A formal graduation ceremony at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Ontario on Friday 13 June  will recognise the achievements of nearly 200 students. Distance education students and more than 150 Bachelor of Primary Education Studies (BPES) Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies (BECS) and Master of International Education (School Leadership) graduands from CSU's School of Education will receive their awards. "It is exciting to see the students in this graduating class take the next step in their careers," said CSU Ontario Provost and Head of Campus, Associate Professor Will Letts. "Each one of our students is truly passionate about teaching and learning and has so much to offer their future students, colleagues and communities. They are so well prepared and I know they are going to shine." Senator, Dr Vern White, who was awarded a Doctor of Police Leadership from CSU's Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security (AGSPS) in 2013, will address graduates, friends and family during the ceremony at the Burlington Convention Centre. CSU Chancellor Mr Lawrie Willett AO and the University's President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann will travel from Australia for the event. Read more about the graduation ceremony here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host the annual 2014 Secondary School Principals' Conference in Bathurst from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 June. Professor Toni Downes, the Executive Dean of the CSU Faculty of Education, said, "Charles Sturt University is very pleased to host this annual conference for NSW secondary school principals. I look forward to welcoming the principals, and the NSW Minister for Education, The Hon. Mr Adrian Piccoli, who will deliver an address to the conference on Wednesday 11 June. The conference is especially important at this time when significant government policies that will have profound impacts on the future of education in Australia are being debated. In particular, we need to ensure that all education – from early childhood through to Vocational Education and Training (VET) and higher education - are seen as an investment that has a significant return for the productivity and social inclusion of society," Professor Downes said. Between 280 to 300 high school principals are expected to attend the conference.

Fifty-five senior students from 21 regional high schools will attend a MyDay event at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 5 June to learn about courses and careers in teaching and education. CSU prospective student adviser, Ms Melinda Negus, said, "MyDay events give senior high school students an opportunity to receive detailed and personalised information about a range of courses and career options. This MyDay will enable students to make well-informed choices about which courses will suit their needs and career aspirations. Lecturers and advisers will provide information sessions in the Interactive Learning Centre (building 1432) which is a state-of-the-art high-tech 'classroom of the future'."

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) journalism alumnus and '60 Minutes' TV current affairs reporter, Ms Allison Langdon, will address communication students in Bathurst today, Tuesday 3 June. Journalism lecturer at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst, Ms Kay Nankervis, said, "It is always very rewarding for our students when former graduates return to speak to them about their experiences of the industry the students are studying to enter. Allison Langdon completed her Charles Sturt University journalism degree at the end of 2000, and went on to a career in television news before joining the '60 Minutes' reporting team in 2011. Allison is keen to share insights with students about gaining employment into the media industry after completing University, and will be open to questions from students." Ms Allison Langdon will address students this afternoon from 3pm to 4pm Tuesday 3 June in lecture room 347 in the Mansfield Building (building 1411).

Two experts will consider the current state of Aboriginal Australia from different perspectives as part of National Reconciliation Week at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury Wodonga on Tuesday evening, 3 June. CSU education academic Ms Leonie McIntosh with the School of Education will consider what reconciliation means through the eyes of a Wiradjuri person, while Mr Ian Anderson from the University of Melbourne will speak on 'Indigenous Health In a Global Context: Contemporary Challenges' at the free public event. Head of the CSU Albury-Wodonga Campus, Professor Julia Coyle, said the event brings together a very personal story with stark clinical facts about Aboriginal people in modern Australia. The lectures run from 7 to 9 pm in the CD Blake Lecture Theatre, CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

