About 100 students from the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Study Centres in Sydney and Melbourne will descend on Wagga Wagga this week. The trip from Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 March will enable the students, many of whom are international students, to see and experience a major CSU campus. "Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga has been hosting annual campus visits for Sydney and Melbourne Study Centre students since 2012," said team leader from CSU's Office for Students, Mr Chris Roche. "It's an opportunity to participate in social sports, campus tours and social events." The visit will include an Indigenous welcome, CSU wine tasting and a range of sports including soccer, volleyball, badminton, tennis and basketball. They are also due to meet with members of Rivcoll Student Representative Council. The CSU Study Centres in the two capitals are operated in conjunction with Study Group Australia. The Study Centres offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in accounting, business and information technology.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) weed scientist and a passionate advocate for sustainable agriculture, Professor Deirdre Lemerle is retiring as Director of the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation. Professor Lemerle has been the Centre Director since its inception ten years ago and before that spent 25 years with the NSW Department of Primary Industries in Wagga Wagga. Reflecting on her tenure, Professor Lemerle said the alliance between CSU and the NSW DPI has fired-up research to improve the profitability and productivity for agriculture. "There's a great team of scientists at the Graham Centre and we have developed partnerships with farming systems groups to ensure that our research is needs driven," she said. "I've also enjoyed working on projects to improve farming overseas, particularly Asia." Professor Lemerle's research has included non-chemical weed management and increasing crop competitiveness with weeds. She was awarded the Council of Australian Weed Science Societies Medal for Excellence in Weed Science in 1998, and the CSU Vice-Chancellors Award for Research Excellence to Allelopathy Research Group 2000. A morning tea to farewell Professor Lemerle will be held at the CSU Convention Centre at 10am on Friday 20 March.

A new book about how to make higher education institutions open, accessible and socially just for staff and students with disabilities will be launched at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 17 March. Professor Tara Brabazon, Head of the CSU School of Teacher Education, will launch her latest book, Enabling University: Impairment, (dis)ability and social justice in higher education. Professor Brabazon said, "The key concept of Enabling University is 'universal design', a term and theory used to move beyond the medical and social model of disability that disconnect and separate the issues of disability and impairment from core societal concerns. There must be a renewed commitment to not only the widening participation agenda of higher education, but also the enabling of universities for men and women with impairments." The launch of Enabling University is at 2pm Tuesday 17 March in the courtyard between Allen House (building 1431) and the Ponton Theatre (building 1434).

Paramedic students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be on hand to assist participants at the NSW Cancer Foundation's Relay For Life in Bathurst on Saturday 14 March. Ms Amanda Hlushak, associate lecturer in the paramedic program in the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences in Bathurst, said, "We are delighted to be a part of this important Cancer Foundation fundraiser in the community. Relay for Life approached the University to provide standard stand-by first aid at the event, and this is the first time our paramedic students have participated at the Bathurst event. Twenty-one first-year students will be involved from 3pm Saturday until 11am Sunday. One of their subjects requires them to complete 40 hours of non-traditional paramedic volunteer work in the community with an agency of their choice. The agency needs to be able to provide opportunities for the students to meet the competencies outlined in the subject. These include communication, empathy, professionalism, independence and attitude, which are all non-clinical skills essential for well-rounded paramedics." Ms Hlushak said the event will allow first-year paramedic students opportunities to improve their communication skills with a wide variety of people, as well as attend to any incidents that require first aid. She anticipates the students could be required to assist with injuries, sprains, fatigue, dehydration, exhaustion, and possibly fractures.

The range of technology careers open to school students will be on display when the Big Day In is held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 12 March. There will be range of exhibitors and more than 300 high school students will hear from business leaders and CSU academics from 9am to 2.30pm in the University's Joyes Hall. A national initiative of the ACS Foundation, the Big Day In is hosted by CSU Faculty of Business. Course Director in the School of Computing and Mathematics Mr Jason Howarth said, "This event offers regional students an opportunity to hear about the great careers available in technology. Speakers from industry will talk about everything from IT cadetships to how to become an entrepreneur. Students will also get the chance to discuss career options with companies such as Microsoft, the Westpac group, and WiseTech global." Find the full program for Big Day In here. Information about IT, computing and mathematics programs available at CSU can be found here.

Students from Western Illinois University (WIU) in the USA will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga as part of a week-long trip to the Riverina next week. The 13 students are studying animal science, agriculture and horticulture at WIU. The students, accompanied by CSU Emeritus Professor Ted Wolfe and WIU's Professor John Carlson, will tour Wagga Wagga on Monday 16 March before visiting CSU on Tuesday 17 March where they'll meet staff and students from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences from 12 noon to 1.30pm. They'll visit the CSU Farm and the University's equine and veterinary science facilities. The itinerary also takes the group to a cattle stud at Kyeamba, rice farms, an orchard and winery in the MIA, a merino stud at Carrathool, and Shear Outback at Hay. They will meet the Deni Ute muster team at Deniliquin. Professor Wolfe said, "This latest visit continues the relationship of understanding and cooperation in agricultural studies between Western Illinois University and Charles Sturt University. We began cooperation in 2009, and since then there have been several visits in 2011 and 2013. In addition, agricultural science students from both institutions have completed semester-long study abroad programs, adding to their university experience."

Schools and relevant community organisations in the Dubbo area are invited to apply for the first round of the Charles Sturt University (CSU) 2015 Community-University Partnerships (CUP) Grant Program. The first round of grants is for the Rural and Regional Education Development Program category which replaces the former 'Schools Development Grants' category and now includes early childhood. Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo, Professor Jeannie Herbert, said, "At Charles Sturt University in Dubbo we're committed to working with our local and regional communities, and offering these grants to schools and early childhood centres is a great way of doing this." Applications for CUP Rural and Regional Education Development Program category close on Monday 31 March.

Applications for the first round of Charles Sturt University (CSU) 2015 Community-University Partnerships (CUP) Grant Program are sought from organisations in Albury-Wodonga. CSU invites applications from relevant community organisations across the University's regional footprint for the Rural and Regional Education Development Program category which replaces the former 'Schools Development Grants' category and now includes early childhood. Head of Campus at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Professor Julia Coyle, said, "I am delighted to advise that the 2015 CUP for grants to schools and early childhood education centres in our region is now open and encourage all relevant organisations to consider applying. Charles Sturt University acknowledges and supports educational endeavours for students in the region, and these small grants are designed to assist primary and secondary schools and not-for-profit early childhood centres to acquire equipment or consumables that facilitate learning. As Head of Campus at the University in Albury-Wodonga I look forward to receiving grant applications." Applications for CUP Rural and Regional Education Development Program category close on Monday 31 March.

Forty eight Year 9 students from Blayney High School will participate in day-long Future Directions Workshops at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 10th March. This day aims to provide students with a memorable, exciting and interactive first-hand experience of university life while they explore ideas for their futures. Mr Ben Morris, Future Directions program coordinator for CSU in Bathurst, said, "The students will participate in two hands-on 80 minute Faculty-based activities, tour the campus and residences, explore the university library, and will have lunch in the student dining room. The hands-on workshops will be delivered by CSU lecturers for courses including paramedics, nursing, theatre/media, personal development-health-physical education (PDHPE), and human movement studies. The students then finish the day with a question and answer session led by the student leader team who understand the transition from school to university. Events like this Future Directions day are a great way to start a conversation with students about the idea of future aspirations for further education. After their workshop experiences students are often heard to say, 'I never considered university but now I really want to go'." Future Moves is a federally funded initiative, run through Charles Sturt University and aligned with the Australian Blueprint for Career Development.