It is the largest regional university in Australia,[15] offering a multidisciplinary spectrum of courses in collaboration with various partners across the country.[16]
History
The history of Charles Sturt University dates back to 1895 with the establishment of the Bathurst Experiment Farm. The university was established on 1 July 1989 from the merger of several existing separately-administered Colleges of Advanced Education by the Charles Sturt University Act 1989 (Act No. 76, 1989).[17]
The constituent colleges included the Mitchell College of Advanced Education in Bathurst, the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education in Albury–Wodonga, and the Riverina College of Advanced Education in Wagga Wagga.[18] The Mitchell College of Advanced Education was formed on 1 January 1970, and the Riverina Murray Institute of Education campus in Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga had operated since 1984.[19][20] The latter institution had earlier succeeded the Riverina College of Advanced Education, which was itself the result of an even earlier merger between Wagga Agricultural College and the Wagga Wagga Teachers College.[20]
Charles Sturt established a Study Centre in Sydney[21] in 1998 and in Melbourne[22] in 2007. These Study Centres were operated by a private education group called Study Group Australia.[23] On 31 December 2022, Charles Sturt let its relationship with Study Group Australia expire. According to Charles Sturt's website, the Brisbane Study Centre is closed, and courses at the Sydney and Melbourne locations are in teach-out mode.[24]
On 1 January 2005, Charles Sturt formalised moves to assume control of University of Sydney's Orange campus, which came into effect on 1 January 2005.[25] Between 2005 and 2015, the university had expanded to include an offshore campus in Burlington, Ontario, in Canada.[26][27] In July 2015, Charles Sturt ceased to operate its Ontario campus due to the legislative and regulatory environment in Ontario.[28]
In 2005, Charles Sturt responded to the shortage of veterinarians in rural and regional Australia with the first veterinary science students starting their degrees at the Wagga Wagga campus.[citation needed] In 2008, the university also offered dentistry courses for the first time.[citation needed] This led to the development of five community-based clinics across its regional campuses.
On 14 February 2011, Charles Sturt University changed its logo. The Sturt's desert pea flower (Swainsona formosa) was stylised and made prominent, with the full name of the university as part of its logo.[29][30]
On 1 May 2012, a milestone was reached as the university opened a new campus in Port Macquarie, its first coastal regional campus, making higher education accessible to the Port Macquarie-Hastings region.[31]
On 18 April 2016, staff and students at the Port Macquarie campus moved into the first stage of their purpose-built campus. The second stage was completed in 2020 and included a New South Wales emergency services training room, an innovation hub, and student support facilities. The third stage is scheduled for completion over the coming years, with an expected student intake of 5,000 by 2030.[citation needed]
On 28 July 2016, Charles Sturt was declared Australia's First Official Carbon Neutral University.[33] The Government of Australia's Carbon Neutral Program certified the university as "carbon neutral" against the National Carbon Offset Standard.
