Charles Sturt University (CSU) is making recruiting potential officers from all sectors of the community to the NSW Police Force (NSWPF) a little easier with the donation of a high profile vehicle. The eye-catching Holden Rodeo will be used by the NSWPF Recruitment Branch as a mobile advertising tool. It will be formally presented to NSWPF by CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers, during a ceremony to swear in the latest probationary constables at the NSW Police College in Goulburn on Friday 29 August. CSU, together with NSWPF, delivers the Associate Degree in Policing Practice, which is the recruit training program for people wanting to join the NSW Police Force. The vehicle will be driven state-wide for career markets, expos and displays. “CSU is delighted to deliver this vehicle to the NSWPF as a symbol of our long-standing and important relationship to educate and train police officers for NSW,” said Professor Chambers. General Manager of NSWPF Recruitment Branch, Inspector Tony Malone, said they wanted a vehicle that would turn heads. “We want to draw attention to NSWPF Recruitment and to our contact details. The Rodeo is proving to be a great marketing tool."

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has appointed its first Professor in Communication. Dr John Carroll, a long-serving academic in the School of Communication at the Bathurst Campus, has been welcomed to his new role by Head of the School of Communication, Associate Professor Rod McCulloch. “This professorial appointment rightfully acknowledges the huge contribution that Professor Carroll has made and will continue to make to the School, through his academic leadership, in the growth of our research and higher degree programs, and in the continued progress and growth of the School in the burgeoning digital communication environment,” Professor McCulloch said. “The School finds itself in the enviable position of being a sought-after destination for higher research and professional studies. This is due in no small way to John’s efforts and commitment to course development, direction and supervision. His knowledge and skills will be essential for the School’s continued success.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will next year celebrate 20 years of strategic higher education and applied research that is making a difference nationally and internationally. Celebrations involving students, staff, academics, graduates and the University’s research partners and institutions will be held at all campuses. CSU is extending a warm invitation to all communities in its footprint to become involved in the celebrations that will highlight its rapid growth and achievements during the past two decades. The first meeting of the 20th Anniversary Committee, chaired by CSU Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, was held on Wednesday 25 June, to commence planning for what is a significant year in the history of the University of inland Australia. Proclaimed in July 1989, CSU has evolved as one of Australia's largest universities, operating across inland New South Wales and delivering education and degree qualifications in many countries around the world.

The Centre for Information Studies at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has announced its newest publication, Exploring Methods in Information Literacy Research, which provides an overview of approaches to help researchers and professionals to undertake research in information literacy. The book, edited by CSU School of Information Studies lecturers Ms Suzanne Lipu, Dr Anne Lloyd and Dr Kirsty Williamson, opens with an  overview of research by Dr  Williamson.  Subsequent chapters  explore the key aspects of a specific research method and explain how it may be applied in practice. The Centre for Information Studies aims to support research, publications and continuing professional development in library and information science, teacher librarianship and Australian literature for young people.

The Central West Regional Consultative Committee of Charles Sturt University (CSU) met at the Bathurst Campus on Thursday 28 August to provide advice to the University about its activities in the Central West and its relationships with local communities. Committee chair and Head of Bathurst Campus, Mr Col Sharp, said the meeting was informed about the building program on the Bathurst and Orange campuses, and research and other activities that impact on local communities such as Bathurst Aged and Community Care which aims to make Bathurst a more senior-friendly city. “The committee was updated on the many bodies with regional impact that are supported by CSU, like the Western Research Institute (WRI), Arts Out West, the University of the Third Age and the Western Region Institute of Sport. The meeting was also interested to learn of less known interactions that benefit the University and local communities such as CSU public relations projects where students work up briefs for local clients like Oberon Relay for Life, Bathurst Information Centre, and Bathurst Youth Centre,” Mr Sharp said.

Director of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Centre for Inland Health, Dr Rod Pope, will participate in the annual community forum to be held this week by the Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS).  The forum, hosted by the Area Health Advisory Council, will be held at the Gemini Motor Inn in Griffith’s Banna Avenue from 10am to 12.30pm on Wednesday 3 September. Dr Pope will address the forum from 10.40am on the topic, ‘What does health mean to the community?’ The Centre for Inland Health was established in 2007, and its mission is  to play a leading role in improving the health and longevity of the people of inland Australia. It brings together health educators, researchers, service providers and local communities to identify, examine and solve priority health concerns of inland communities.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff have given a helping hand to an academic’s work for women and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Dr Elaine Dietsch, a lecturer at the CSU School of Midwifery and Nursing in Wagga Wagga, visits the troubled African country each year to use her nursing and midwifery skills to aid the women and children plagued by militias, rebels and malnutrition. Educational designers in the University’s Centre for Enhancing Learning and Teaching in Wagga Wagga were recently awarded $150 in the Wagga Mutual Credit Union Safety Awareness Program. The 12-member team has donated its prize money plus another $20 to support Dr Dietsch’s work in the DRC. “The money will hopefully make a difference to the women of the village Luganda in DRC,” said CSU educational designer Ms Milena Dunn. “These women carry huge loads of up to 50 kilograms of firewood from the village, 18 kilometres to the town of Bukavu. They are paid 30 cents a load and are at constant risk from militia groups and rebels,” said Dr Dietsch. “The donation will be used to establish projects for a small community of women to ensure an alternative means of sustainable employment.”

A visiting international water expert believes "Tossing out food is just like keeping the tap running". Dr Charlotte de Fraiture, from the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka, will speak on Water for Fuel and Food in a Changing World at a public seminar to be hosted next week by Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS). Dr de Fraiture, who was a keynote speaker at the 11th International Riversymposium held recently in Brisbane, Queensland, will speak at the School of Environmental Sciences on the University’s Thurgoona site. Dr de Fraiture has worked on such diverse water issues as catchment development, measuring irrigation performance, and modelling global water supply and demand. The seminar, starting at 3pm on Monday 8 September, will be followed by afternoon tea and an opportunity to speak with Dr de Fraiture.

The role of Australian universities in promoting reconciliation and social justice through education to meet the needs of Indigenous Australians is the subject of a public lecture at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dubbo Campus on Wednesday 10 September. Ms Wendy Nolan, senior lecturer and Deputy Director of the CSU Centre for Indigenous Studies, will present the lecture which argues for the need to equip non-Indigenous graduates with knowledge and understanding of Indigenous Australian cultures, histories and contemporary realities to help them work effectively with Indigenous people.“Many national reports show Indigenous disadvantage is compounded by cross-cultural ignorance, resulting in ineffective policy and service provision. Achieving reconciliation relies on building a knowledgeable and mature society committed to achieving social justice for Indigenous Australians.” Ms Nolan will also discuss the benefits of incorporating Indigenous content into university curriculum and conclude with an overview of CSU’s commitment to reconciliation and social justice.