An information session will be held in Griffith on Thursday 20 November by TAFE NSW Riverina Institute, Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Griffith City Council for those interested in studying the integrated Diploma to Degree program. The three year program is currently offered through Riverina Institute’s Griffith Campus. Combining university and TAFE studies, the program enables students to gain a Bachelor of Business Studies through CSU as well as three further nationally recognised qualifications including a Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Management and a Certificate IV in Frontline Management through Riverina Institute. “Students benefit from expert tuition from both TAFE and university lecturers and have access to the resources and facilities of both institutions,” explained Riverina Institute’s Head of Griffith Campus, Mr Tony McBride. “The integrated program is proving an excellent model for delivering high quality education and student support,” said CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers.

For Dubbo school leavers pondering their future, twenty one year-old Charles Sturt University (CSU) early childhood education student Ms Mary Crean has a suggestion; study at CSU at Dubbo. “The Campus is special in that it has small class sizes. That means we have more one-on-one time with our lecturers and we have more access to one-on-one help. I love my smaller classes because we’re all close friends, help each other out and learn from each others’ experiences. This creates a great atmosphere to learn in.” To find out more about the University at Dubbo and the many courses available on-campus or by distance education, CSU staff and students will be at Dubbo Centro shopping mall in Macquarie Street, Dubbo, to answer questions and guide prospective students through   the next steps on their career pathways.

Ms Vicki Anderson, a career development advisor in the Division of Student Services at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst, has received one of only seven Commonwealth government ‘Study Scholarships’ awarded to university careers advisors. The Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Ms Julia Gillard, MP, Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Social Inclusion, announced a total of 76 scholarships to careers advisors working at schools, TAFEs or universities on Wednesday 12 November. ‘Study Scholarships’ are worth $5 000 each and provide support for people to undertake postgraduate studies and upgrade their career advisor skills and qualifications. Ms Anderson said, “I am delighted this scholarship will enable me to complete my current studies in career education and development, and this will enhance my ability to assist Charles Sturt University students in their exploration of life-long learning and work.”

The oddly shaped water tower at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Orange is now home to a pair of rare Peregrine Falcons and, more recently, their eggs. “We noticed a pair of falcons hunting at the campus and mounted a roosting box high up in the water tower, on the south window to encourage the raptors to hang around,” said CSU lecturer Ms Cilla Kinross. “They took to the box very quickly and no end of carnage was brought in to consume.” Two cameras have been temporarily mounted near the nest which now contains at least two eggs. “We’ve been receiving brilliant close-up footage of our new acquaintances and we are currently in the process of upgrading audio/video equipment with a website link for all to see and enjoy,” Ms Kinross said.

He hasn’t yet completed his degree, but local Orange resident and Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Farm Management student Mr Chris Blore has secured a position with Smithfield Feedlot in Queensland. Mr Blore was recently interviewed by Orange Agricultural Institute’s chief researchscientist in sheep, Dr Sue Hatcher, as part of the CSU annual graduate capability interviews. “Dr Hatcher was amember of the panel that asked Chris about his career aspirations, his suitability to the chosenposition, and the relevance of his degree studies in preparing for the workplace,” CSU lecturer in management, Ms Zelma Bone said after the interview. The interviews see graduating students andindustry representatives meet in a mock job interview setting to prepare students for the workforce. “The compulsory subject has been a great success in helping students like Chris to secure graduate job placements,” Ms Bone said.

A final year advertising student at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Communication will complete her studies and start her career with a 10-week internship in New York working for BBDO Worldwide, one the largest advertising agencies in the world. The scholarship recipient, Ms Mary-Jane Barca, praised the calibre and support of her CSU lecturers in the Bachelor of Arts (Communication-Advertising) and the many opportunities presented by the course. “They have always encouraged me to reach beyond the stars, including applying for this scholarship. I’m so glad I did,” she said. Ms Barca was the team leader of the School’s in-house Kajulu Communication advertising agency whose ‘Lynx’ campaign for the 2007/2008 Inter-Ad competition came second in the world and first in the Asia-Pacific region. She has also won a 2009 Media Federation of Australia (MFA) Trainee Program position. “When I get back from New York I will go straight to work with OMD (part of BBDO Worldwide), the biggest media agency in Sydney, so getting a position there is a massive thing,” she said.

Construction of the new 200-bed residential development for Charles Sturt University (CSU) students is nearly complete on the University’s Thurgoona site, and CSU students and staff will be able to inspect some of the new facilities on Thursday 20 November. On completion, ten modular concrete and corrugated iron buildings will each house 20 students in self-catering accommodation. The development will include ‘open plan’ kitchens and living areas in each block, with two buildings enclosing an open courtyard. The corrugated iron, which is light, strong, adaptable and durable, shields the internal concrete walls from the summer heat, enabling the buildings to maintain a more constant temperature without the use of expensive air conditioning. Rainwater collected from roofs will be used to flush toilets, while wastewater, or ‘grey water’, from kitchens and bathrooms will be pumped into the existing grey water treatment ponds on the Thurgoona site. Three buildings totalling 120 beds will be completed by the start of the academic year in February 2009, with a further 80 beds to be ready by April.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) 2007 Shiraz was one of only four wines to be awarded a Gold Medal in the 2007 Shiraz class at the 2008 Royal Melbourne Wine Show on Thursday 13 November and has now been released through the Cellar Door. The CSU 2007 Shiraz was produced with grapes from the University’s vineyard in Orange and was the only NSW wine to be nominated for this year’s Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show. The wine had already been awarded bronze medals at the Orange Wine Show in October and the Riverina Wine Show in September. “The University is delighted with the gold medal in recognition of the quality of our 2007 Shiraz,” said winemaker, Mr Andrew Drumm. “It was also a great achievement to be among the small number of red wines nominated from 660 other Australian one year old red wines for the Jimmy Watson Trophy.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will offer 20 scholarships that encourage joint studies between the University and TAFE colleges. The CSU Rural Learning Partnership Scholarships, each worth $2 000 for one year, are aimed at full-time students in need of financial assistance who are completing such courses such as the Bachelor of Business Studies in Griffith. Students with disabilities, from non-English speaking backgrounds or who are Indigenous are encouraged to apply for the competitive grants which can pay for accommodation, tuition fees, books and computers. CSU’s Head of School of Business and Information Studies, Associate Professor John Atkinson, said the Rural Learning Partnership Scholarships aim to redress some of the current financial inequities of tertiary study in regional Australia by helping students with genuine financial difficulties. The scholarships will be launched in Griffith on Thursday 20 November by CSU and NSW TAFE Riverina Institute at an integrated Business program information session.