Charles Sturt University (CSU) will present a free seminar in online marketing in Orange on Thursday 25 July, as part of a series of Small Business Management Foundation Seminars. The seminar is designed to help small business operators increase the effectiveness of their online marketing efforts and will address the basics of search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing. CSU Graduate Certificate in Small Business Management course director Dr Lan Snell, who will chair the seminar, said online marketing could be a powerful tool for small business. “By using simple techniques such as a SEO self assessment tool, Google’s URL builder tool, and a basic conversion checklist, your business can increase its online marketing effectiveness to achieve desired results,” she said. Mr Ben Stickland, CEO and Founder of Alliance Software, will be a guest speaker at the seminar which is presented in conjunction with the Orange Business Chamber, NSW Business Chamber, Orange City Council and Orange Ex Services Club. “The seminars will be short, sharp, and engaging sessions that address the challenges in small business management,” Dr Snell said. The topics include marketing, finance, and human resources.

A passion for the meat industry and the ability to pick a high yielding, quality carcase has earned two Charles Sturt University (CSU) students a spot in the Australian national meat judging team. Ms Tamara Heir and Ms Laura Kemmis, from CSU’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Wagga Wagga, were selected in the five-member team to tour the USA early next year. The team was selected from ten finalists who attended a national industry training week in Brisbane which included visits to retailers, processors and a feedlot. It follows the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition held at CSU in July.  Originally from Walla Walla in southern NSW, Ms Heir is studying a Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Bachelor of Veterinary Science while Ms Kemmis, from Queanbeyan near Canberra, is studying a Bachelor of Animal Science. “I’m passionate about building a career in the meat industry and this tour of the United States is an opportunity to develop contacts and gain a better understanding of how Australia compares in the global market,” said Ms Kemmis.  As part of the four week tour of the USA meat industry, the national team will compete in three American meat judging competitions.

The life of a postgraduate student can be an isolating one, especially for students who do not live near a campus, according to Kris Gottschall, a PhD student in Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Teacher Education. The University’s Student Representative Council has formed a postgraduate group for Bathurst and Orange students which will meet soon at the Bathurst Campus. Ms Gottschall says she hopes the group will encourage students to interact with others and create personal and professional networks, which will help “keep students focused and enthused. I think interaction is really important, not just on the intellectual level, but on a social level as well, because they know what you are going through,” Ms Gottschall said.

Journalist and Charles Sturt University (CSU) alumnus Mr Hamish Macdonald will visit the University in Bathurst on Tuesday 21 May to screen and discuss a segment for his new TV show with students at the School of Communication and Creative Industries where he studied. Journalism lecturer, Ms Kay Nankervis, said, “It’s always a pleasure to welcome back former graduates to speak to current students about where a career in journalism can lead. Mr Macdonald has subsequently had an international career in the media as a journalist, foreign correspondent, and anchorman at news desks for CNN and Al Jezeera, as well as in Australia. It will be interesting for our students to learn about Mr Macdonald’s career path, and his new three-part series The truth is? for TV network TEN, which explores a range of contemporary social and political issues.” In 2012 Mr Macdonald received a Walkley Award and a Human Rights Television Award for his report ‘The Age of Uncertainty’ on The Project TV show. Mr Macdonald will screen an episode of his new program, The truth is?, and answer students’ questions between 11am to 12.30pm on Tuesday 21 May at the Media Centre TV studio (building C7).

A number of Pacific Island countries met for three days from Tuesday 17 January to establish partnerships to help preserve their rich history. Charles Sturt University (CSU) historian and cultural heritage manager Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann chaired the meeting, which was opened by the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, The Hon Kesai Note, in the nation's capital Majuro. The meeting gathered local and expatriate historical researchers and heritage managers to share ideas and encourage collaboration across the Pacific Islands region. Majuro, like much of the central and northern Pacific region, was the scene of a bloody battle between Japanese and US forces during World War II and has many historic relics from that period.

A group of 21 Charles Sturt University (CSU) MBA students has received a first hand account of the European business environment through a joint program with the University of Applied Sciences, Berne , in . Through a combination of classes taught by academics and business practitioners, as well as visits to world leading organisations in and , the subject Doing Business in Europe offers MBA students at the University the opportunity to experience the challenges and practicalities of conducting business in Europe. The two-week trip to in August included visits to the headquarters of Roche Pharmaceuticals, Credit Suisse, and Daimler Chrysler. “It is vital that MBA programs include the opportunity for students to experience the dynamics of other industries, and an insight into other cultures,” said CSU’s Professor Mark Farrell. 

A new journal to promote excellence in teaching, foster research and contribute to ongoing development of education of accounting professionals has been unveiled by Charles Sturt University (CSU). The bi-annual Australian Journal of Accounting Education (AJAE) is published by the University’s (CSU) Faculty of Commerce with sponsorship from CPA Australia. “There are only three other journals focusing in this area and they are based in the USA and UK,” said Editor and CSU senior lecturer Jenny Kent. “As the first journal of its kind in Australia-Asian region, this publication provides an important publishing opportunity for accounting academics interested in researching the scholarship of learning and teaching in accounting,” she added.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU)Communication student has won "Best Talk Presenter" at the prestigious Australian Commercial Radio Awards. Latika Bourke, a Broadcast student who is expected to graduate in 2006, also won the "Brian White Memorial Journalism Award" for her feature piece “21 Health Jobs Saved”. Ms Bourke has been hosting the 2BS Morning Wireless Program since December last year. Her 2BS Gold and BRock FM colleague, Chris Baskerville, a CSU Communication graduate, won the "Matt Ellis Encouragement Award for Best Newcomer On-Air". The gala event was held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Saturday 15 October and recognised excellence across all aspects of commercial radio broadcasting at metropolitan, regional and provincial commercial radio stations.

A leading telecommunications analyst heads the speakers list at a free seminar to be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Monday 31 October. Examining a critical issue for regional Australia, Paul Budde, Managing Director of BuddeComm, will draw on his company’s research to discuss the future of regional telecommunications from 9.25am to 10.25am in the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre near the CSU Winery, Wagga Wagga. His address will be followed by a roundtable discussion led by an expert panel including Dean of the University’s Faculty of Science and Agriculture, Professor Jim Pratley, Executive Director of the CSU Division of Information Technology, Mike Rebbechi and Managing Director of the Commercial Response Unit in Wagga Wagga, Gary Wells. The seminar will be held from 9.15am to 12noon and will cover a range of topics including the sale of Telstra, the $2 billion Regional Telecommunications Fund, broadband and new business opportunities as well as developments in telecommunications.