A mock graduation ceremony, complete with mortar boards will cap off a visit to Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga by 75 primary school students on Wednesday 20 May. The Year-6 students from Albury West, Hume and Glenroy Public Schools will spend the day on campus participating in a selection of workshops to give them first-hand experience of university life as part of Check It Out Day. Program coordinator Ms Ilena Young said, "The aim is to encourage aspiration for higher education among students in rural and remote NSW and Victoria. By introducing young people to the world of university study, students are encouraged through a positive experience to become more engaged in school studies and more confident in considering tertiary study as a realistic option." Students will participate in hands-on activities, tour the campus and eat lunch in the student canteen before donning ceremonial mortar boards in a mock graduation. Check It Out Day is part of the Future Moves, program a federally-funded initiative run through CSU and aligned with the Australian Blueprint for Career Development.

The 9th Earl Bathurst visited Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 8 May while he was visiting the city for its bicentenary celebrations. CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann was pleased to receive the Right Honourable Earl Bathurst who was a special guest of Bathurst Regional Council during the Bathurst200 celebrations last week. The acting University Secretary, Ms Linda Breen, and the Director Procurement and Risk Manager in the CSU Division of Facilities Management, Mr Keith Hogan escorted Lord Bathurst and the General Manager of Bathurst Regional Council, Mr David Sherley, on a tour of the campus. "Lord Bathurst is a member of the Board of the Royal Agricultural University in Circencester, in the United Kingdom," Ms Breen said. "He has a particular interest in Charles Sturt University, its agricultural courses and connections to regional communities, with a view to establishing formal links between the two universities."

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is seeking ideas from the community of Wagga Wagga and surrounding districts on how the Riverina Playhouse could be used to benefit community groups and businesses. CSU invites members of the public to discuss their ideas or thoughts fon the recently re-opened Playhouse at a drop-in session at the theatre in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 21 May. Executive Director of the CSU Division of Facilities Management Mr Stephen Butt said, "We're looking forward to talking with the public and hearing their suggestions. "It has great practical advantages such as parking on the doorstep, ideally located in the heart of the city," he said. "It is well maintained and recently underwent a $200 000 cosmetic interior and exterior renovation. The space would no doubt benefit a variety of local groups or businesses." The Playhouse re-opened at the end of April after it was closed in 2012 to make way for Wagga Wagga City Council's remediation of the nearby old gasworks site. The facility is home to the University Theatre Ensemble in the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries. If you have a suggestion of how the Riverina Playhouse can be better used outside of university and teaching commitments, drop in to the theatre at 8 Cross Street, Wagga Wagga, on Thursday 21 May, between 2.30pm and 7.30pm to chat to one of the CSU representatives.

Agricultural research underway by international students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will be the focus of a seminar this week. Nine Master of Sustainable Agriculture students from countries including China, Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, Oman, Malawi and Nigeria will present their research from 2pm on Thursday 14 May. The postgraduate students are undertaking a range of studies in their home countries. This includes research into cocoa, wheat, date palm cultivation and aquaculture, rice and pest management.  Senior lecturer Dr Anantanarayanan Raman from the School of the Agricultural and Wine Sciences said, "Sustainable agricultural management is attempted in different nations following different methods and for varying reasons. The present opportunity afforded to our international students enables them to share the best practices followed in their respective countries, and thus, us to learn from their experiences," he said. "In return, they get to know the sustainable agricultural management efforts made in here, in Australia, which we offer them by visiting various farms in central western NSW so that they can take some messages with them what they would consider useful."  The students are being encouraged to wear traditional dress for their 20-minute presentations, which will take place from 2pm to 5pm in the conference room, in building no 1001, CSU in Orange.