On 9 May 2018, Charles Sturt and Western Sydney University announced a partnership with the Australian Government's network to establish the Murray-Darling Medical School, providing joint medical programs across the Murray-Darling Basin region.[34] Charles Sturt's teaching base was established at the university's Orange campus to extend on the existing Western Sydney University program.[35]
In May 2019, for its 30th anniversary, the university announced its new branding and visual identity. This included a new crest that drew on the original coat of arms and the logos of its predecessor institutions. The crest's design includes patterns that draw on the culture and symbolism of First Nations Australians and echo the landscapes of regional New South Wales.[citation needed]
On 29 May 2019, Charles Sturt University announced it joined the Regional Universities Network (RUN), becoming the seventh member of the group.[36]
In March 2021, Charles Sturt University's first medical students commenced study at the university's Orange campus as part of the Joint Program in Medicine with Western Sydney University. The Joint Program in Medicine is designed to train doctors in the regions to help address the shortfall in rural and regional medical professionals.[citation needed]
The Albury–Wodonga campus is situated on the border of New South Wales and Victoria. There is a strong focus on environmental science, education, business, and allied health at this campus.[citation needed]
The Bathurst campus is home to engineering, communication, education, laws, and a broad range of health degrees, including paramedicine and exercise science.[citation needed]
Campus features:
Biochemistry, exercise science, nursing, and paramedicine labs
Situated on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, the Wagga Wagga campus is the university's agricultural and sciences hub. Students can also study a range of animal and veterinary sciences, education, business, allied health, information technology, and humanities degrees.[citation needed]
Charles Sturt University is governed by a 16-member Council, whose members include the chancellor and vice-chancellor. Dr. Michele Allan, a company director, food industry, and agribusiness specialist with an academic background in biomedical science, management, and law, is the current and third chancellor of the university since 3 December 2014; and Professor Renée Leon became the fifth vice-chancellor on 1 September 2021.[37]
Faculties and departments
Charles Sturt University has three main faculties, each offering a range of courses and discipline opportunities. Each faculty comprises a number of schools and centres for specific areas of study and research:[38]
The faculty's arts discipline covers performing and visual arts, art history, communications, history, human services, First Nations studies, literature, philosophy, sociology, and theology. The education side of the faculty offers a range of courses in teacher education and information and library studies. Schools and centres include:[citation needed]
Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation
School of Education
School of Indigenous Australian Studies
School of Information and Communication Studies
School of Social Work and Arts
School of Theology
Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences
This faculty brings together a range of courses in areas of business, justice, and behavioural sciences disciplines. The justice side of the faculty covers policing, security, law, customs, excise and border management. The behavioural science discipline offers psychology courses. Schools and centres include:
Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security
Centre for Customs and Excise Studies
Centre for Law and Justice
School of Business
School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering
School of Policing Studies
School of Psychology
Faculty of Science and Health
The science faculty is one of the most broadly based scientific academic concentrations in Australasia. Schools include:
School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences
School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences
School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences
School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences
Out of a coronet of Seven-pointed Stars Or, a demi-Lion rampant Gules, its sinister paw holding three Roses Gules and stems Vert.
Torse
A Wreath of the Colours (Or and Vert)
Other elements
Mantling Vert doubled Or.
Academic profile
Libraries and databases
Charles Sturt University libraries operate at its main campuses. The libraries offer eBooks, eJournals, encyclopedias, multimedia resources and course readings through Primo Search. The libraries also provide online library workshops, library resource guides, and video tutorials.[42]
Academic reputation
National publications
Charles Sturt University has the highest graduate employment rate in Australia. More than 84.7 percent of undergraduates find full-time employment within four months of graduating.[43] The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) – Longitudinal found 93.9 percent of Charles Sturt University undergraduates were in full-time employment three years after graduation. The survey also found that 95.2 percent of the university's postgraduate coursework graduates were in full-time employment three years after graduation.[citation needed]
Students at Charles Sturt University are represented by Charles Sturt University Student Senate – formerly the CSU Students' Association (CSUSA). Charles Sturt's Student Senate is the overarching university student body and comprises the following affiliates:
Orange Student Representative Committee (OSRC) – formerly Orange Students Association (OSA)
Murray Campus Council (MCC) representing Albury-Wodonga Campus – formerly Murray Campus Students' Association
Bathurst Student Representative Committee (Bathurst SRC) – formerly Mitchell Student Guild, Charles Sturt University Students' Association Bathurst (CSUSAB) and Mitchell Association of Student Councils
Port Student Representative Committee (Port SRC) representing the Port Macquarie campus
Online Study Student Representative Committee (OS SRC) representing Charles Sturt's online students
Canberra Student Representative Committee, known as St Mark's Canberra, was previously formed but disbanded in 2016.[citation needed]
Sports and athletics
The Charles Sturt University Football Club at Bathurst was formed under the name of Bathurst Teachers College in 1963, making it one of the oldest football clubs in Bathurst. The club changed its name multiple times to match the educational institute, gaining its current name when Mitchell College was rebranded to Charles Sturt University.[citation needed]
