A major public lecture for Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Faculty of Education will be presented by social commentator, writer and lecturer Ms Jane Caro, who will look at public education through a marketing lens and suggest ways the system can fight back. Amongst Ms Caro’s accomplishments are her appearances on such television shows as Q and A, Weekend Sunrise and The Gruen Transfer. Ms Caro will take listeners on a personal journey through her experiences as a student, a parent and now as an advocate for public education, discussing how these experiences have formed her views about education, particularly public education. Named after the eminent educator and the inaugural Dean of CSU’s Faculty of Education, Professor Bob Meyenn, the annual education lecture is designed to bring to the border region highly esteemed educational thinkers to share their provocative, practical and relevant ideas with regional Australia. Light refreshments will be served in the Gums Café at 6pm, with the lecture commencing at 7pm on Tuesday 23 April in the CD Blake Lecture Theatre at CSU in Albury-Wodonga. Please send your RSVP to Ms Jen West by Wednesday 17 April  on telephone (02) 6051 9400 or send an email jenwest@csu.edu.au

The ability to communicate to clinical colleagues while using the latest in patient simulation technologies is the focus of a two-day joint training exercise for nursing and paramedic students at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Inter-professional Clinical Simulation Centre in Bathurst on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 April. “In the real world, where life and death decisions must be made quickly, communication is the key,” said Mr Sandy MacQuarrie, lecturer in the paramedic program at the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences in Bathurst. “Nurses and paramedics play an important part in emergency patient care. Training for that is not easy, but a series of planned ‘high fidelity’ simulations will allow the second and third-year paramedic and nursing students to learn about the importance of communication, teamwork and skilled patient care. Under close supervision, the students will learn to think critically and to relay important information quickly. Charles Sturt University is committed to leading the way in world-class health care training, and initiatives like this train our future leaders in emergency health care.” The joint simulation training for 146 students (76 nursing, and 70 paramedic) in groups of 30 over the two days has been planned by Mr MacQuarrie and Mr Paul Mahony, lecturer in nursing at the CSU School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health.

Police officers from the Canadian capital, Ottawa, recently undertook a residential school hosted by The Rocks Local Area Command in central Sydney as part of their Bachelor of Policing course with Charles Sturt University (CSU). Nine officers, ranked between sergeant and inspector, were based at CSU’s Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security in Manly for the week-long residential school. CSU Bachelor of Policing  course coordinator, Mr Brian Daly, said the residential school gave the police from Ottawa international exposure to policing practices in Australia, particularly in planning security for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, large central transport and office sites, and consular premises.  The participants were also shown Australian policing practices on alcohol related crime, large public demonstrations, unlawful large gatherings, crowd control, and legislation used in dealing with public gatherings. “The involvement of The Rocks Local Area Command and the NSW Water Police was essential to the success of the visit, and exposed the Canadian students to the best of policing in NSW," Mr Daly said.

High school students in the NSW Mid-North Coast, central and southern NSW and regional Victoria can learn vital life skills while running a simulated business in an online game to be hosted by Charles Sturt University’s Faculty of Business. The GameOn! organisers at CSU are now calling for teams of Years 10 and 11 students from high schools around regional NSW and Victoria to participate in the game in 2013. The game was first staged in 2012. “The student teams will make vital business decisions about marketing, human resources, operations and finance for an online, simulated business. Apart from developing problem-solving skills in their businesses, GameOn allows students to develop important life skills such as leadership, group work, critical thinking, negotiation and time management,” said GameOn coordinator Dr Abbey Dwivedi.  Teams will need to be nominated by the extended deadline of Friday 5 April, with eight rounds of ‘decisions’ to be made during the year and winning teams due to be announced in September 2013.

