The inaugural NSW Commissioner for Small Business, Ms Yasmin King will attend a seminar in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 27 June as part of a series of information sessions to assist local small businesses. The Small Business Management Foundations Seminars are co-hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Wagga Wagga City Council. Guest speakers include Ms King and Mr Duncan Rutherford, a causal lecturer from the University’s School of Management and Marketing, and consultant in the field of organisational change and change management. The seminar, the third in the series, explores human resources issues within the context of small businesses. It will offer participants an overview of common human resource challenges and best practice frameworks. The seminar will run from 5.30pm to 7.30pm in the Civic Centre, Baylis Street in Wagga Wagga. Read more about the series and CSU’s Graduate Certificate in Small Business Management here.

Cold climate wine grapes from the slopes of Switzerland are different to those grown in Riverina vineyards but a group of Swiss university students will be sampling the local wine during a visit to Charles Sturt University (CSU). CSU will be hosting 21 students from The University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Changins in Switzerland from Monday 25 June to Sunday 1 July. The students will take part in a wine tasting class at the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC)  , tour CSU research facilities and visit vineyards and wineries in Griffith. CSU Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science students will then join their Swiss counterparts on a tour of wine regions in Victoria and South Australia. It’s part of a Memorandum of Understanding between CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences  and UAS in Switzerland. “This kind of exchange gives our students greater understanding of grape growing and wine production in other parts of the world,” Professor in Viticulture Chris Steel said. “The knowledge gained through collaborative research will also be incorporated into courses here.”  CSU plans to return the visit to UAS in Switzerland in 2013.

Local mother of two, Ms Kellie Maskey now has further incentive to complete her degree having received a Rural Scholarship from the Royal Agricultural Society Foundation. Studying a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo, Ms Maskey was thrilled to receive a $5 000 scholarship to help complete her studies. "I'll put the money towards education costs like text books and the support needed while I'm on practicum placement," Ms Maskey, 28, said. With a third child due in a matter of weeks, Ms Maskey is aware of the hurdles she'll face finishing her degree. "I'm in my third year of the course but next year could be extremely challenging. I was really excited to be interviewed for the scholarship and to be awarded the prize."  The RAS Rural Scholarships are available to support individuals in NSW who demonstrate a passion for rural issues and whose studies will add value to rural communities. "I hope to teach locally and in the long-term work in a more rural and remote location."

Preparing for the most nerve-wracking exams in their lives will be goal for over 400 final year high school students attending the NSW HSC Science Day hosted by Charles Sturt University this Friday 22 June in Albury. Hailing from as far as Barham and Tumbarumba the students will hear study tips from senior HSC markers across NSW. Event organiser Mr Mark Doyle from Murray High School said the event is a great opportunity for students to hear about the strengths and weaknesses of previous student responses and to improve students’ results. The event will be held from 9am to 3pm on 22 June in and around the CD Blake Lecture Theatre, CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

More than 70 Years 5 and 6 students from Yeoval Central School, Trangie Central School and Bowen Public School will attend Check It Out Day at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Tuesday 26 June. “Check It Out Day is part of the Future Moves program which aims to expose students to the University at a young age and encourage them to consider university as an option when they leave school,” said Ms Tonya Graham, Pre-entry Program Coordinator, Academic Support. “The day features special workshops, run by academics, which will provide engaging interactive experiences for the primary school students so they develop confidence to seek information about courses and pathways as they progress through high school. The workshops will provide hands-on experiences in supermarket botany, extracting DNA, robotics, and nursing. The students will also tour the campus, have an introduction to Falcon Watch, and join in a mock graduation.” The CSU Check It Out Day runs from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday 26 June at CSU in Orange.

Parents, teachers and others who work with children in a variety of settings are invited to hear about the latest research at an information day at the Research in Early Childhood Conference 2006 to be held in Dubbo tomorrow (Friday 10 November) at Charles Sturt University (CSU).   Presented by CSU Dubbo 3rd Year Early Childhood students and Early Childhood Australia Inc NSW Central Far West Regional Group (ECA), the conference will feature research from “nationally-known speakers who are very well known in the field,” according to Laura McFarland, a lecturer with the School of Teacher Education.   “Margaret Young, National President of ECA, and Judy Kynaston, Executive Director of the Country Children's Services Association of NSW, will both be talking about current trends in Early Childhood.”   Ms McFarland says student’s research topics include “a series of interviews with teachers in the field about their behaviour management techniques and what is successful, another group looked at fertility choices of university students and non university students, another was about food choices of parents and children, and also how parents decide on when to send their children to kindergarten.”   The Dubbo community and local media are welcome to attend the conference. “The student research projects are applicable to parents, teachers as well as the community in general.”   Media note: Media are invited to attend the conference. For interviews, contact CSU Media.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Health and Safety in Early Childhood Settings students will once again be holding their annual Health and Wellbeing Expos, this year at Kelso Public School as well as a local shopping centre in Dubbo. Lynda Ireland, a lecturer in CSU’s School of Teacher Education, says the expos are about “trying to encourage early childhood professionals students to see there is a connection between community health and early childhood education. It is really nice to show that the University is out there interacting with the community. The students get a real buzz from the response that they get to their health topics”. She says the topics include “asthma, road safety, sun safety, emotional wellbeing, caring for babies, water safety, farm safety, allergies, anaphylaxis, things that are relevant to the children.”

A Valedictory Service this Friday 10 November in Canberra will see Charles Sturt University (CSU) strengthen and renew the existing partnership with St Mark’s. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of CSU, Professor Ross Chambers says the signing of the renewed CSU/St Mark’s Agreement will further enhance a relationship that has “has proven robust, sustainable and effective for both parties. It is the basis of the excellent performance, academically, of CSU’s School of Theology”. The Valedictory Service will recognise the Reverend Dr Stephen Pickard’s leadership and welcome his successor as Director of St Mark’s National Theological Centre. The Right Reverend George Browning, President of St Mark’s Council, announced the appointment of The Right Reverend Dr Thomas Frame as Director of St Mark’s National Theological Centre last week. The appointment follows the resignation of Dr Pickard to take up an appointment as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Adelaide.

Representatives of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and North Coast TAFE (NCTAFE) will meet in Port Macquarie on Thursday 5 July to implement a formal governance process between the parties to enhance provision of higher education programs for the Mid North Coast region. Dr Muyesser Durur, Campus Director of CSU in Port Macquarie, said, “Charles Sturt University has established a governance structure to provide overall leadership to guide strategy and implementation, including planning, monitoring and risk assessment of all facets for the successful development and sustainable growth of the University in Port Macquarie. The CSU-NCTAFE joint management committee is one of the key elements of the overall governance mechanism in place to achieve this.” The focus of the Governance Steering Committee at CSU in Port Macquarie is to plan, support and facilitate the collaboration between North Coast TAFE and the University in accordance with federal Structural Adjustment Fund (SAF) agreements and milestones.