Parents of NSW Central West senior high school students are encouraged to register for an opportunity to discuss life after Year 12 with staff and current students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Friday 26 February. “The Parent Information session will look at options after Year 12 such as a gap year, graduate outcomes, pathways into university and costs associated with university study,” CSU prospective student advisor Ms Fran Dwyer said. “Parents will find out about financial assistance such as scholarships, student support services, discuss regional universities versus metropolitan universities, and we will also offer an optional campus tour.” Running from 9.30am to 12noon on Friday 26 February, the session will take place at CSU in Orange. To register, call Ms Judy Walsh on (02) 6338 6010.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) wines were praised at a recent luncheon hosted by the prestigious Melbourne Cricket Club Wine & Food Society. CSU winemaker Mr Andrew Drumm was invited to match a selection of CSU wines with food at the monthly dinner and to speak about the characteristics of the wines. The sold out event held on Wednesday 24 February catered for over 170 people and Mr Drumm said it was a great opportunity to showcase CSU wines to an appreciative audience of wine lovers. “The diners were particularly interested in The College Muscat which we served with dessert and this prompted a wide-ranging discussion about which state produces the best port.”

The winner of an inaugural national cropping competition has returned to Australia from New Zealand (NZ) to finish his Charles Sturt University (CSU) degree in 2010. Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) student Mr Sandy Middleton, from the School of Agriculture and Wine Sciences at CSU at Wagga Wagga, won the inaugural Australian University Crops Competition late last year. He was one of five top students to travel to NZ in January to learn about that country’s cropping industry. During the fully-funded four-day industry tour, the group met with local university representatives and visited the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, a number of farms and a seed production company. Mr Middleton told Get Farming New Zealand, that the trip was a terrific opportunity to learn about crop production in a completely different environment. "The trip gave us an insight into the issues facing New Zealand's grain producers who farm in a cool environment where water is abundant," Mr Middleton said. The CSU student from the Kyeamba Valley near Wagga Wagga is completing his degree by distance education. He is currently working as an agronomist based in Holbrook.

The work of Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor of Education Stephen Kemmis achieved international recognition in Scandinavia last year. Professor Kemmis, from the School of Education at CSU in Wagga Wagga, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Education from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland and, six months later, an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The Honorary Doctorate in Sweden was in recognition of his international work in education and his involvement in the education of PhD students. Before an audience of about 1 500 people in Gothenburg, Sweden, late last year, Professor Kemmis was also presented the University of Gothenburg’s gold doctoral ring, doctoral hat and laurel crown. His Honorary Doctor of Education from the University of Jyväskylä recognised his work in critical theory and action research. In that ceremony, Professor Kemmis received a top hat with a gold badge and a doctoral sword; styled on the model of the 18th century civilian sword used by Finnish gentlemen. Professor Kemmis is a leading researcher in CSU’s Research Institute for Professional Practice (RIPPLE). In addition to his work at CSU, Professor Kemmis is internationally renowned for his research in the areas of professional practice, approaches to educational research and evaluation, educational curriculum, Indigenous education, and university development.

Mental health industry representatives and Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff in Orange will hear about Australia’s only mental health program for Indigenous people at a meeting being held this Thursday 11 March. The Djirruwang Program, run by CSU’s School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health, is recognised  as a best practice model within CSU. The University's Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health), which is part of the program, aims to prepare graduates who have appropriate knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes to work competently as mental health workers within their own communities and mainstream mental health services. The course is designed in collaboration with a community-based Aboriginal Mental Health Steering Committee and the Greater Southern Area Health Service. The members of the seminar panel include Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health Professor Elaine Duffy, Course Coordinator Mr Wayne Rigby, clinical coordinator of Aboriginal Mental Health, Mr Tyrone Toomey, and Program graduate Ms Sonia Butler.

There has been a welcome start to the new academic year for one of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) residential colleges, St Martin’s College. In a surprise announcement, Richardson Johnson College, a Christian organisation supporting education, has donated $400 000 to St Martin’s College at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The Reverend Jenny Willsher from St Martin’s says the generous donation will enable the College to reduce its debt and offer two Richard Johnson College Scholarships to students each year based on need. One of St Martin’s cottages will also be named after the donor. Last year, St Martin’s opened the Fairfax Centre, a new community centre for the 98 students living in the College’s 12 cottages.

Through a new initiative between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and its TAFE partners, a number of TAFE graduates have secured scholarships to help them begin study at CSU. Ms Belinda Wallis, a former Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) student, has commenced CSU’s Vocational Education and Training degree program after completing an Advanced Diploma in Adult Vocational Education at CIT. “The University Pathways Scholarship is a fantastic opportunity and I hope to make both Charles Sturt University and CIT proud,” she said. Ms Wallis is one of 10 former TAFE students to win scholarships in 2010 provided by the University through the CSU University Pathways Scholarship. This program is in partnership with CIT, Riverina Institute and TAFE Western. CIT Acting Chief Executive Mr Peter Kowald said the CSU scholarships would allow more people to access further education. “By getting a scholarship the obstacle is gone and the doorway is open to a better career due to having a higher qualification.” CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Ross Chambers said the program is part of the University’s ongoing commitment to create strong education pathways and collaboration from TAFE to University in its regions.

Over 20 students from around NSW and Victoria have received a chance to commence university studies with Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Pathway Program which started last week in Albury and Wodonga. CSU course coordinator Dr Richard Taffe says the students, who have enrolled in CSU’s one-year University Certificate in General Studies, are studying in the first half of 2010 with Wodonga Institute of TAFE and then with CSU in Albury-Wodonga. “Charles Sturt University is committed to giving students from rural and remote areas the opportunity to get a university education and a professional degree,” Dr Taffe said. Wodonga TAFE CEO, Mr Mike O’Loughlin, said the program highlights the collaborative partnership being developed by CSU and Wodonga TAFE that provide sustainable pathways for students into tertiary education in regional Australia. The first group of students come from as far as Nowra, Griffith and country Victoria to study for the University Certificate, which is one of a number of transition programs being offered by the University.

A delegation of senior officials from the Ministry of Education and 18 universities in China will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 12 March to discuss the potential for academic initiatives and partnerships between their institutions and the CSU Faculties of Education, Science, Business and Arts. Professor Jo-Anne Reid, the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Education, said, “The purpose of the delegation's visit to Australia and Charles Sturt University is to gain an overview of teacher education in Australia and current trends. We will be discussing opportunities for academic and student exchange, and potential research collaboration. The delegation is particularly interested in Charles Sturt University as a regional university because many of the universities represented are spread throughout rural China.”