Charles Sturt University (CSU) marketing communications students recently presented communication plans they had developed for headspace, a not-for-profit youth mental health service in Bathurst. Dr Felicity Small, lecturer in marketing at the School of Management and Marketing, said, "The purpose of the project was to have students develop relevant and contemporary campaigns for headspace with consideration to its target audiences. Forty-two third-year students in 11 teams developed a media plan including mock-ups of the creative strategy and budget information. This kind of work-integrated assessment is invaluable for students. It gives them insights into the market, and the practical applications of the concepts we teach them. It is a pleasure to work with the local community and to see the students putting so much effort into meeting their client's needs." The students presented their ideas to the marketing officer of headspace in Bathurst, Ms Karen Golland, who chose the winning CSU team called 'Pride Rock Communications'. Ms Golland said all the students had been able to create plans that could easily reach the target audiences and convey the message that headspace is a free service for 12 to 24 year-olds who need support for their mental health.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will launch the Creative Regions Lab (CRL) in Bathurst on Monday 30 June. Associate Professor Margaret Woodward, the acting Executive Dean of the CSU the Faculty of Arts, said, "The Creative Regions Lab is a teaching and research hub that aims to drive the development of creative enterprises and activities in regional Australia because innovative creative industries are needed to enrich and sustain a vibrant economic future in regional, rural and remote regions. It will explore the relationship between creativity, innovation, and regional living, and will redefine regional creative industries." Following the launch by CSU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Vann, guest speaker Professor Justin O'Connor, Professor of Communications and Cultural Economy at Monash University, will deliver a presentation titled 'Reframing Cultural Economy'. The launch of the CRL project and the recently developed website will be in The Media Hub of the School of Communication and Creative Industries (room 115, building 1399) at CSU in Bathurst at 1.30pm Monday 30 June. The event will be broadcast to CSU in Wagga Wagga at room 201, building 21 (School of Communication and Creative Industries lecture theatre near car park 2).

The Republic of Azerbaijan has hosted the inaugural conference of the International Network of Customs Universities (INCU), a not-for-profit body formed to promote the academic standing of the customs profession. The conference, Trade Facilitation Post-Bali: Putting Policy into Practice was held in late May in the city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Jointly organised by the INCU and Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee, the event brought together delegates from over 70 countries including representatives of customs administrations, the private sector, academic institutions and international organisations. Co-chairing the conference was the Canberra-based INCU President and chief executive of the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies, Professor David Widdowson. The INCU has adopted the Baku Resolution to guide its future direction. Read the resolution here. In July 2013, Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies announced a new partnership to deliver the Bachelor of Border Management and Graduate Certificate in Customs Administration by distance education.  Read more about the partnership in CSU News here. The University's Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security and the Centre for Customs Excise are co-located in Canberra's parliamentary triangle.

School students from the Riverina will get a feel for university life as well as a selection of courses in the MyDay event at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Tuesday 24 June. More than 80 students from 25 high schools across the Riverina, Central West, ACT and Victoria will attend MyDay from 9.30am to 2pm to learn about CSU courses including: nursing, pharmacy and medical science. MyDay will also feature courses from the School of Communication and Creative Industries. They include acting for stage and screen, animation and visual effects, design for theatre and television, fine arts, graphic design, photography and television production.  In the University's revamped television studio, school students will take on roles of actors, camera operators and television producers to make a program, 'Hello Riverina' from 10.30am to 11.40am in building 70, near car park 20, Kywong Place, off the roundabout at CSU's main entrance. School students will also explore the University's nursing program during two 'hands on' activities at 11 am and 12.30pm in the nursing laboratory in the David Morrell Laboratories, building 10, near car park 4, Tooma Way, CSU in Wagga Wagga. Students will also participate in practical activities in the pharmacy laboratory, level one, building 16, near car park 4, Tooma Way, CSU in Wagga Wagga between 11am and 12 noon.

Two one-day events to encourage aspirations for higher education among students in rural and remote NSW and Victoria will be hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga on Wednesday 25 June and Thursday 26 June. About 60 Year 8 and 9 students from Finley High School, Billabong High School and James Fallon High School in NSW, and Wodonga Middle Years College in Victoria will participate in workshops that will give them first-hand experience of university life. The two 'Future Directions' days are part of CSU's Future Moves program. "We want to encourage young people to become more engaged in school by introducing them to the world of university and making them more confident to consider tertiary study as a realistic option", said Future Moves Program Coordinator, Ms Ilena Young. The students will receive guided campus tours by CSU students and participate in fun activities with CSU staff from community health, environmental sciences, education and library services. The events will commence each day at 9.30 am and run to 2.30pm.

