Charles Sturt University will make minimal changes to courses in Orange and Bathurst despite the upheaval and uncertainty around the tertiary education sector.
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The physio and dental courses - along with the new medical school - will all stay in Orange while marquee courses in Bathurst - including nursing, paramedics, engineering, teaching, and journalism will all stay.
Bathurst MP Paul Toole says the university has also assured him the vice chancellor's position will remain in Bathurst following CSU's search for a replacement for Professor Andrew Vann, who is currently on a six-month sabbatical but will not be returning to the job.
Member for Orange Phil Donato said he'd had "dialogue" with the Orange campus.
"Universities everywhere are doing it tough, and I realise some of the courses will change but we'll have little change in Orange I think," he said.
"The Orange campus and courses will run similar to how they do now."
Mr Donato has a son studying at the Orange campus, and said he'd been taking "a very keen interest" in it for more reason than one.
Mr Toole said the assurances, which have come after months of lobbying and several meetings with CSU, are an important step in "ensuring we have a sustainable university that will provide jobs for the future in regional communities".
His concerns followed revelations of CSU's worsening financial decline, from a positive result of $30 million in 2015 to a reported $80 million drop in revenue in 2020.
Mr Toole says he now has a writing guarantee the Bathurst campus will not be closed, relocated or downsized.
"This is some good news, but I'll be certainly keeping them to account regarding this commitment," he said.
"The university states the board is committed to its current campus in Bathurst and to ensuring it has a sustainable and vibrant future."
Mr Toole said he had also met with Tertiary Education Minister Geoff Lee who has requested additional Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS) funding for places in regional NSW.
"This will help ensure a significant number of school leavers and those put out of the workforce due to COVID-19 can become skilled graduates," he said.
"Early indicators from the NSW University Admissions Centre show demand for domestic undergraduate university places will increase in 2021. This is consistent with previous periods of economic uncertainty, when people seek to upskill or change skills for new job areas."
"Regional universities play a vital economic and social role in their communities."
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