CSUgive – there is no greater gift than education

by Emily Minter

Whether you’re just about to finish your degree, getting through first year or somewhere in between, now is a great time to get to know the CSU initiatives that support your education. CSUgive is one of these and as the name suggests, CSUgive is all about giving – it’s an opportunity to donate money to CSU to support your education. Even as a student you can donate and give future students a helping hand; every dollar counts.

So why give to CSU?

We all remember what it’s like to struggle financially with a degree, and the decrease in government funding has made this struggle tougher. If you were the first in your family to attend university and are from a disadvantaged background, you will certainly understand what it’s like to be tight for money…and this financial burden doesn’t ease up whilst you’re a full time student! By giving to the Charles Sturt University Foundation Trust via CSUgive you will be helping students financially by contributing to their scholarships. A scholarship often makes all the difference in making ends meet for a student.

Education can lead to marked improvements in an individual’s health and wellbeing. It can impact a student’s socioeconomic characteristics, in turn having a positive impact on their families and communities. By giving to CSU you are helping to improve not only student’s families, but whole communities.

Donations also go towards research projects and support development of new skills and training students to be successful and hands-on in our communities.

CSU works with accrediting bodies and industry groups, as well as large national and multi-national firms to assess their workforce needs in order to prepare graduates for the workforce. Many employers prefer CSU graduates because they already have many of the skills and experience relevant to the workplace.

When you’re a CSU Alumnus you may like to invest in the next generation of students and your donation acts as a vote of confidence in Charles Sturt University. Alumni can also give by volunteering time and expertise to the university. To find out more about giving to CSU, contact the Donor Relations team on foundation@csu.edu.au.

Here are just some of the things CSUgive supports:

1. Donations are put into scholarships for you and other students. Scholarships are a great financial aid for students and you may have already benefited from one of well over 250 of these provided through the Foundation. Currently CSU is able to support less than 4% of the total applications received for scholarships each year.
2. Donations are put into research projects for university degrees. CSU incorporates research projects into education, food and water security, resource economics and law enforcement. The research projects you conduct during your degree are costly and materials are expensive.
3. CSU is constantly thinking of new ways to improve. This means new facilities and courses and it is through donations that we can support the growth of our university.

You can make a donation at any time during your studies or perhaps organise a fundraising activity or event. You might even like to continue to give once you have finished your degree, as you, more than anyone will understand that there really is no greater gift than education. For more information visit CSUgive.