The President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Emeritus Professor Gillian Triggs, will deliver a free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 12 September.The topic of this CSU Explorations Series lecture is 'Children in immigration detention: what are the human rights issues?' Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst Mr Col Sharp said "The University thanks the Bathurst Refugee Support Group, and in particular Sister Pat Linnane, for bringing Professor Triggs to Bathurst in the first place. In hosting this public lecture, Charles Sturt University is undertaking its role to confront contemporary issues that are important to our society, and clearly 'child detention' is one such issue. I hope as many community members as possible take this opportunity to hear Professor Triggs, as she is a highly respected figure who can speak with authority on the issues." Professor Triggs' public lecture will outline Australia's key human rights obligations in relation to asylum seekers and refugees, discuss the impacts of closed immigration detention, and provide an update on the Commission's National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention. The Australian Human Rights Commission has worked to promote and protect the human rights of asylum seekers, refugees, and people in immigration detention for more than a decade, and Professor Triggs' long-standing commitment to legal education builds on the Commission's efforts to inform Australians, especially children, about their fundamental human rights. Her focus at the Commission is on the implementation in Australian law of the human rights treaties to which Australia is a party, and to work with nations in the Asia-Pacific region on practical approaches to human rights.  

School students from Coolamon Central, Narrandera High and Leeton High will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Monday 1 September to learn about the higher education opportunities in the region. About 40 students from Year 11 are expected to attend the Skill Fix Day from 10am to 1.30pm. The event is part of CSU's Future Moves program which was developed to encourage aspiration for higher education among students in rural and remote NSW and Victoria. The students will be involved in a range of on-campus sessions covering study and research skills that relate to university learning. While on campus, students will participate in activities with Future Moves Leaders, listen to a guest lecture from the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science Professor Tim Wess and tour the CSU campus and accommodation. "The Skill Fix Day is an opportunity for students to meet current Charles Sturt University (CSU) students and staff, who will inspire and deliver up-to-date information about studying at university and living on campus," said Ms Ravnita Sharma, Future Moves Program Co-ordinator.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will host a special graduation on Thursday 28 August when approximately 120 primary school students don mortar boards as part of a Check It Out Day.Program coordinator Mr Ben Morris said, "Year 6 students from schools in Wellington, Trangie, Parkes, Dubbo and Peak Hill will spend the day participating in fun and interactive faculty-based workshops and activities to give them first-hand experience of university life. Students will have a tour of the campus and its facilities, explore the library, have lunch in the student dining room, and end the day with a mock graduation including a special presentation by a Future Moves leader or CSU academic." Check It Out Days are part of CSU's Future Moves program, a federally funded initiative run through Charles Sturt University and aligned with the Australian Blueprint for Career Development. They aim 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. These 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.

As part of NAIDOC activities at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga this week, a free public lecture will be held from 12.30pm to 1.30pm on Wednesday 27 August by Wiradjuri Elder and artist Aunty Fay Clayton and Warrant Officer Class 2, Shane Swan.  Aunty Fay's father Private Cecil Robert Clayton served in World War II in the 2/13th Infantry Battalion, also known as The Devil's Own.  Aunty Fay was taken from her family and sent to the Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home in the 1950s. WO Swan has been in the Army for 24 years. He is Regional Indigenous Liaison Officer at the Army Base at Kapooka. He is also on the Army's Indigenous Cultural Advisory Board which provides advice to the Chief of Army. In line with the national theme for NAIDOC, Serving Country: Centenary and Beyond , WO Swan will talk about Indigenous military service from the Boer War up to Australia's current involvement in Afghanistan. The lecture is in room 201, School of Communication and Creative Industries, building 21, near car park 2, Darnell Smith Drive, CSU in Wagga Wagga. Read more about NAIDOC at CSU in Wagga Wagga here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga will host two very special graduations on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 August when approximately 100 local primary school students attend the University as part of two Check It Out Days.Year-6 students from Albury West, Hume, and Glenroy Public Schools, and Wodonga West Primary School will spend the day on campus participating in a selection of workshops to give them first-hand experience of university life. During these fun and interactive days, students will participate in two hands-on activities - 'How do YOU see the world' and 'Anatomy and how to damage it' - before ending the day by donning ceremonial mortar boards in a mock graduation which will include a special presentation by a CSU academic. Students will also tour the campus and facilities, and eat lunch in the student canteen.Program coordinator Ms Ilena Young, said, "Check It Out days are part of CSU's Future Moves program which was developed 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."

Are you curious about the study opportunities available at Charles Sturt University (CSU)? A special information night will be held in Griffith on Wednesday 3 September to satisfy that curiousity."This event is being held for anyone who has ever wondered about studying at Charles Sturt University," CSU Prospective Student Adviser Mr Andrew Connell said."There will be the chance to get first-hand information about courses, on campus accommodation, how to apply for study and the higher education costs and scholarships available at Charles Sturt University."There are different ways to study including on campus or by distance education."Also on hand during the information evening, will be details about the various pathways into study at CSU, including from TAFE NSW."Whether you are a Year 12 student or a parent or a member of the public thinking about study, please come along to this event," Mr Connell said.The CSU information night will be held from 5.30pm to 7pm on Wednesday 3 September in Room MG12, in the Nursing and Child Studies Building at TAFE NSW Riverina Institute's Griffith Campus, Neville Place in Griffith.Further information is available on telephone (02) 6933 2381, mobile 0488 261 740 or send an email aconnell@csu.edu.au

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) student is a finalist in the 2014 NSW International Student Awards for the second successive year. Ms Saba Nabi from the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga is a finalist in the Higher Education category. The winners will be named at a ceremony at the Opera House in Sydney on Monday 15 September. Ms Nabi moved with her young family from New Delhi, India, to Wagga Wagga in regional Australia in 2011 to undertake a PhD at CSU in the pharmaceutical sector. She was the first international student to be elected to the University's governing body, the CSU Council, in 2012. She was also the postgraduate student representative on CSU's Faculty of Science Board. Ms Nabi is currently President of the University's International Student Club. Earlier this year, the PhD student was nominated as a finalist in the Wagga Wagga Business Chamber's annual Crow Awards. The NSW International Student Awards are organised by StudyNSW and the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet 'to celebrate the outstanding contribution international students make to communities in NSW'.

A free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie on Wednesday 27 August will explore national policy and developments in the field of early childhood education. The CSU Explorations Series public lecture, titled 'The National Early Learning Framework and future directions in early childhood education', will be delivered by CSU Foundation Professor of Early Childhood Education, Jennifer Sumsion. "The last six years or seven years have seen unprecedented policy developments in Australia aimed at improving the quality of early childhood education," Professor Sumsion said. "How are we travelling as a country in terms of our educational provision for our youngest children, and what still needs to be tackled if we are to achieve one of the best education systems in the world?" The public lecture will be held from 5pm Wednesday 27 August at the Glasshouse Theatre, corner Clarence and Hay Streets, Port Macquarie. For more information, contact Ms Alison Woods on 6582 9334 or alwoods@csu.edu.au.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is working with Albury Environmental Lands and the Albury-Wodonga community to plant trees and shrubs along Six Mile Creek at Thurgoona to help revegetate and manage wildlife habitat corridors on Sunday 17 August. Volunteers from CSU and the local community will plant trees from 10am to 1pm along the creek corridor which is off St Johns Road, Thurgoona. CSU ecologist Associate Professor David Watson will provide participants with a guided tour through earlier conservation work undertaken in 2013 which includes nest boxes for birds and possums. The whole family is encouraged to attend, as there will be face painting for children, giveaways, and a free barbecue lunch. For details on the event contact CSU Green.