Two PhD students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have been recognised at the recent 2014 Speech Pathology Australia National Conference in Melbourne. Ms Sarah Verdon from the School of Teacher Education at CSU in Bathurst was awarded Best Student Paper Prize. Ms Sarah Masso, also from the School of Teacher Education, was awarded one of four Best Poster Prizes at the conference held from Sunday 18 to Wednesday 21 May. Both students are PhD scholars at the University's Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education (RIPPLE). They are supervised by Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Professor Sharynne McLeod. In June, Professor McLeod and three of her PhD students – Ms Verdon, Ms Masso, and Ms Suzanne Hopf - will present papers at the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association in Sweden and will host a meeting of the International Expert Panel of Multilingual Children's Speech. Professor McLeod will also visit the Icelandic National Hearing and Speech Institute in late June. Her trip will focus on multilingual children's speech acquisition. : Read more about Professor McLeod's work in her "Speaking my language" blog here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students will present their marketing communication recommendations to several Central West organisations at CSU in Bathurst on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 June. Twenty-four teams each with four to six second and third-year students from the CSU School of Management and Marketing and the School of Communication and Creative Industries have researched briefs provided by four organisations to develop marketing communication recommendations. The student groups will have up to 12 minutes to highlight their research and make recommendations to representatives of the organisations and CSU academics. Marketing lecturer Mr Andrew Mashman said, "These students will benefit from these client-based research projects in a number of ways. Firstly, they learn to investigate and leverage the academic theory they have learned. They experience the excitement and tensions of having to deliver their findings to a real client who is likely busy, time-poor and expectant, in a corporate-style environment. Each student receives valuable team-work experience where they have to be self-reliant and manage various stakeholders for success. Finally, students have a major differentiator in their portfolio or resume which starts a whole different conversation during job interviews, because these experiences make CSU students more employable."

Sixty seven students will receive scholarships valued at $245 000 at the 2014 Charles Sturt University (CSU) Foundation Trust scholarship ceremony in Bathurst on Friday 30 May. Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, said, "The ceremony is a chance for the University to thank our scholarship donors for their generosity. It's a highly emotional occasion for all concerned. The donors meet the individuals they are supporting and, for many donors, the gift itself has its own special and often very personal meaning. At the same time the students celebrate their achievements, and have the opportunity to express their gratitude in person. And of course the student's parents and supporters beam with pride." Notable recipients and scholarships to be presented include: Ms Laura Cole (Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations) / Bachelor of Business Studies) - Bathurst Regional Council Scholarship;Ms Cole hopes for a career in events management upon graduation, while continuing to contribute to community service and not-for-profit organisations. She has previously been a Senior Councillor at MacKillop College (Bathurst), was elected as Deputy Mayor of the Bathurst Youth Council, and is currently Bathurst's Jack Aubin Youth Citizen of the Year. She says that this scholarship will make a significant contribution to her tertiary education costs, and will also assist with the costs of her planned trip to Cambodia later this year to help in disadvantaged communities. Ms Carissa Licciardello (Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media)) – the Blair Milan Memorial Scholarship;Since commencing her studies at CSU, Ms Licciardello has relished the many opportunities that have extended her skills in theatre, and particularly performance through study and practical experience. She feels that being awarded the Blair Milan scholarship means being given the honour of continuing Blair's legacy of hard work, a love of theatre and performance, and a joy for life. Ms Lucy Waterer (Bachelor of Computer Science) – the Australian Computer Society Foundation Scholarship;When Ms Waterer applied for entry to the Bachelor of Computer Science last year, she wondered if she was silly for considering a career in a tech industry given that she was a 34 year-old stay-at-home mother with no experience in computing. She says winning this scholarship is a sign that she made the right decision, and a reminder that she is capable of more than just running a household. Mr Ron Camplin, OAM, will attend as a donor to present the Radio 2BS Bathurst Broadcasters Scholarship, and the Ron Camplin OAM Scholarship.The CSU Foundation Scholarship Ceremony will be held at 11.30am Friday 30 May in the CD Blake Auditorium (building 1220) at CSU in Bathurst, following a morning tea at 10.30am for donors and recipients. Professor Jo-Anne Reid, University Council Member, will present the scholarships.  

A US entrepreneur and business leader will meet academics and Aboriginal business leaders at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Friday 30 May. African-American author and business leader Mr Clifton Taulbert is the guest of the CSU Faculty of Business. His Dubbo visit is part of a brief tour to highlight the current Australian Indigenous leadership and entrepreneurship research being conducted by CSU. Dr Michelle Evans, senior lecturer in leadership at the CSU School for Management and Marketing, said, "The University aims to advance the development of Australian Indigenous leadership and entrepreneurship, and Mr Taulbert has extensive US experience to share with his audience in Dubbo. His presentation, 'Dual Initiatives: Building Community and Entrepreneurial Thinking', will explore how his life was nurtured and changed by ordinary people using the 'Eight Habits of the Heart' in the process of building community. He saw the personal impact of business ownership on people who were entrepreneurs even though they may not have been familiar with that term." Mr Taulbert's presentation starts at 12.30pm Friday 30 May.