'The Good Life; what makes a life worth living?' is the topic of a free public lecture by Dr Hugh Mackay at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Tuesday 24 June. Dr Mackay is a psychologist, social researcher, commentator and author whose career has involved the close examination of Australians about their values, motivations, ambitions, hopes and fears. The Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo, Dr Bev Moriarty, said, "Charles Sturt University in Dubbo is delighted to be hosting an Exploration Series lecture by Dr Hugh Mackay. There is already strong interest in this public lecture." The public lecture will challenge the popular obsession with the pursuit of personal happiness and our striving for 'perfection' in our lives. Based on an exploration of the idea of 'goodness', Dr Mackay will argue that the good life is not the sum of our security, wealth, or level of happiness, but is defined by our capacity for selflessness, the quality of our relationships, and our willingness to connect with others in a useful way. This free public lecture is at 6 pm, Tuesday 24 June at CSU in Dubbo, and is part of the CSU 2014 Explorations public lecture series.

Social researcher, author and commentator Dr Hugh Mackay will deliver a free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Wednesday 25 June. Dr Mackay, who is also a psychologist and novelist, will examine the topic 'The good life; what makes a life worth living?'.Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, said, "Dr Mackay is a former resident of Bathurst and I look forward to welcoming him back to Charles Sturt University. He has spent his working life asking Australians about their values, motivations, ambitions, hopes and fears, and the public lecture will explore humanity's pursuit of pleasure, our attempts to perfect ourselves and our children, and our conviction that we can have our lives under control. Mr Mackay will argue that the good life is not the sum of our security, wealth, and levels of happiness, but is defined by our capacity for selflessness, the quality of our relationships, and our willingness to connect with others in a useful way." This free public lecture is at 6pm Wednesday 25 June in room 223, building 1292, at CSU in Bathurst, and is part of the CSU 2014 Explorations public lecture series.  

A new partnership between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Mitchell Conservatorium in Bathurst will be celebrated with a music performance and a free public lecture on Monday 23 June. Professor Tara Brabazon, Head of the CSU School of Teacher Education and Chair of the Mitchell Conservatorium in Bathurst, said, "I look forward to welcoming Mr Graham Sattler, the new Executive Director of the Mitchell Conservatorium, to deliver the public lecture at the University.The development of our region is part of the University's goals. There is a strong collaboration and working relationship between the School of Teacher Education and the Mitchell Conservatorium that aligns with our commitment to early childhood education, school-based music programmes, and lifelong learning in the arts. This event is the foundation for many future partnerships and collaborations, and I invite everyone to enjoy the musical contribution from members of our regional community." Mr Sattler said, "Regional Conservatoriums have a long and proud history of providing broad-ranging community music resources in non-metropolitan NSW. Partnerships with education leaders such as Charles Sturt University are critical in developing a unified approach to the enhancement of quality of life in regional areas."  

Higher education opportunities on the NSW Mid North Coast will be on show during iDay at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie on Thursday 26 June. The annual information day will showcase the expanding number of courses available on then NSW Mid North Coast including accounting, advertising, business studies, criminal justice, education (K-12), graphic design, gerontology, medical imaging, paramedics, psychology, public relations and social work. The iDay, which is part of the University's MyDay program, will be held in three sessions, from 10 am to noon, 1 to 3 pm and 5 to 7 pm at CSU at 27 Grant Street in Port Macquarie. Each session will include a presentation by University Admissions Centre (UAC) staff and information about the new CSU campus due to open in Port Macquarie in February 2016. CSU staff from the courses available through Port Macquarie in 2015 will be available to speak with student leavers and those attending iDay will be offered a tour of medical imaging facilities. CSU Prospective Student Advisor at Port Macquarie, Ms Bernadette Gammon said, "We look forward to seeing Mid North Coast school leavers and their families as well as other members of the local community who are considering taking up the growing number of higher education opportunities available through Charles Sturt University at Port Macquarie." Register for iDay online here or telephone 1800 334 733.