More than 500 mourners have attended a memorial service at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus on Monday 4 February to honour former Chancellor, Dr David Asimus, AO, who died on Australia Day 2008. Moving tributes to Dr Asimus were delivered in eulogies from Ian Macintosh, Ian Sully and son-in-law James Sutherland. The congregation included the Hon. Kay Hull, federal Member for Riverina; The Hon. Daryl McGuire, NSW Member for Wagga; John Fairfax, Chairman, Fairfax Media, the Hon. Tim Fischer, Former Deputy Prime Minister; The Rev. Archbishop Francis Carroll, Catholic Bishop of Canberra; Mr Lawrie Willet AO, Chancellor CSU and Mr James Sutherland, CEO Cricket Australia. Dr Asimus was elected the foundation Chancellor of CSU in 1989 and served in this post until 2002. As Chancellor, he oversaw the integration of the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education and Mitchell College of Advanced Education to form the new Charles Sturt University.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is mourning the death of one of its founding fathers, Mr Peter Hastie, who passed away on Tuesday 29 January at Eltham Lodge in Victoria at the age of 79. Mr Hastie was appointed on 16 October 1969 as Chairman of the Interim Council of the Riverina College of Advanced Education (RCAE), and then as Chairman of the Council until 30 June 1982. At the time, he was the longest serving Chairman of the governing body of an institute of higher education in New South Wales. Under his Chairmanship, RCAE grew from a small single-purpose institution, with fewer than 450 students, to the ninth largest College of Advanced Education in Australia. Mr Hastie was also a driving force behind the relocation of the former Wagga Teachers’ College to land adjoining the Wagga Agricultural College. The CSU Boorooma site stands as direct evidence of Mr Hastie’s vision, energy and insight. The Peter Hastie Ovals, located at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus, were named in his honour on 21 October 1992. A funeral service for Mr Peter Hastie will be held at the Le Pine Chapel at Eltham, Victoria, on Monday 4 February commencing at 12 noon. Mr Hastie is survived by daughters Janet Twigden, Fiona Cropley and son Warwick Hastie.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) sensory scientist Anthony Saliba will present his latest research on consumer wine preferences when he attends the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research and Tamar Ridge Estates Vineyard Field Day. The field day, to be held on Wednesday 23 January, will highlight recent research in the viticulture industry, with a number of Tasmanian researchers also speaking to wine makers and industry representatives. Professor Saliba, who is based at the NWGIC on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, will talk about his research into consumer preferences for wine flavours, which will influence future trends and innovations in Australian wine production.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) have extended condolences to the Drayton family over the tragic death of Mr Trevor Drayton who was killed in an explosion at the Drayton Family Winery at Pokolbin in the NSW Hunter Valley on Thursday 17 January 2008. Professor Thomas Henick-Kling, Director, National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, says Mr Drayton was a highly respected leader of the Australian wine industry who will be sadly missed by all who knew and worked with him. His knowledge and experience was a wonderful resource for the national wine industry. Mr Drayton contributed to the research activities of the NWGIC and his input will be missed but not forgotten. CSU and the NWGIC also expresses condolences to the family of a second man, Mr Edgar Orgo, also killed in the tragic incident, and hopes for a full and speedy recovery of Mr William Rikard-Bell, a graduate of CSU in 2006 with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine Science), who was injured in the conflagration.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is providing excellence in education for Riverina business managers through a series of workshops to develop and improve their businesses. A recent two-day workshop, run by the University’s Professional Development Unit in partnership with accounting firm Paisley Robertson and the ANZ Bank, covered such topics as how to attract more customers, how to increase sales and improve cash-flow, developing a compelling vision, planning for business success, how to differentiate your business in the market and how to find more time for the things you love to do, including how to create greater harmony and balance in your life. Comments from those who attended ranged from”brilliant” to ”a dynamic workshop that is a must-attend for everyone who owns a small business”. As a result CSU plans to run more workshops in 2008.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is igniting the interest of keen young minds about an exciting career in science and technology. The Siemens Science Experience will be held over three days at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus from Wednesday 16 January to Friday 18 January 2008. Twenty-two Year 10 students from across inland NSW will attend workshops designed to show them about the possibilities of science and technology as a career. The event will also demonstrate, through a range of interesting activities, that a career in science and technology can be rewarding and that people working in these fields enjoy it. The Siemens Science Experience is a national event run at 32 universities across Australia.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design graduate Emily Harris has won a national competition to create a new design for National Youth Week (NYW) 2008. Emily’s design features the slogan Shout, Share, Live, Unite. The pink, blue, white and black creation will be used on NYW 2008 promotional material, including websites and posters. Ms Harris, from the NSW inland city of Wagga Wagga, says she was "so happy, it was awesome". Ms Harris studied a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design at CSU Wagga Wagga Campus then began working for Melbourne design firm House Mouse in mid-2007. “It’s an industry that is tough to break into because it is so competitive”, she says, and her advice to prospective graphic designers is to "stick with it if it is your dream”. Emily relished the opportunity for creativity that the National Youth Week Design Competition offered, saying that it was an exciting "opportunity to express your own form of design".

Stunning images of the plants and animals of Central America, selected from the extensive collection of a Charles Sturt University academic, are now on show in Albury until February. Associate Professor David Watson is an ecologist with a passion for the world’s forests who has travelled extensively through Central America to study the plants and animals of tropical rainforests. Hosted by the University’s Institute of Land, Water and Society and Albury City, the exhibition features 20 pictures from David's collection, as well as limited release prints of these images, with proceeds used to fund further environmental research. The Studies of the Forest exhibition is being held in the Albury Library Museum, Kiewa St, Albury until Sunday 24 February. Professor Watson is currently working on the importance of mistletoe as an indicator of the health of Australian native forests.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is ensuring communities of inland Australia have continued access to quality higher education by granting approval for the Sydney-based art-supply company The Art Scene to continue to deliver the Mitchell School of Arts (MSA) programs. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Lyn Gorman, says the driving force behind this decision is to continue a long standing program that provides artistic, social and economic stimulus to the arts community, and to allow CSU to maintain focus on its core business of providing higher education programs. The Art Scene has been involved with the MSA program for many years and has the expertise to continue the program, according to its manager Mr Paul Malouf. “We are committed to continuing and further developing the excellent art programs that have been offered in the past by the University and retaining a reputation as the leading arts program of its kind in Australia,” he said. The Art Scene plans to offer the Henry Malouf Mitchell School of Art Scholarship and will continue to use facilities on CSU’s Bathurst Campus. Funds held in trust by CSU from the Friends of the MSA will be transferred to The Art Scene, enabling it to continue to offer scholarships to eligible participants in the program.