How do you actually study? Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will host a day of practical Skill Fix workshops to help Year 11 students from the region to answer this question. Ms Tonya Graham, the pre-entry program coordinator at CSU, said 53 students from Kandos High, Narromine High, Wellington High, Portland Central School, Yeoval Central School and Peak Hill Central School will visit CSU in Bathurst on Monday 25 March for Skill Fix, as part of the CSU Future Moves program. “The aim of the day is to equip Year 11 students with the skills to reach their potential in senior schooling and beyond,” Ms Graham said. “The Future Moves team will engage expert University staff, as well as headspace, Bathurst, to facilitate the Skill Fix workshops that provide students with valuable advice about learning styles, writing skills, effective internet research, note taking, time management, exam preparation, and coping with anxiety. An added benefit of the day is the exposure of regional students to university life. Students will visit various learning spaces on campus and interact with current uni students to get a real understanding of what university is actually like.” Find more information about Future Moves here.

The annual Village Fair hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will rock the CSU-Mt Panorama precinct from 3pm on Saturday 23 March. CSU student support officer and event organiser, Ms Alex Leis, said “The Village Fair in its 39th year in 2013, and is the largest locally-run music festival in the NSW central west. This year, as well as the main stage featuring acts like Drapht and Yacht Club DJs, there is an open-air silent disco* featuring up-and-coming local DJs. Other bands and performers include Strange Talk, Fozzey & Vanc, The Griswolds, Peacock Dreams, Rainbow Rd, and Blue Red Army. Tickets are currently on sale through moshtix or the CSU cashiers, and will be available on the day at the gate.” The CSU Village Fair is only for music lovers aged 18 and over, and the music kicks off at 3pm Saturday 23 March at the site between CSU and Mt Panorama’s Pit Straight. The CSU Village Fair is funded by the Mitchell Student Guild.

Artwork by the contemporary painter and printmaker David Serisier, who was born in Orange in 1958, has now entered the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Art Collection and is on permanent display at CSU’s Orange Campus. Produced in 2001, the two large images are formed by layers of rectangles glued on on paper and stacked like ”Quisenaire” rods. The works were chosen to display the great range of his colour palate – one very dark and the other light. “We’re thrilled to have the paintings hanging in our main administration building,” Head of Campus Professor Kevin Parton said. “They certainly have provoked a great deal of conversation amongst staff and visitors to the campus.”

A touch of the Irish will come to Charles Sturt University (CSU) when a group of Connemara ponies and riders gather in Wagga Wagga on Saturday 16 March, the day before St Patrick’s Day. Known as Aonach Australia, it was originally an annual ‘assembly’ of tribal chieftains in Ireland where laws were discussed and disputes settled, followed by horse racing and games. In more modern times, riders compete with their horses in a friendly atmosphere. CSU equine science lecturer, Mr Hunter Doughty, said it is fitting the event is held at the University’s Equine Centre because of the ongoing relationship with the Connemara breed in Australia and Ireland. “The aim of the event is to educate and entertain owners, breeders and the general public, and to provide some competition for ridden Connemara pure-bred and part-bred ponies,” Mr Doughty said. “Charles Sturt University has a history with the Connemara breed including the purchase of a Connemara stallion called Glenormiston Celtic Pride in 2011.” Event organiser, Zita Denholm said good support has been promised with ponies coming from the central west, the NSW south coast, and the Victorian Alps, as well as locally.

A child and family health nursing textbook edited by Charles Sturt University (CSU) nursing academics will be launched at Bathurst Base Hospital on Wednesday 13 March. The text book, Child and Family Health Nursing in Australia and New Zealand, was edited by Ms Christine Haley and sub-edited by Ms Amanda Stott, both lecturers at CSU's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health in Bathurst. There were about 25 contributors, including seven clinicians from Bathurst Base Hospital, and others from local health services and academics from Monash University, who all edited and revised chapters of the textbook. Ms Haley says, "Until now we have only had US textbooks. Our textbook applies a nursing and midwifery focus in its evidence-based approach to child growth and development. It establishes the core skills necessary to recognise illness in children before moving onto clinical areas such as management of childhood diseases. The region-specific references to statistics, drug names, legislation, culture, community and public health systems are all pertinent to Australia and New Zealand.”