Recipients of Charles Sturt Foundation scholarships for 2007 will be recognised at the presentation ceremony at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus on Friday 25 May. Two hundred and thirty five scholarships worth over $500 000 will be awarded to new and continuing students studying across the five main campuses at CSU, including scholarships to 111 students on the Bathurst Campus. As well as receiving the scholarships, which are awarded on the basis of academic merit, leadership and contribution to the community, the ceremony provides an opportunity for the students to meet their scholarship donor. Head of Campus, Professor Greg Walker, will introduce scholarship donors and recipients, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Ian McIntosh will present scholarship certificates. Tom Nicol, receiving the Nine Network Richard Carleton Memorial Scholarship, will present a vote of thanks on behalf of the scholars.

A visiting expert from the United Kingdom (UK) will discuss the importance of communication and of working together to identify and support children with speech, language and communication impairment at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Bathurst tonight, Tuesday 22 May. Professor Sue Roulstone from the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, UK, will discuss Children’s speech and language difficulties; whose problem are they? in a free public lecture. “Speech and language are closely linked to our social context,” Professor Roulstone said. “Our culture and our interests affect the way we speak and the words we use. In the lecture I will consider the differences in how we think and talk about children’s speech and language difficulties, and the differences in the ways we help the children. Based on our UK research, I will identify the different roles played by families, professionals and the children themselves as they grow up.” The lecture is open to teachers, speech pathologists, health professionals and interested members of the public.

Dental practitioners across regional Australia have welcomed Commonwealth Government funding of $65.1 million for the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Dentistry and Oral Health announced in last week’s Federal Budget. A dentist practising in the NSW inland city of Wagga Wagga, Dr Kathleen Matthews has congratulated the University for “deservedly winning the funding for the CSU dental school. As a local practitioner I am personally excited at the prospect … and see this as a unique opportunity for a regionally based ‘community of practice’ to be formed, not only for the benefit of local and visiting health professionals and educators, but for the oral and systemic health of our population”. CSU Vice Chancellor Ian Goulter says, “Our plan for dental education in inland NSW will rely heavily on the participation of existing dental practitioners in our regional communities in the clinical education program”.

While grain growers rejoice, a Charles Sturt University (CSU) livestock expert is warning recent widespread rainfall across New South Wales and Victoria brings risks as well as great benefits for pastoralists. Professor Kym Abbott from the CSU School of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences Wagga Wagga Campus says sheep flocks and cattle herds face the increased threat of parasitic infestation over the next four to six weeks as parasite larvae, that had lain dormant in the soil, move onto pastures. He is urging sheep and cattle producers to closely monitor parasite egg counts over the next few months to treat sheep if necessary but avoid the excessive use of drenches. Professor Abbott says sheep and calves in particular risk weight loss and scour from parasites such as Brown Stomach worm, Black Scour worm and Nematodirus which thrive after prolonged periods of drought.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will celebrate the reward for years of hard work embodied in degrees, diplomas and certificates to be awarded to 721 graduands at the CSU Goulburn Campus on Friday 18 May. The NSW inland city will be swept up in celebration as families and friends gather to acknowledge the achievements of some 165 graduands who are due to attend the ceremony from the Faculty of Arts and the Australian Graduate School of Policing. NSW Police Commisioner Ken Moroney will present new police recruits with their testamurs. The occasional address will be delivered by Dr Leigh Gassner, Assistant Commissioner with the Victoria Police Academy and a musical interlude will be performed by the NSW Police Band. Prize winners at the ceremony will include Ms Melanie Roseman, who will receive the Constable Education Program Medallion for her top academic performance in the Associate Degree in Policing Practice; Ms Rashelle Conroy, the Police Associate of NSW Award in the Bachelor of Policing; and Ms Debra Dawes, the Police Department Employees Credit Union Award in the Bachelor of Policing (Investigations).

Major developments at Charles Sturt University (CSU) continue as work begins on an expanded School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. A $8 million Clinical Training Centre to be built on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus will be used to train undergraduate students in clinical veterinary medicine, surgery, diagnostic imaging and reproduction. The facility will include a large animal surgery and hospital, small animal teaching surgery, diagnostic imaging for both small and large animals, a reproduction laboratory and barn, as well as offices and tutorial spaces. The cutting edge imaging facilities will include scintigraphy, computerised tomography, ultrasonography and digital radiography. Director of Veterinary Science, Professor Kym Abbott said, “In addition to providing the facility for the veterinary science program, the Clinical Training Centre will build and extend pre-existing expertise at CSU in equine science and medical imaging.”

A taste of Tennessee comes to inland Australia through the Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) newest theatre production. More widely recognised for his success with The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams’s lesser known work Orpheus Descending is one of his most lyrical and beautiful plays. Williams gives a new version of the myth of Orpheus through the musician Val and his encounters with conservative sceptics who dominate a small town in America’s Deep South. Orpheus Descending is directed by CSU’s new lecturer in acting, Ashley Wain, and is performed by CSU third year acting students. The set is designed by visiting Egyptian PhD student Dahlia Farah, with other design roles and stage management being undertaken by CSU third year students of the CSU degree in theatre design.

It is a case of ”first Wagga Wagga, then the world” as the fourth annual Australian International Animation Festival (AIAF) comes to inland Australia. This year’s three-day festival, starting on Friday 18 May, has gathered the largest and most impressive collection of animated films to be seen in Australia. AIAF’s Malcolm Turner says, “It is the first time that the festival will open in Wagga Wagga.” He adds, “The NSW inland city is now placed firmly on the world map”. Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer Andrew Hagan said the festival, to be held at the Forum 6 Cinema, “Will be jam-packed with 100 spectacular animated films from 30 countries, intertwined with informative workshops, plus a few surprise screenings”. One of this year’s highlights will be CSU’s Damian Candusso discussing his role in the Oscar Award-winning film Happy Feet. The catalogue of animated films will then screen at festivals around the world including Hungary and embark on an extensive tour of regional towns across Australia.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is playing a key role in an international comparative study of the juvenile justice systems in NSW and India. Ms Asha Mukundan, an academic from the Centre for Criminology and Justice, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India, is a visiting fellow at CSU through the Federal Government’s prestigious 2007 Endeavour Research Fellowship program. The research is aimed at understanding the function of various agencies under NSW Juvenile Justice focusing on the roles, activities and procedures of delivery systems; institutional and non institutional rehabilitation options and the potential application of best practices in India. The research is supervised by CSU Associate Professor Manohar Pawar, who says it is a great opportunity for CSU and the Tata Institute to work together and explore further collaborative activities.