Charles Sturt University

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**Charles Sturt University**

Motto	For the public good
Established	1989
Type	Public
Chancellor	Lawrie Willet
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Ian Goulter
Undergraduates	24,213
Postgraduates	9,038
Location	Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange, Wagga Wagga, Melbourne, NSW, Australia
Campus	Urban, rural
Website	www.csu.edu.au

CD Blake Auditorium, Bathurst campus, CSU

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is an Australian multi-campus university in New South Wales. It has campuses at Bathurst, Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga. It also has specialist centres in Canberra, Manly (Sydney), Goulburn and Broken Hill. It is the main university servicing the west and southwest of New South Wales, and also serves north eastern Victoria.

CSU courses are also delivered by various TAFEs (members of TAFE NSW and Holmesglen Institute of TAFE in Melbourne); and private institution Study Group's Sydney and Brisbane campuses (known as CSU Study Centres).

CSU is well known for its extensive range of distance education courses, being a leader in the field and claims to be one of Australia's largest providers of distance education.

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). It is named in honour of explorer Charles Sturt.

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 formalised moves to assume control of the University of Sydney's Orange campus, which came into force on 1 January. From that date, all new Orange campus students were eligible to qualify for degrees from CSU; continuing students continued to be awarded their degrees from Sydney.

In the 2005 Melbourne Institute International Standing of Australian Universities it was ranked 33rd out of the 38 Universities in Australia[1]

Heffron Building, Bathurst campus, CSU

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. The University's winery has been, for some thirty years, the producer of acclaimed table wines and, more recently, the University has entered the commercial market with its range of specialist cheeses.

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.

CSU Cheese Factory is located at the university's Wagga Wagga campus. Construction was completed in 1998 and cheesemaking commenced in August 1998. CSU cheese "Bidgee Cheese" sales commenced in April 1999 at the Cellar Door at the CSU Winery in Wagga Wagga. Today Bidgee Cheese is sold throughout New South Wales and Victoria.

Students at CSU are represented by Charles Sturt University Students' Association. CSUSA is the overarching students’ association of CSU and is comprised of the following affiliates:

Charles Sturt University Students’ Association Albury Wodonga (CSUSAA) – formerly Murray Campus Students’ Association;
Charles Sturt University Students’ Association Bathurst (CSUSAB) – formerly Mitchell Association of Student Councils;
Charles Sturt University Students’ Association Dubbo (CSUSAD);
Charles Sturt University Students’ Association Wagga Wagga (CSUSAW) – known as Rivcoll Union Inc;
Charles Sturt University Students’ Association Canberra – known as St Mark’s Canberra.

[edit] Notable alumni

Chris Bath (Seven Network journalist and presenter)
Anna Coren (Seven Network journalist and presenter)
Brendan Cowell (actor)
Andrew Denton (producer and host of Enough Rope)
Melissa Doyle (Sunrise presenter on Channel 7)
Jane Hutcheon (ABC journalist and Foreign Correspondent)
Amanda Kellar (WSFM radio announcer)
Deborah Knight (Network ten newsreader)
Gabby Millgate (actor)
Jessica Rowe (Today show presenter, formerly of Ten's 5pm Sydney news)
Wayne Sievers former Australian police officer, trade union official, social justice campaigner and political figure
Charlotte Wood (novelist)