Historian and author Adjunct Professor Bill Gammage AM returns to his hometown of Wagga Wagga on Thursday 14 May to present a free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on his 2011 book, The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia. Professor Gammage is a historian at the Australian National University's (ANU) Humanities Research Centre. His book explodes the myth that Australia was an untamed wilderness before 1788 and reveals a complex, country-wide system of land management used by Aboriginal people. It included the use of fire and life cycles of native plants to ensure food supplies throughout the year. Professor Gammage attended Wagga Wagga High School before studying at ANU and lecturing at universities in Papua New Guinea and Adelaide. He is also the author of The Broken Years: Australian Soldiers in the Great War and was an advisor on the 1981 film Gallipoli. He has written and edited several books. In 2005 Professor Gammage was made a Member of the Order of Australia. The public is welcome to attend the free lecture, The Biggest Estate on Earth, from 6pm in the Swan Theatre, building 12, near car park 4, Tooma Way, CSU in Wagga Wagga. The lecture is part of the University's Explorations Series.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will host a MyDay on Tuesday 12 May for senior school students who are interested in studying computer science. MyDay gives students a taste of living and learning on campus, and provides useful information about courses and study options. Students also receive information about opportunities and support available, and about how to achieve their goals. Mr Jason Howarth, lecturer and course director in the School of Computing and Mathematics at CSU in Bathurst, said, "The aim of MyDay is let students know about the great careers they can embark upon once they get a Bachelor's degree in computer science. It is essential that regional students hear about the opportunities in technology-related employment so they can make informed choices about their future. In a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, it was noted that up to 44 per cent of current Australian jobs will be automated in the next 20 years. Students with a computer science degree will be well-placed to withstand this massive digital disruption. Already, 75 per cent of the fastest growing jobs require technology skills, jobs such as computer and apps programming, database and systems administration, and network support."

Big Ideas abound at lunchtime on Thursdays at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst. The Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst, Professor Jo-Anne Reid, said staff, students and members of the public are invited to enjoy lunch while listening to some leading CSU thinkers as they talk about the big ideas that make them passionate about their work. "The Big Idea seminar series provides the chance to find out more about a range of interesting topics and participate in relaxed discussion with each of our presenters," Professor Reid said. "Many of these ideas have been presented at major conferences outside Charles Sturt University, so it's a good opportunity for people to come and see what's going on here." All Big Idea sessions are held each Thursday from 12.30pm to 1.30pm at 'Rafters' bar and cafe (in building 1413); bring your own lunch or order from the special 'Rafters' lunchtime menu available from 12.15pm. The next four presentation dates and topics include:Thursday 14 May – Ms Kate Smith, lecturer in theatre/media in the School of Communication and Creative Industries, 'The mindful academic: a third-space for being'.Thursday 21 May – Dr Margaret Van Heekeren, senior lecturer in journalism in the School of Communication and Creative Industries, 'Rising from the ashes – the journalism phoenix'.Thursday 28 May – Ms Annabel Matheson, lecturer in nursing in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health, 'Shift work, nursing and women's work'.Thursday 4 June - Dr Chelsea Litchfield, lecturer in sports studies in School of Human Movement Studies, 'Gender and the sports media'.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Psychology will present a seminar for staff, students and the public in Bathurst on Wednesday 13 May. Seminar series coordinator and psychology lecturer Dr Stephanie Quinton said the seminar is free and will be presented by Ms Sarah McMahon, a visiting registered psychologist who specialises in treating body image and eating issues at her private practice, BodyMatters Australasia, in Sydney. "Sarah's presentation is titled 'Building health and wellness in our clients', and will consider the socio-political context of body image and eating issues, including the notion that health is directly related to weight," Dr Quinton said. "She will provide an alternative model to build wellness, and there will be a question time at the end to discuss this. Participants are also welcome to discuss the psychologists' experience of establishing and working in a private practice setting." This free seminar is from 4pm to 5pm Wednesday 13 May in the large group room 204, building 1399 'The McDonoughs', at CSU in Bathurst.

Nursing staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo will salute nurses past and present with a day of activities to celebrate International Nurses Day on Tuesday 12 May. Ms Cathy Maginnis, lecturer in nursing at the CSU School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health , said the School is hosting a day of activities for nursing students and interested nurses to celebrate the invaluable contributions nurses make to the health of society. "Charles Sturt University is educating nursing students to work locally, nationally and in the international arena," Ms Maginnis said. "A career in nursing offers an abundance of areas and specialities to work in. The theme of this year's International Nurses Day is 'Nurses: A force for change: Care effective, cost effective'. This theme will be demonstrated throughout the day by visiting the history of nurses, sharing experiences of retired nurses, and looking into the high-tech world of current flight nursing with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. These events will demonstrate our ongoing commitment to educating nurses to deliver high quality cost effective nursing care to the community."