Charles Sturt University
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Charles Sturt University (CSU) is an Australian multi-campus university in rural New South Wales. It has campuses at Bathurst, Albury, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga. It also has sites in Canberra, Sydney and Broken Hill. It is the main university servicing the west and southwest of New South Wales, and also serves north eastern Victoria.
It was established on the 19 July 1989 from the merger of several existing separately-administered Colleges of Advanced Education including the Mitchell College of Advanced Education (MCAE) in Bathurst and the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education (RMIHE) in Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga, through the enactment of The Charles Sturt University Act, 1989 (Act No. 76, 1989).
The MCAE had been formed on 1 January 1971, and the RMIHE in Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga had operated since 1985. The latter institution had earlier succeeded the Riverina College of Advanced Education (RCAE), which was itself the result of an even earlier merger between Wagga Agricultural College and Wagga Teachers College.
In late 2004, CSU formalized moves to assume control of the University of Sydney's Orange campus, which came into force on January 1. On that date, all new Orange campus students will qualify for degrees from CSU; continuing students will continue to be awarded their degrees from Sydney.
Charles Sturt University is particularly well known for its degree courses in media and communications, the creative arts, viticulture, agriculture, nursing, radiography, teaching and accountancy. CSU is also well known for its extensive range of distance education courses, being a leader in the field.
Initially CSU was one of a handful of Australian Universities not to increase tutition fees by 25%, one of the reforms introduced by federal education minster Brendan Nelson in 2004, but it has since voted to increase fees by the full 25% allowable starting from 2006.
On its Bathurst campus, CSU operates a radio station, 2MCE, which also acts as the originating studio for National Radio News, a popular community radio news service.
Notable alumni
- Melissa Doyle (Sunrise (Channel 7) presenter)
- Andrew Denton (producer and host of Enough Rope)
- Jessica Rowe (presenter of Ten's 5pm news bulletin in Sydney)
- Anna Coren (Seven Network journalist and presenter)
- Brendan Cowell (actor)
- Charlotte Wood (novelist)
- Wayne Sievers former Australian police officer, trade union official, social justice campaigner and political figure
Controversy
One of the university's dormitories at its Bathurst campus, MTG (Mitchell-Truskett-Gordon), was the scene of allegations of improper conduct by players of the Newcastle Knights rugby league club in late February 2005. The incident led to one player being sacked by the club, 12 players being fined a total of $50,000 and the club being fined $100,000 by the NRL.
External links
- Charles Sturt University's website (http://www.csu.edu.au)