CQU learning management student Ellen Ronalds has returned from 3-months in Japan with some wonderful memories and credit towards her degree. .

Newly-enrolled PhD student Riti Sharan has been awarded with a 'best poster' prize for her Masters research (* details below), during a recent Indo-Australian conference.

Riti, who is supervised by Professor Rob Reed from CQU's Department of Living Systems, won the award during the 5th Indo-Australian Conference on Medical Biotechnology held at the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi.

There'll be plenty of music to underscore the inspirational personal stories* of around 150 graduates due to attend their ceremony in Mackay on Monday, April 7 (from 6pm).

The ceremony itself at Mackay Entertainment Centre will feature Conservatorium pianist Mark Gasser and student vocalists Paul Tabone (baritone) and Danielle Mullins (soprano).

The Council of Central Queensland University will remodel CQU Academic Board following a Council-directed external  review which concluded the current format would benefit from better resources, a different approach to academic leadership and new committee structures already common at other Australian universities, it was announced today.

More than a hundred people including CQU Council members, staff and students informed the review, commissioned by Council in July 2007.

Central Queensland University is still hopeful despite disappointing news about funding for a Simulation Research Development and Training Centre which had been earmarked for the Mackay Campus.

The Mining Industry Skills Centre this week announced that the current Federal Government had decided not to proceed with a $5 million grant for the Centre awarded by the previous Federal Government in October 2007.

Spanish classes offered at the CQU Language Centre are proving popular but there are still places available for the April-June term.

That's according to Language Centre spokesperson Greg Mitchell, who said residents had the option of attending Beginners (Monday evenings), Intermediate (Tuesday evenings) or Advanced (Thursday evening) classes.

Diabetes Australia needs every cent it can get to make a difference in the lives of those Australians living with diabetes, but thanks to the efforts of lecturer Dale Trott and researcher Stefan Koehn from CQU Rockhampton, they are that much further down the track.

Ably supported by academics, researchers, general staff and postgraduate student volunteers, they organised a sausage sizzle to raise funds for this worthy cause.

Among the 160 graduates at the CQU Mackay graduation on Monday April 7 will be single mother Maria Harris, who will finally receive her Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Accounting degrees after 8 years of study.

Maria entered CQU as a mature-age student, who had never completed Year 12, but she was sure she needed to gain some kind of qualification.