Author, songwriter, performer, and recording artist Mr Jim Haynes is the next writer-in-residence in 2011 at the Booranga Writers’ Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. He has written and recorded many songs, including Since Cheryl Went Feral and Don’t Call Wagga Wagga Wagga. Mr Haynes’ first book, I’ll Have Chips! was a huge seller and won him the inaugural Bush Laureate ‘Book of the Year’ award in Tamworth in 1996. He has since released 12 books of Australian short stories and verse, mostly for ABC Books, including An Australian Heritage of Verse and An Australian Treasury of Popular Verse, which won him his second and third Bush Laureate ‘Book of the Year’ awards. Mr Haynes will be at the Monthly Writers’ Workshop on Saturday 23 July, from 2pm to 5pm at the Booranga Writers’ Centre at CSU in Wagga Wagga. He will also perform on Tuesday 26 July at the Wagga Wagga City Library, Baylis Street in Wagga Wagga from 5pm, alongside visiting poets Ms Jane Williams and Mr David Reiter.

The next Western Districts National Exhibition of Photography will be on show at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo from Monday 18 July until Friday 12 August. “This event, approved by the Australian Photographic Society, involves photographers from all over Australia,” said the exhibition’s coordinator Ms Lorna White. “The show is run by a very small committee in Dubbo and Orange with help from members of the Dubbo and Orange camera clubs.” Head of Campus for CSU in Dubbo, Dr Beverley Moriarty said, “The Dubbo Campus has hosted annual photography exhibitions on its walls for several years and the images are always inspiring and thought provoking. We encourage members of the public to visit our campus to view these images and to take the time to look around our grounds while they’re here. The Dubbo Campus is a wonderful resource for the community.”

The expenses of attending university have been demystified in a new booklet published by Charles Sturt University (CSU), giving students the power of understanding when it comes to their study options. CSU’s Student Equity and diversity officer, Ms Carissa Perkins is excited to launch the publication. “The Making University Affordable booklet was developed by Charles Sturt University to instil a sense of empowerment, arming students with the knowledge they need to plan and succeed at university,” Ms Perkins said. “Making University Affordable addresses the costs to consider when thinking about further study and how to plan for them, and demonstrates how attending university increases future job prospects and earning capacity. The booklet helps, no matter what life stage students are in. Whether they are a school leaver, wanting a change of career, are returning to work or looking at increasing their skills, this booklet aims to inform those who presently feel future study is beyond their means by showing them practical and achievable ways they can make it happen.”

Almost 90 high schools from across NSW and Victoria will be represented at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 July as their students consider studying animal, equine or veterinary sciences. The Years 11 and 12 students will visit CSU for two days as part of the University’s MyDay, an initiative where high school students are offered the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a university student. Focusing on animal and veterinary sciences, this is the largest MayDay event to be held at CSU in Wagga Wagga in 2011. The high school students will participate in hands-on workshops in the Veterinary Pre Clinical Centre, the Equine Centre and the sheep yards on the CSU Farm within the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The University will also host general information sessions on accommodation and financial support. Undergraduate courses under the spotlight during the two day MyDay event include the Bachelor of Animal Science, the Bachelor of Equine Science, and the Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/ Bachelor of Veterinary Science. Read more here.

Approximately 430 students in China have graduated with degrees in business studies from Charles Sturt University (CSU) during June. The CSU graduation events in China began on 8 June, with graduates celebrating their academic successes at Yangzhou University west of Shanghai. This was followed by similar ceremonies on 10 June at Jilin University of Finance and Economics in Changchun in northern China, and on 15 June at Yunnan University of Finance and Economics in Kunming in the centre of the country. Head of the International School of Business and Partnerships, Associate Professor John Atkinson, said the events culminate four years of study for these students, and highlight the importance of CSU’s international partnerships through which its courses can be offered in the rapidly growing international education market in China. In March, Professor Atkinson visited China to welcome 750 new students to their studies with CSU. “Charles Sturt University is well known in China, as it has offered this course to students there for over 10 years,” Professor Atkinson said. See photos of graduations at CSU here.

Students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will put their best foot forward during the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Conference and Exhibition at Darling Harbour in Sydney from Tuesday 19 July. The biennial event is hailed as a significant one for the film and television industries across the South East Asian region. “Staff and students from the Bachelor of Arts (Television Production) program have become increasingly involved in this event over the years,” said Mr Patrick Sproule from the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Wagga Wagga. “Over 80 television production students from Charles Sturt University will attend and work at the event this year. Our Outside Broadcast (OB) vehicle will be parked in the Sydney Exhibition Hall and set up as a working exhibit. Students will use the van to cover the event, feeding into local venue audio visual services as well as generating internet content for promotion. Furthermore, students will be assisting with the overall operation of the conference and exhibition. Our involvement is significant in a very professional and public arena. One of the first things that attendees will see is video screens with content produced by our crew.”

Dr Heather Robinson has been welcomed by the Vice-Chancellor of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in her new appointment as Head of the Orange Campus. CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter said, “I have much pleasure in announcing that Dr Heather Robinson has been appointed Head of the Orange Campus of Charles Sturt University. Heather will hold this appointment concurrently with the position of Associate Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences. I congratulate Heather on her appointment and look forward to working with her in this role.” Dr Robinson, who has worked at CSU in Orange  for the past six years, is keen to build on the relationship between the University and the community. “I believe it’s important to retain the history of the campus, but it’s also exciting to see health courses strengthening. The potential of a medical school is a natural progression for the Orange Campus and would further increase Charles Sturt University’s contribution to the community and regional Australia as a whole.”

University students committed to the environment will put their ideas on show in the main street of Albury this week as part of the Students on Sustainability (SoS) conference being staged at Charles Sturt University (CSU) until Sunday 10 July. A stall will be set up in Dean Street in central Albury to allow the residents of Albury-Wodonga to be photographed in front of artwork highlighting the importance of healthy water futures, allowing them to add messages of support, starting Wednesday 6 July. These photos will then be displayed to the public on Friday 8 July from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at the University. Event co-organiser and CSU environment student, Ms Meryn Shaw, said the students wanted to involve the community in the activities, with around 400 students expected to gather for the five day event. The local Wiradjuri community and CSU Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Nick Klomp, will welcome participants to the SoS conference from 9am to 10.30 am on Wednesday  6 July.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinarian said the Hendra virus is very unlikely to pose an immediate risk for horse owners in southern NSW. However, senior lecturer in Equine Medicine with the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Dr Kris Hughes, said a confirmed case of the Hendra virus at Wollongbar on the north coast does serve as a warning for all horse owners, veterinarians and other individuals dealing with horses in the region to be vigilant. “The risk is very low given our geographical location, but people should be aware of any changes in their horses’ behaviour, neurological signs and respiratory signs,” he said. The Hendra virus is transmitted to horses by flying foxes and is known to emerge only in autumn and winter in Queensland and northern NSW. In rare cases it can be transmitted from horses to humans and four of the seven people ever diagnosed with the virus have died. Dr Hughes hopes a vaccine being developed by the Australian Animal Health Laboratory will be available and widely distributed next year.