Two journalists from the small European state of Montenegro, the world’s newest nation, have visited Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bathurst Campus to learn about how the media works in Australia and how the university promotes itself through the media. Dr Hazbo Skoko, a lecturer at the CSU School of Marketing and Management, hosted the visit and acted as interpreter for Mr Vukoman Batko Kljajevic, a radio and TV journalist for Crna Gora, the Montenegro Government Broadcast Company, and Mr Murat Corovic, chief editor of the MOZAIK magazine for culture, education and tradition. Dr Skoko said the visiting journalists were impressed with CSU students’ lifestyles and facilities. “They also were very impressed with the Australian educational system and the transparency, friendliness and easy going approach of the work of lecturers and students.”

The most significant sculpture or art work commissioned by Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be dedicated at a special 20th anniversary event at the Bathurst Campus on Saturday 18 April. Intended as a lasting memorial to the students and staff of Bathurst Teachers College (BTC), the Bathurst Teachers College Commemorative Water Feature is now a focal point within the Bathurst Alumni Common. In 2005, Dr Peter Wilson, ceramic artist and sculptor, alumnus of Mitchell College of Advanced Education and senior lecturer in creative arts at the CSU School of Teacher Education, was commissioned to design and create the feature. “The concept I developed is loosely based on the spiralled nautilus shell, where the fins all emanate from a central point, spiralling outwards. This represents the paths our students take but forever stay connected by their shared experiences and commitment to the creation of new knowledge for the next generation,” Dr Wilson said.

The acting Dean of the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Associate Professor Julia Coyle will honour outstanding CSU graduates and students at a ceremony at Albury-Wodonga. The 2009 Dean's Awards and Prizes will be presented to graduates and students who have received a Distinction or above in all subjects studied in any one academic session for a full-time student or in two successive sessions for distance education students. The ceremony will be held at 10.30am on Thursday 23 April in Nowik Lecture Theatre, Guinea St, Albury. The event will be followed in the afternoon by CSU graduation ceremonies in Albury.

Thirteen students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Community Health  will be among the 18 students to receive scholarships worth over $35 000 from the Charles Sturt Foundation in recognition of their academic achievements. The annual CSU Scholarships Presentation Ceremony allows the recipients to meet with their scholarship donors and for the University to recognise their contributions to higher education on the Border. Scholarships are awarded to current students based on academic merit, leadership and contribution to the community. The annual Presentation Ceremony will start at 6pm on Thursday 23 April in the Nowik Auditorium on the University’s Albury City site, Guinea St, Albury. Other scholarships to be awarded include three CSU Excellence scholarships to current local students.

Over 120 animated films, selected from 2 000 world-wide, will screen in Wagga Wagga when the Australian International Animation Festival returns in May for its sixth year. Festival organiser and Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer Mr Andrew Hagan said all films were selected by experts, with many having won international awards and a few making their premiere screening. “The range of styles, genres and techniques is testament to the vibrancy and relevance of creative animation. We’ve worked hard to reflect that incredible diversity to capture a true snapshot of the inspiring international animation scene,” Mr Hagan said. “A lead animator on the hit movie Mary & Max, Mr John Lewis, has created an exclusive trailer from sand-animation which will play in the cinema in the lead up to the festival.” Children can also view a carefully selected program for young children and, for the first time, the Festival’s International Program is open to all, including high school students.

Education, industrial relations and a low carbon future is the topic of a public lecture to be presented by Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President Sharan Burrow at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury on Thursday 23 April. Ms Burrow says Australian education institutions are well placed to deepen workforce planning and frame skills development to meet the challenges facing Australia. "We must position ourselves to ensure we have the education and skills to capture a half trillion dollar share of a three trillion dollar global green industry. Our universities and colleges, businesses and unions, must drive demand for research and development and for an intensity of skills effort like never before, and government must stand ready to partner these plans.  Our workplaces must meet the industrial challenges and changes this new economy requires," Ms Burrow said. The second annual Bob Meyenn Education Lecture will commence at 7.30pm in the Nowik Auditorium, CSU Albury City site, Guinea St, Albury.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Faculty of Business will hail the academic success of its students and prospective graduates during a ceremony to be held this week in Albury. Business graduate Rebecca Penglase will receive  special attention for her achievements after winning the top Faculty award, the Faculty of Business Award for Outstanding Achievement, to complement the University Medal she receives the following day. Accounting graduate Elizabeth Hildebrand will receive the top ICA Prize for the Most Outstanding Accounting Graduating Student at CSU. In all 26 prizes will be presented to 16 students by the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Professor John Hicks, during the ceremony to be held at 10am on Friday 24 April in the School of Business and Information Technology building on the University’s Thurgoona site, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

Students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will honour the men and women of Australia’s armed services, past and present, when they lay a wreath at the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at the Carillon War Memorial in Kings Parade, Bathurst, on Saturday 25 April. Mr Tim East, a third year student at the School of Teacher Education and the head resident of Chifley Halls at the CSU Bathurst Campus, said that today’s students want to play a part to continue and preserve the ANZAC legacy. “CSU students attended the Dawn Service last year and felt they were missing out,” Mr East said. “We wanted to unite the University’s student community with the rest of Bathurst, and to formally pay our respect on behalf of the residences at CSU. Many of us have family members who served in the armed forces, or have mates who are serving now. We want CSU students to stand proud as Australians and hold the values of determination, courage, compassion and resourcefulness throughout their lives.”

There was loud applause for awarding-winning Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher Associate Professor Gavin Ash as he received public recognition for his work in the fields of agricultural and veterinary sciences and environmental sciences. Professor Ash was named earlier this year the recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence 2007. The CSU academic received his award from the Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter during the graduation ceremonies on the Wagga Wagga Campus in April. Professor Ash, from the CSU School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, was honoured for his outstanding contribution to innovative research in plant pathology, identifying and determining the risk posed by diseases in crops and exploring innovative approaches to the management of diseases and weeds. Since joining CSU at Wagga Wagga in 1990, Professor Ash has attracted more than $4.2 million in research funds, written for over 150 publications and supervised 38 postgraduate students. In the last five years Professor Ash has authored 27 refereed publications and gained 27 research grants.