Extending her annual trip to work with traditional midwives in Kenya, Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Dr Elaine Dietsch has returned from the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo. In an attempt to raise awareness of the plight of Congolese women and girls, Dr Dietsch has brought back stories of strength, courage and mere survival. An estimated three million plus people have died during a five-year regional conflict centred on the resource rich African nation. “The women I met in the South Kivu province requested their stories of war, sexual assault, torture, illness and malnutrition be shared with Australians,” said Dr Dietsch, who is a senior midwifery and nursing lecturer at CSU’s School of Clinical Sciences in Wagga Wagga. She is willing to share this international humanitarian issue with adults in the Riverina community through interviews and speaking engagements with groups, clubs, churches, community and professional organisations.  

The quality of the Charles Sturt University Theatre Ensemble (UTE) productions in 2005 has been recognised with eight nominations in the annual Canberra Area Theatre Awards. A Street Car Named Desire, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Crucible have been nominated for various awards, which are due to be announced in Canberra on Saturday 11 February 2006. Based in Wagga Wagga, the UTE's productions involve final year acting and theatre design students. The Ensemble's The Crucible has been nominated for best play and its director and CSU lecturer Ray Goodlass, for best director of a play. Graduating acting students have also been nominated for best lead actor in a play and best supporting actress in a play. Students responsible for set and costume design have also been named amongst the potential winners. The Canberra Theatre Awards aim to recognise the contribution made by non-professional groups to the artistic life of Australia, particularly in the Canberra region. "These eight nominations validate our work and the high standards we achieve through our regular UTE productions put on for the Riverina community," said lecturer with the CSU School of Visual and Performing Arts, Ray Goodlass.  

Swapping a US winter for the Australian heat in January is in store for 23 university students when they visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga to learn about local animal production and rural leadership. The students from the University of Delaware will travel to the Riverina from this Friday 6 to Monday 16 January 2006. The trip will include visits to the Livestock Marketing Centre in Wagga Wagga, the CSU Winery as well as local farms. “This is the second time CSU has hosted the University of Delaware students and the aim is to give the students an understanding of animal production in Australia, through practical experiences,” said Emeritus Professor Ted Wolfe from CSU's School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences.  Accompanying the students will be Associate Professors Patricia Barber and Bill Saylor from the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The Bathurst Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) has a new Head of Campus with the appointment of Associate Professor Greg Walker to the position from 1 January 2006. Professor Walker replaces Professor Bob Meyenn who retired from the University in 2005. With more than three decades at CSU and its predecessor organisation, Mitchell College of Advanced Education, Professor Walker is Head of the University’s School of Marketing and Management. He has had extensive teaching experience in areas of financial economics, financial markets, macroeconomics, international finance and banking. He has also been actively involved in regional economic research conducted through the Western Research Institute. “The Bathurst Campus has a proud history of delivering quality education programs for the region and beyond,” said Professor Walker. “It is an honour to represent the Bathurst Campus and I look forward to working with the University and local communities to ensure our tradition continues,” he added.

The Corporate Communication and Media team at Charles Sturt University wish all the media a very safe and happy Christmas and New Year and thank you all for your support and work with CSU over the past year. The University will be closed from 12.30pm Friday 23 December 2005 until Tuesday 3 January 2006.

Swapping a US winter for the heat of Australia in January is in store for 23 university students when they visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga to learn about local animal production and rural leadership. The students from the University of Delaware will travel to the Riverina from Friday 6 January to Monday, 16 January 2006. The trip will also include visits to the Livestock Marketing Centre in Wagga Wagga, the CSU Winery as well as local farms. “This is the second time CSU has hosted the University of Delaware students and the aim is to give the students an understanding of animal production in Australia, through practical experiences,” said Emeritus Professor Ted Wolfe from CSU's School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences.  Accompanying the students will be Associate Professors Patricia Barber and Bill Saylor from the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.  

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) award-winning student advertising team, Kajulu Communications travelled to Singapore recently to receive an international award for their campaign for the global internet company, Yahoo! The group was named winner of the InterAd World Championship award earlier this year. The seven members of the University’s student advertising agency presented their winning campaign to the International Advertising Association’s World Board in Singapore. “To be proclaimed world champions in an event of the international standing of InterAd and against such strong competition is a real honour,” said CSU’s Advertising course coordinator Rod McCulloch. Kajula Communications has been named world champions in this competition three times since 1999. The Kajulu team members, Julia Heaton, Miranda Ryan, Isaac Wolfson, Adrian McGruther, Candice Berry, Josie Burns and Ben Clare completed their University studies in 2005 and are now working in positions across the advertising and communications industry.

A member of the Charles Sturt University staff in Bathurst has been named the winner of the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Performance Excellence, for General Staff 2005. Gail Wotton, Food Services Officer at Café Mitchell on CSU’s Bathurst Campus, has been honoured by Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter for her dedication to her position and the University. Ms Wotton said she couldn’t believe it and offered her thanks to all staff who had supported her. “Everyone in our team is excellent and I’m honoured to be rewarded in this way; it’s the best Christmas present,” added the CSU employee. The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Performance Excellence, for General Staff recognises outstanding contributions by individuals or teams for sustained high level performance. “CSU staff continue to excel in areas such as client service, support for teaching and learning and regional engagement and this award has been established to acknowledge this dedication and commitment of general staff,” said Professor Goulter.

Through one of its leading research centres, Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) has formed an alliance with four leading international theological institutions.  CSU”s Public and Contextual Theology Strategic Research Centre or PACT has played a key role in the formation of the Global Network for Public Theology. “The group will encourage research collaboration and connections with key international civil society networks, whilst CSU will take the lead in developing student exchanges and cooperation within the network,” said Director of PACT, Reverend Professor James Haire.  The principal members of the Network include Charles Sturt University; Beyers Naude Centre for Public Theology at South Africa’s University of Stellenbosch; Centre of Theological Inquiry, Princeton University, USA; Centre for Theology and Public Issues at University of Edinburgh and Manchester Centre for Public Theology at the University of Manchester, UK. PACT is an innovative CSU strategic research centre with a focus on issues in contemporary Australian society.