Charles Sturt University (CSU) will hold Wellness and Wellbeing Expos at its five main campuses, starting in Bathurst on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 February, to promote happier, healthier, more satisfied and more productive employees who are also resilient in an ever-changing workplace. Mr David Tallentire, CSU manager of occupational health and safety, said, “Charles Sturt University recognises and values the importance of staff wellness and wellbeing, and aims to adopt a holistic approach to the treatment of workplace health and safety. The University appreciates that personal problems can adversely affect employees’ work performance, work satisfaction, health, and feelings of wellbeing. We’re running Wellness and Wellbeing Expos to provide information to staff on the many health and wellbeing services available to them at Charles Sturt University and in our local communities, and to participate in workshops.” The Wellness and Wellbeing Expos will be held at CSU in Bathurst on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 February; at CSU in Orange on Thursday 7 February; at CSU in Dubbo on Friday 8 February; at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 February; and at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Thursday 14 February.

Early childhood education graduates from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo are enjoying very high employment rates, with more than 90 per cent securing employment. The new Head of the School of Teacher Education in Bathurst and Dubbo, Professor Tara Brabazon, attributes the success of these Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) students, who graduated at the end of 2012, to a carefully targeted curriculum. “Employability and achievement do not come out of the air,” she said. “They are the result of an excellent curriculum that is carefully integrated into its context. “I am so proud of and thrilled for our Dubbo Bachelor of Education graduates. To have the overwhelming majority in full-time work is a remarkable accomplishment. “Dubbo can be proud of these graduates.  The School of Teacher Education is proud of these graduates.  The future of regional education is in safe hands.”

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Information Technology is collaborating with Hornsby TAFE College in Sydney to develop a two-year Games Diploma course. Hornsby TAFE Head Teacher Greg Higgs said during a recent “cultural exchange” four Hornsby staff travelled with a dozen students to CSU Bathurst Campus, where students from both institutions indulged in pizza and held a “computer games fest while we sat down with CSU staff to talk about credit transfer.” Exchange organiser Errol Chopping, a CSU lecturer in Computer Science, says a credit transfer package is underway. “It looks like they would get credit for three to four subjects in our Computer Science (Games Technology) degree and similar standing in our Computer Science degree. We in turn get interest from potential students and an awareness in the Hornsby region of what we do. It was positive in all respects.” Greg Higgs agrees. “Our students got a first hand look at CSU and the facilities there and they were thrilled to know they had fellow students across the ‘sandstone curtain’”, he said. “It was also really supportive for the staff. When you have common goals and common interests it leads to an intellectual and technical exchange.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) social work graduate from far west NSW has been awarded the annual Lila Kirilik Social Action Prize for 2012 for a professional development and quality assurance project which aimed to improve the delivery of out-of-home-care services to NSW children and families in the far west. Bachelor of Social Work graduate Ms Sherree Tester conducted an audit of the program in addition to researching, writing, delivering and evaluating an education package for the out-of- home-care staff for one of her university subjects. “The Out-Of-Home-Care Quality Improvement Project aims to enhance the culture in the Out-Of-Home-Care (OOHC) team environment,” Ms Tester said. “I collected data about the working relationships of the team with carers, children in care and their families. This gives a baseline snapshot of the functioning of the OOHC team, including identifying areas of strengths and areas for further development.”  As part of Ms Tester’s prize, the University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences will donate $500 to Lifeline Broken Hill. Employed by NSW Family and Community Services, Ms Tester studied for her social work degree by distance education, and graduated during a ceremony at CSU in Wagga Wagga in December 2012.

Twenty five general practitioner (GP) registrars commenced their training in regional NSW through Beyond Medical Education (BME), based at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst, on Monday 21 January. The registrars are fully qualified doctors who are undertaking specialist training to become GPs. BME’s Chief Operating Officer, Ms Megan Armstrong, said, “The GP registrars are undertaking the Australian General Practice Training program through Beyond Medical Education. They commenced their training in general practice yesterday under the supervision and support of the local medical practices and Beyond Medical Education, and they are committed to the area for at least two years. The start of term is always an exciting and busy time for Beyond Medical Education as all the registrars, medical educators and administration staff come together for the first workshop of the year”. The registrars are from diverse cultural backgrounds (Australia, China, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Burma), and, in NSW, will be living and working in Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Parkes, Forbes, Cowra, Lithgow, Mudgee, Oberon, Wellington, Wallerawang and Broken Hill.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus will tomorrow host the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chile’s Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), which is based in Quilamapu. It is envisaged that the MOU for Industry Cooperation will lead to the development of collaborative research programs in viticulture, oenology, precision agriculture, conservation farming, weed management, and olives and olive oil production, as well as exchange of research and technical staff and postgraduate students. The MOU will be signed by the CSU Chancellor Lawrie Willett, AO and the Chile Minister for Agriculture, Mr Alvaro Rojas.

The Rock Hill, a spectacular rocky outcrop south of Wagga Wagga which towers 250 metres above the surrounding countryside, has always been a significant landmark in Errol Fielder’s life. As a young boy, The Rock Hill was a constant focal point which marked Errol’s travels to and from the Riverina with his truckdriver father. Now The Rock Hill is the subject of a moving exhibition of landscape works by the Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD candidate. Mr Fielder says his work attempts to demonstrate the shift away from the early 20th Century European painters who depicted the Australian landscape as unfamiliar and inert. “What I aspire to is embracing the spirituality expressed so beautifully by indigenous artists. The landscape of Australia is of more value to all Australians if, collectively, we recognise its mutual cross racial, or pluralist spiritual content. Australia is not just a quarry, a housing development or a big paddock.”

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) postgraduate information technology (IT) students have won scholarships from the Australian Computer Society (ACS) Foundation. At a presentation ceremony in Sydney today (Thursday 27 September) NSW Minister for Small Business, The Hon. David Campbell, said the scholarships represent an investment in NSW’s future skills base in information and communication technology. Joanne Hyde from Sydney and Douglas Parson from Canberra, ACT, work in IT businesses. The ACS Foundation has raised $8 million over five years towards 550 scholarships for NSW students.

Matthew Pitcher, a fourth year Pharmacy student at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus, has taken out the NSW finals of Pharmacy Student of the Year. The competition, run by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, recognises outstanding pharmacy students. Matthew says the emphasis is on communication and counselling skills. “It’s about telling the customer exactly how to use a drug and what to look out for. This competition is trying to encourage best practice and at CSU they teach you to put best practice into place.” Head of the University’s School of Biomedical Sciences, Associate Professor Lyn Angel, says this is a very exciting outcome for CSU pharmacy. “In general it is a reflection of the calibre of our students and the quality of the academic staff who have put in the time and effort. They are passionate about their pharmacy profession”. Matthew will compete for the national title early next month. “The final will be a massive challenge. I'm expecting the calibre of the other state finalists to be of an exceptional standard. It will be difficult, but I'll give it my best shot."