A further opportunity for students to access courses at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie has been confirmed this week. CSU and North Coast TAFE have finalised an agreement to offer the CSU Pathway Program (Diploma of General Studies) in Port Macquarie starting in 2016. The diploma is a unique 12-month course that provides students who might not otherwise be eligible for entry to CSU, or who need additional preparation, the opportunity to receive guaranteed entry into most CSU degrees. The diploma is run in partnership with TAFE and has had more than 330 enrolments since its inception in 2010. Director of Academic Success at CSU Ms Liz Smith said, "We're really excited that the Diploma of General Studies will be available in Port Macquarie from 2016. This diploma is currently offered in Wagga Wagga, Albury, Bathurst and Blacktown, and has been seeing great results from students keen to take advantage of a pathway to their chosen degree. There are many reasons students don't meet the entry criteria to university and this program provides an excellent opportunity for school leavers especially. Not getting the ATAR you hoped for doesn't mean that university isn't an option." Students can apply for the Diploma of General Studies now at http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/diploma-of-general-studies or enquire on 1800 334 733.

Students studying the Wiradjuri language and culture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will host about 200 primary school children on Wednesday 2 September.The Wiradjuri Cultural Day will be held from 9.45am to 2.30pm at The Hub (building 20) as part of a five-day residential school for CSU's Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage students.Children from Years 2, 3 and 4 will progress through a series of activities and workshops including: Wiradjuri songs and story-telling; Wiradjuri language in classrooms; Johnny cakes and story; Wiradjuri tools and weapons; weaving; and bush dyeing.The Wiradjuri Cultural Day will begin with a Welcome to Country from 9.45am by Wiradjuri Elder Uncle Dr Stan Grant, AM.The Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage was developed by CSU and the Wiradjuri Council of Elders to re-energize the Indigenous language and Wiradjuri Nation. It is a one-year distance education program with a five-day compulsory residential school at CSU in Wagga Wagga.

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will join the inaugural 'CSU Amazing Race' in September to raise money for a local charity. Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst, Professor Jo-Anne Reid said the CSU Amazing Race will take place from 1pm to 4pm on Wednesday 16 and Wednesday 23 September. It aims to generate awareness of and funding for the building extension project of the Daffodil Cottage cancer support unit in Bathurst. "The events in this fun 'CSU Amazing Race' will involve challenges for teams of four people (and one reserve), and are all related in some way to the University and Bathurst life," Professor Reid said. "We have adapted the idea of the famous TV Show 'The Amazing Race' to help enrich the campus life for staff, students and alumni of Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. The aim for participants is to win the race and/or raise the most in donated support, with the overall purpose to raise over $5 000 dollars each year for a project that will benefit the Bathurst campus community. As well as linking and engaging the spirit of the University community, our first goal in 2015 is to maintain and enhance the University's links with Daffodil Cottage by raising funds to support the expansion of this facility." The CSU Amazing Race is being planned with the help of CSU student interns from the Faculty of Business who are designing and managing the marketing, the website and the event. You can find out about the Race, register a team and donate on the CSU Amazing Race website at www.csuamazingrace.com.au. Daffodil Cottage is an oncology palliative care and treatment facility in the grounds of Bathurst Base Hospital. It provides support for people living in Bathurst, Blayney, Oberon, and surrounding areas. The Mayor of Bathurst Regional Council, Councillor Gary Rush, will attend the 2015 CSU Amazing Race awards ceremony and presentation to the winners.

