THIS week, as we celebrate 30 years of Charles Sturt University, it is an interesting exercise to consider what our town and region might be like without the university.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's worth considering not only the significant economic benefit ($170.4 million gross regional product and 1517 full-time equivalent in employment to the Bathurst region alone), but also the richness, culture, diversity and opportunity the university brings to individuals, to our regions, to our nation and, indeed, to global relations through our international students.
For decades, we have provided the highest standards of education in fields critical to the ongoing success and development of our region and nation, including teaching, policing, nursing, allied health, business, communication, accounting, computing, and mathematics.
In more recent years, we have added engineering, law, physiotherapy, dentistry and, soon, the Joint Program in Medicine.
READ ALSO:
Furthermore, our graduates are the most employed in the country.
Charles Sturt University is consistently ranked in government surveys as the Australian university with the highest full-time employment rate.
The past three decades have been about creating opportunities in regional Australia, developing new campuses, shaping courses to meet industry needs, and offering flexibility to make study possible and developing graduates who can give back to their communities.
We proudly live and work by our university ethos - Yindymarra Winganganha - to create a world worth living in.
With the continued support of the communities we serve, we look forward to evolving and growing to meet community and industry needs in the decades to come.
The students and staff at Charles Sturt invite everyone in the community to join us at the Bathurst campus tomorrow to help celebrate Foundation Day.
There will be a welcome and the awarding of Charles Sturt Excellence Awards at our new Elders Space at 11.30am.
The party will kick on in the Food Bowl with music from Bathurst singer/songwriter Gabbi Bolt, a cake cutting, lunch specials and a lolly buffet.
At 12.10, there will be a commemorative tree-planting outside Pulse.
Following Foundation Day, myself and many CSU staff will be donning beanies and scarves and heading in to town to test our ice-skating skills and celebrate the Bathurst Winter Festival.
Please come along on Wednesday to help us celebrate 30 great years, and many more to come, of your university.
Help is at hand through our partnership grants
DON'T forget that Charles Sturt Community University Partnership (CUP) Grants are now open again, closing on August 9.
The grants, of up to $2000, are to help boost projects for community groups, schools, sporting clubs, Indigenous groups or cultural organisations.
Examples of projects that would be considered for grants are art shows, musical education, talks and lectures; equipment to help students engage with their schooling; and activities that enhance and promote healthy lifestyles, better mental health and general wellbeing.
Visit about.csu.edu.au/community/grants for more information.