Charles Sturt University (Australia)

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is the largest regionally based University in Australia and the country’s leading provider of distance education.  The name of the University honors the noted explorer, soldier and public servant Captain Charles Napier Sturt.  In the tradition of exploration, learning, inquiry and discovery as embodied in the life and work of Charles Sturt, the University has as its motto – for the public good.  With origins dating back to the founding of Experimental Farms in the 1890s, CSU was established in 1989 as a multi-campus institution and has since grown into a dynamic and progressive University well-known for its innovative approach to education and applied research.  Charles Sturt University website>>>

Course and Research Profile

Through its network of campuses, and in close association with industry, professions and government, CSU is committed to maintaining a course and research profile to meet the needs and support the aspirations of its communities, and contribute to the enrichment and the sustainable growth of regional Australia.  Many CSU graduates choose to stay and embark on their careers in rural and regional areas where they can make a real difference by providing vital skills and services.

Provision of Services

Charles Sturt University works closely with local communities and industries through the provision of a broad range of services from health clinics to research consultancies, and by working together on projects that deliver mutual benefits to its communities and the University.

International Partnerships

International study partnerships, as well as travel and exchange opportunities provided through CSU Global, play a key role in supporting CSU’s commitment to participating in the internationalisation of higher education. Students from all over the world enrol at CSU by distance education, joining CSU’s global community and enjoying the flexibility and excellent online resources and support CSU offers.

Community Portal

Charles Sturt University’s Community Portal has been designed as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for the community, government and business to access information about the University’s campuses, services and other opportunities.

CSU in the Community

Charles Sturt University is engaged with a range of regional community organisations to support the development of its regions.  CSU’s support includes providing access to University facilities to conduct programs, staff participation on committees and boards, community based research and projects, and activities funded under the University-Community Partnerships Program.

Community-University Partnerships (CUP) Program

Charles Sturt University’s Community-University Partnerships (CUP) Program aims to cultivate strong, relevant and collaborative partnerships designed to promote higher education opportunity and research excellence through University and community engagement.  The CUP program incorporates the CUP Grants Program, Explorations Series, and other community-focused initiatives.

CUP Grants Program

The CUP Grants Program represents an investment in community-university partnerships.  The goal of the program is to support the development of the University’s regions through contributions to cultural, economic, sporting and related activities and building higher education aspiration and awareness particularly amongst young people in rural and regional communities.  Estimated funding in 2015 exceeds $160,000.

Explorations Series

Charles Sturt University’s “Explorations Series” aims to engage the University’s rural and regional communities in discussion and debate about major issues facing the regions, the nation and the world.  $25,000 per annum is contributed to the Explorations Series to fund public lectures, workshops, panels and conferences through which the University aims to share the knowledge of its own academic and intellectual leaders with its communities, and to bring new knowledge, thinking and ideas from elsewhere.

Quotes

“CSU is a university whose courses, graduates and research help regional communities to thrive and prosper economically, socially and environmentally. CSU aims to improve educational outcomes and lives for Indigenous, regional, rural and remote Australians by developing holistic, far-sighted people who help their communities grow and flourish.” Professor Andrew Vann, Vice-Chancellor, Charles Sturt University

for the public good …

Commenting on his own commitment to exploration, Charles Sturt wrote:

“A wish to contribute to the public good led me to undertake those journeys which cost me so much … I sought that career, not, I admit, without a feeling of ambition as should ever pervade a soldier’s breast, but chiefly with an earnest desire to promote the public good, and certainly without any hope of any other reward than the credit due to the successful enterprise.”