International competition and an exclusive tour of the American meat industry awaits Charles Sturt University (CSU) student Ms Jessica McGrath. The Bachelor of Animal Science student from CSU's School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Wagga Wagga has been selected in the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team. Originally from Bathurst, Ms McGrath was one of ten finalists selected from 130 students who took part in the meat judging competition in July. She earned her spot in the five-member national team after an intensive training workshop and industry tour in Queensland last week. "After visiting feedlots, abattoirs, butchers and retailers I have a new appreciation of the meat supply chain in Australia," said Ms McGrath. "I'm looking forward to comparing our production systems with those in the United States. The Americans treat meat judging like a competitive sport and I'm keen to learn more about their grading system and put my skills to the test." The Australian team will spend four weeks touring the United States in January 2016 where they will take part in three meat judging competitions.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a Christian-Muslim inter-faith dialogue between two theology scholars in Port Macquarie on Saturday 5 September. The forum is part of a national series sponsored by the CSU Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACCC) in Canberra. It will feature CSU Professor of Theology the Reverend Professor James Haire, AC, KSJ, and leading Indonesian Muslim scholar and public intellectual Professor Azyumardi Azra, CBE. Emeritus Professor Ross Chambers, Chair of the Board of the ACCC and former CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), will chair the forum titled 'Can Christianity and Islam Co-exist? A National Dialogue'. The Executive Director of the ACCC, the Right Reverend Professor Stephen Pickard said, "This important and timely dialogue will address Christian-Muslim relations in the Australian-Indonesian context and seek to build fresh understanding of how people of different faiths and cultures can grow together in understanding and appreciation of one another." Registration on 6581 8888 is essential for this free forum which will be from 6pm to 8pm Saturday 5 September in the Ross Family Studio at The Glasshouse 32/40 Clarence Street Port Macquarie.

Ten engineering students from Iwate prefecture in northern Japan arrive at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga today for a week of cultural exchange and English language enrichment. Mr David Gilbey, adjunct senior lecturer in English in the CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences, has organised the visit from Monday 31 August to Friday 4 September with Professor Yoshihiko Hatakeyama of the National Institute of Technology Ichinoseki (NITI). "The aim of the program is to give Japanese students an experience of Australian university life by staying on campus, and provide them with a range of experiences of life and culture in and around Wagga Wagga," Mr Gilbey said. "Highlights will include some of the specific facilities at Charles Sturt University as well as visits to museums, art galleries, the botanic gardens, saleyards, shopping, farm and factory visits at Junee and Wantabadgery. Lecturer in photography Mr Jamie Holcombe will be at the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery to talk to the students about his current exhibition 'Civic Malaise', an apt and acerbic interrogation of Australian culture. It is intended that this exchange program will motivate and focus the students' study of and skills in English by designing short language tasks that arise out of their experiences here."

A seminar at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will discuss Washington DC's Cyber Security Policy and how it will impact everyday lives around the world, including in Australia.Hosted by the School of Computing and Mathematics and the Cyber Security Research Group, 'A Matter of Style: How America's Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Tricks, Tactics and Agenda Impact World Cyber Security' will be presented by President and CEO of LabMD Mr Michael Daugherty. The seminar will be held in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 26 August between 12pm and 1pm.Mr Daugherty will discuss the FTC's investigation into his business' data security practices, the international impact of decisions made in Washington DC and why Australians should care about the effects on their personal data.Media and members of the public are invited to attend the seminar.To register email mislam@csu.edu.au

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will host a camp for 40 Year 9 and 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from the Clontarf Foundation on Tuesday 25 to Thursday 27 August. The male students from Clontarf Foundation academies based at Coonamble High School, Mt Austin High School, and Dubbo College (Delroy and South campuses) will attend this fun and interactive camp at CSU in Bathurst to gain first-hand experience of university life. Over three days the students will engage in four hands-on Faculty-based activities, explore the campus, engage with local Elders, and join a 'speed expo' with academic staff to find out about various disciplines and courses. Program coordinator Mr Ben Morris said, "This camp is part of Charles Sturt University'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." Future Moves is a federally-funded initiative, run through Charles Sturt University and aligned with the Australian Blueprint for Career Development.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga is giving local primary and high school students a taste of university life at two events in coming weeks. Year 6 students from Wodonga West Primary School and Lavington East Public School will experience the pomp and ceremony of a mock graduation on Thursday 27 August. Then on Thursday 3 September, Year 9 students from Finley, Murray and James Fallon High Schools will spend the day in experiential workshops in the laboratory. Program coordinator, Ms Ilena Young said, "Research shows us that students make up their minds very early about what their future will hold. These events are designed to enthuse students and encourage aspiration for higher education." Students will take part in fun and interactive workshops at the CSU Schools of Community Health, Environmental Sciences and Education, tour the campus and spend time with undergraduate students who can give them an insight into university life. The events are run as part of the Future Moves program, a federally funded initiative, run through CSU and aligned with the Australian Blueprint for Career Development.