About the University
History and Future
Charles Sturt University (CSU) was established in 1989 as a multi-campus institution and has grown into a dynamic and progressive University that is well-known for its innovative approach to education and applied research. Our eight Australian campuses at Albury-Thurgoona, Bathurst, Canberra, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange, Parramatta and Wagga Wagga provide local access to higher education across New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.
Our capacity for flexible delivery and international reputation for online learning provide access to educational opportunity throughout Australia and the world. As a national University, CSU attracts more than 12,000 students from across metropolitan NSW and an additional 7000 for every state and territory in Australia. Charles Sturt University delivers educational opportunities to more than 5800 students around the globe, with more than 500 students at Study Centres in Sydney and Melbourne. Through out network of campuses, and in close association with industry, professions and government, we are committed to maintaining a course and research profile that meets the needs and supports the aspirations of our communities, and contributes to the enrichment of inland Australia.
In 2005, Charles Sturt University, Ontario, commenced operations delivering primary teacher education programs locally to Canadian students.
We consider our inland, national and international roles to be integrally linked and mutually reinforcing. We believe that the University’s success in attracting national and international students strengthens the programs it is able to offer its inland communities. The University’s inland location enables it to make a distinctive national and international contribution in such fields as health sciences, food and water security, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. The University’s four faculties (Arts, Business, Education and Science) comprise a number of schools and centres. Faculties operate across campuses and are responsible for developing and delivering courses, while schools are generally based on a single campus and carry responsibility for teaching subjects. Administrative and academic support services are provided by the divisions, centres and offices that operate across the University’s campuses.
Our capacity and reputation for distance education and online learning provide additional education options for mature age students and extend the University´s sphere of influence to metropolitan areas, interstate and overseas. We are challenging traditional approaches to learning and teaching with flexible delivery systems that are continually being refined to improve course delivery. An excellent graduate employment rate is indicative of our success in learning and teaching, and our responsiveness to the changing trends and needs of society, industry and commerce sees us playing an increasingly important role in regional research and development.
Over many years, we have combined our learning resources, delivery systems and experience with our reputation in multi-site delivery to enrol students in co-operation with third parties.
For example, Charles Sturt University enrols international students through collaborative arrangements in countries including China, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and India.
Research is conducted through institutes and centres located across the University’s campuses. The University hosts the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE) which is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Special Research Centre and is a partner in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Policing and Security. The University has four Centres of Research Excellence (CAPPE; the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation; the Institute for Land, Water and Society [ILWS] and Research Institute for Professional Practice Learning and Education [RIPPLE]); four Strategic Research Centres (the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre [NWGIC]; the Centre for Research in Complex Systems [CRiCS]; the UNECSO International Centre of WATER for Food Security [IC: WATER]; and Public and Contextual Theology [PACT]; and six Problem Focused Research Groups (PFRGs). The University is also a partner in six Co-operative Research Centres – Future Farm Industries, Cotton Catchment Communities, Irrigation Futures, Spatial Information, Pork and Plant Biosecurity.
In 2007 the University Council approved a new University Strategy, identifying four key objectives essential to the achievement of this goal:
- providing distinctive educational programs for the professions that prepare students for work and citizenship
- continuing to lead in the quality provision and flexible delivery of learning and teaching
- conducting strategic and applied research of an international standard
- continuing to build institutional strength, reputation and sustainability
Our mission is to:
- provide distinctive educational programs for the professions that prepare students for work and citizenship
- conduct strategic and applied research which is nationally and internationally recognised
- lead in the quality provision of flexible learning and teaching, and
- enhance its communities, which include;
- inland Australia
- Indigenous Australians
- the professions, industries and students for whom we provide research, and education, and
- national and international institutions, scholars and researchers with whom our staff and students are linked
Governance
Charles Sturt University is committed to delivering the highest standards of governance and to establishing the culture required to assure our stakeholders of our strategic focus, operational performance and institutional accountability.