cattle producers to attend the official opening of Charles Sturt University’s new cattle yards, which are part of the University’s new veterinary sciences building.  “The yards provide progressive teaching facilities for veterinary students and are the envy of other veterinary schools”, said CSU Professor of Veterinary Reproduction Peter Chenoweth. “They are very well designed units which allow easy animal movement and restraint for veterinary procedures, all under cover, well lit and well protected from the weather.” The yards include a hydraulic squeeze crush with electronic weigh and data download capabilities; automatic drafting gates operated manually or by electronic recognition of weight; six offset crushes for securing animals for such procedures as pregnancy testing; and a hut for basic laboratory procedures. The yards will be opened at 3.30pm on Saturday 28 October on the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus, immediately before the inaugural Charles Sturt Veterinary Foundation Dinner.    

Stage Door is set to cap off a successful year of productions for the University Theatre Ensemble. Opening this Friday 3 November, the play will be the final Riverina Playhouse production for third year Charles Sturt University (CSU) Acting for Screen and Stage students. Set in post-Depression 1930s New York, it is the tale of the show that closes early, of talent unrecognized, and the attraction of motion pictures and fast money. Director Bagryana Popov said it is a play about integrity and true love of the theatre. “Not much has changed from then to today. The world of the actor is as magical as it is fragile. It takes a lot of strength to hold on and to keep going, no matter what.” Stage Door was written by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman in 1936. The stage hit, notable for its predominantly female cast, became a hit movie in 1937 featuring a cast that included Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball and Eve Arden. It drew much praise and critical acclaim for the sparkling dialogue, excellent performances and easy shifts between comedy and drama. It received Academy Award nominations including one for Best Picture. Bagryana Popov has previously worked with CSU directing The House of Bernarda Alba in 2004. She has worked as an actor, theatre maker and director for 17 years. She was one of the founding members of Hildegard, performing, and co-producing in Woman in the Wall, The Wedding, Al Andalus, Inje and Three Sisters. Stage Door runs until 18 November and tickets can be booked at the Civic Theatre Booking Office, telephone 02 6926 9688, or purchased at the door. Tickets may also be booked online at www.civictheatre.com.au.

As Year 12 students continue sitting their Higher School Certificate (HSC), latest performance research on the NSW HSC Online study resource by Internet research company Hitwise shows it is in the top 10 education websites in Australia. Now in its tenth year, NSW HSC Online was heralded for providing access to quality learning resources, especially for students in rural and remote areas. The current performance data support this success in providing equity, with high use by students living in provincial centres, who traditionally have below average use of the Internet. There were also more boys than average for an educational website going to HSC Online in the lead-up to the HSC, with 58 per cent males and 42 per cent females using www.hsc.csu.edu.au. The research also revealed excellent brand recognition and a strong association of the site with CSU. Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Lyn Gorman said the website’s success highlights its value in bringing high quality resources to all HSC students, regardless of where they live. The NSW HSC Online project was initiated and continues to be maintained and updated by the University in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is inviting the private sector to take part in the University’s plans to significantly increase student accommodation on or near its main campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga. Later this month, CSU is calling for expressions of interest to finance, plan and build student accommodation next to or near the CSU campuses, with the option to also manage the facility. “We want to provide well-located and competitively priced accommodation for our students that is also commercially sustainable and in keeping with our ecologically sustainable development goals,” said CSU Executive Director of Financial Services Jim Hackett. As part of the University’s expansion of student accommodation, CSU is also developing and financing facilities to house 200 students in self catering accommodation on its Bathurst, Albury and Wagga Wagga sites.